Shannon White and her dog, Buddy. (Image contributed)
MISSING: SHANNON WHITE

Into Thin Air – Shannon White | Kamloops Jeep community keeps up search and awareness of friend’s disappearance

Aug 22, 2025 | 5:06 PM

KAMLOOPS — Shannon White had only lived in Kamloops for a few years but she formed a deep connection amongst the local Jeep off-roading community. Those friends are now keeping her memory alive and keeping the public aware of her suspicious disappearance.

“She was just full of life. Every day she looked at life as an opportunity to try something new and expand and take on knowledge,” Angela Hulsman, a close friend of Shannon’s, said. “She wanted to be independent and learn to do things herself. Including fixing her own Jeep and all of that sort of stuff.”

Around 8 a.m. the morning of Nov. 1, 2021, Shannon 32, left home and was seen getting into her Jeep as usual. However, she never arrived at the car dealership where she worked.

“I know in my heart that she didn’t just disappear off the face of the earth, because that wasn’t her, and again, she loved life,” Hulsman stresses.

On the day she went missing, Shannon’s Jeep was seen leaving city limits in two different directions. Around the time Shannon was expected to be at work, cameras showed her Jeep driving west up the Trans Canada Highway and it was out of the city limits for about 45 minutes. Later that day, the vehicle was seen on camera again. This time, around 5:30 p.m., it had driven north along the Yellowhead Highway past Rayleigh and then back on the highway toward the city around 6:15 p.m.

Shannon’s black Jeep was found parked in the 200-block of Nicola Street the following afternoon (Nov. 2). It had been abandoned and the pink flower decoration that normally sat on the vehicle’s spare tire was no longer there.

Days later, police were searching a unit at the Silver Sage trailer park that allegedly belonged to Shannon’s ex-boyfriend, though that hasn’t been officially confirmed by authorities.

The RCMP’s Serious Crimes Unit was involved in the investigation from the get-go, as police believe Shannon is the victim of foul play. That investigation is still active, but so far, no charges have been laid.

“When I speak with them (RCMP) it’s still a priority case for them, this is not going away. They let me know that sometimes other things happen and there’s other crime that they have to deal with but this is never put on the back burner,” Shannon’s father, Gerald White says.

Gerald says he hope to his daughter on the phone the night before she disappeared. He described her as being in ‘good spirits’. It was the last time that Gerald spoke with Shannon, and the phone call that he got next was once that told him that Shannon was missing.

“When I got the call it was actually like 1 a.m. on Nov. 2, so I was woken up in the middle of the night and of course once you get that call you don’t get any sleep,” describes White, “Then you try and figure out what the hell is going on, you know.”

White’s father quickly flew to Kamloops from Ontario desperate to join the search. He ventured out several times with the Search Recovery and Detection K9’s of BC.

“Those searches. The very first one I did, that was a very hard thing for me,” recalls White, “Very hard.”

Gerald says it’s not easy to live on the other side of the country and rely on phone updates about an investigation into your child’s disappearance. There is relief however, in knowing the close-knit group who off-roaded together is keeping the word out about their friend.

“Knowing that people aren’t giving up means that one day we will get answers. She will never be forgotten,” states Hulsman, “And one day all of this hard work will bring her home.”

Every year, one of White’s co-workers organizes an event in her honour to fundraise for search teams. This year’s fundraiser is set for Sept. 28 at Rivershore Ram. On the anniversary of Shannon’s disappearance, the local Jeep community does a convoy ride around the city.

“We always do raising the money. Shannon’s dad has asked that it go directly to the SRD K9 team to help support them in their efforts of helping find people as well. So every year we raise money for them,” Hulsman explains.

It’s a balance between remembering the good about Shannon, and doing what they can to search the area.

“Our biggest thing is if you think it’s something, whether you think it’s small to you, it could be the piece that breaks open the case,” notes Hulsman, “So if you think you’ve found something, don’t touch it, call the RCMP, let them know it’s there. Take pictures, whatever you have to do.”

‘What if’ scenarios and rumours add to the struggle, and Shannon’s father says he has no interest in poring over speculative posts online. White feels sticking with the valid information they do have is a healthier way to deal with the situation.

“You know, if you have facts and you can show me this or that, factually, that this is going to help find her, then that’s fine. If not, I don’t want to hear it,” reiterates White.

“We get messages all the time on our Facebook group from people saying ‘oh I heard this, or I heard that’. The answer is to just contact the RCMP. Her file number is there. Giving second-hand information isn’t helpful for the RCMP, for you to give it to us to then pass along,” Hulsman said.

“That information needs to come from the actual source in order to be helpful to the investigation.”

Shannon White is still an active missing person case, and the friends and family who want to bring her home encourage anybody who may know something to step forward and give that information to police.

“Every time I hear a case has closed or somebody gets closure, it’s refreshing to know that there is an end out there, and the day will come,” adds Hulsman.

To anonymously report a crime or submit a tip, Kamloops, Crime Stoppers can be reached at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). Tips can also be submitted anonymously through the BC Crime Stoppers website.