Police continue efforts to solve Barrie woman's mysterious disappearance

Consoling her grandmother in the last place her sister Autumn Shaganash was seen before her mysterious disappearance, Lili Moore waited and held out hope for answers as police conducted another ground search on Wednesday.

Shaganash hasn’t been seen or heard from since she went missing on June 10, 2023.

The then-26-year-old Indigenous woman was captured on video surveillance leaving home and meeting someone on Burton Street in Barrie on the night of June 9, 2023.

The following morning, police say she was with a friend around 10 a.m. near Sunnidale Park when she simply vanished.

According to police, Shaganash was walking 10 to 15 feet behind her friend and when he turned around she was gone, without a word or cry for help.

At the same time, a walk for ALS was taking place in the park.

The latest ground search is one of seven that have already been conducted in the area, with officers and a K9 team sifting through bushes looking for anything that could lead to answers.

"We've done aerial searches, we've utilized canine resources to conduct ground searches of the area with the leaves falling and whatnot, there could be something that was overlooked that may assist the investigators should anything be located," said Peter Leon with the Barrie Police Service.

Police say Wednesday marked the start of a three-day search of Sunnidale Park.

In addition to the search, the Barrie Police Service issued a $50,000 reward for anyone with information about Shaganash’s whereabouts in February, which has generated several tips, but so far, nothing concrete.

The Barrie Police Service received information that Autumn Shaganash was seen in North Bay on June 21 in the area of Regina Street and McIntyre Street East. (Supplied)

The reward is something Moore said she hopes will encourage someone to speak out as her family struggles to find answers on how Shaganash could have gone missing without a trace.

In June, one year after she went missing, police received information Shaganash could be in Northern Ontario, but that lead was quickly squashed, with the family confirming it wasn’t her.

"I think about my sister every day. I really miss her. Some days there are worst days," said Moore.

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As officers searched the area, members of the ISN Maskwa, an Indigenous-led support team, were also on the ground helping the family navigate their pain.

"That ability to sit and breathe a little bit, and to talk, and there's Anishinaabe humour, and some laughter in that - that calmness that we seem to have with each other that it resonates, and it certainly helps. Very stressful times that they're dealing with, you know, and we're going to help this family in a good way," said Paul Syrette, acting director of operations for ISN Maskwa.

The family remains hopeful that while the seasons continue to change, their Autumn will be found.

"Family and support and, you know, I'm trying … I try to stay strong every day," said Moore.

With files from CTV’s Kim Phillips