Search To Resume For Missing Illinois Mother
OTTAWA, Ill. (CBS) ― The search will resume Monday for a woman who went missing early last month after a car crash that killed her husband, authorities said Sunday.
LaSalle County sheriff's Sgt. Jeff Whalen said the search for part-time waitress Tanya Shannon, 40, would begin Monday at 9 a.m.
Tanya Shannon's husband, Dale Shannon, died after their car hit a light pole while the couple was heading home from a holiday party on Dec. 5. Deputies found footprints in the snow leading away from the car, and searchers braved the cold for days in hopes of finding the Ransom, Ill., woman.
The cold weather ended the search in the rural area on Dec. 8 after searchers probed snow banks and ditches for days with no clues.
Snow in the area has now melted after warmer weather.
"Most of the fields are clear," Whalen said.
The search will include 13 to 15 people on horse, one helicopter and an undetermined number of people will perform a limited ground search on foot, Whelan said.
Autopsy results showed that Dale Shannon was drunk when he crashed into the pole. His blood alcohol level was .266, more than three times the legal limit of .08, officials said.
Officials have also revealed that Tanya Shannon filed for divorce from her husband earlier in the year. According to published reports, Tanya and Dale Shannon had reconciled their differences after Tanya filed for divorce.
The Shannons have four daughters – ages 4, 7, 10 and 15.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
