Police announced Tuesday that the remains of a western Wisconsin woman missing for nearly nine years have been found in central Minnesota.
Shannah Boiteau of Chippewa Falls was last seen alive in the St. Cloud area on June 22, 2016, according to a Facebook page that has been dedicated to finding Boiteau, who was 22 years old at the time.
On Monday, police said in a statement, the Midwest Medical Examiner's Office confirmed the identity of the remains as those of Shannah Bouiteau, who was 22 years old at the time of her disappearance.
"This case remains an active investigation," read the statement, which offered no insight into the circumstances of her death. Along with St. Cloud police, the state Bureauf of Apprehension and the medical examiner's office are collaborating in the investigation.
According to a Facebook page dedicated to finding Boiteau that includes photos of search efforts over the years, "It is with great sorrow and sadness that we have to report that we have found Shannah Boiteau, and she has gained her angel wings. Please respect our privacy as we grieve and process all of this. Much love to everyone who has shared and helped us through this from the start."
Tri-County CrimeStoppers of the St. Cloud area said in a statement years earlier that "Boiteau was witnessed exiting a vehicle near I94 & Co Rd 74 in Saint Cloud, MN and ran into the woods and was never heard from again."
One day before Boiteau's death was revealed, St. Cloud police filed a search-warrant affidavit that said they were notified by a man who found a human skull with teeth at a "moist spot in the lower ground" on property to the south of I-94 and east of County Road 74.
The filing noted that the remains have been "outside in the elements for a number of years."
The affidavit cleared the way for police and the BCA to search the property, where they collected skeletal remains while taking photos and video of the scene.
In the sixth year of Boiteau's disappearance, someone close to the family posted on the Facebook page that "Shannah is something, a mom, a daughter, an aunt. She is a person that lived like the rest of everyone, even if her head was on a wrong path, even if she is on the right path."
The posting continued, "There is some one out there that knows something. And I truly hope your guilt causes you heartache. The pain we have answering [daughter] Emiliana's questions. 'Does my mom not like me is that why she left me? ... Is my mom dead? Where is she?'"
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