‘A day you don’t want to remember’: Sunday marks five-year anniversary of Shannon White’s disappearance

“It’s been a tough five years for sure. You miss her, you want to know where she is and as everybody knows foul play is suspected, but it’s hard to deal with when you’re kind of left in limbo,” an emotional Gerald told CFJC Friday (Oct. 30).

“If there is anybody out there that knows anything about where Shannon might be please, please contact the RCMP.”

Gerald lives in Ontario but he’s in B.C. for the five-year anniversary of Shannon’s disappearance. He was in Kamloops on Friday for a meeting with the RCMP, and said “it was good.”

“They don’t give you too much, they have to keep it close to themselves,” Gerald said. “It’s an active investigation and they haven’t forgotten about her.”

In a statement to CFJC, Kamloops RCMP Supt. Jeff Pelley said police are following-up on numerous leads related to Shannon’s disappearance, and that historical investigations remain a priority for the Serious Crime Unit.

“The Kamloops RCMP Detachment Serious Crime Unit continues to prioritize the investigation into the disappearance of Shannon White,” Pelley said. “We are fully committed to advancing all active historical files and pursuing every available investigative lead, regardless of the time that has elapsed since the original offence.”

“Our investigators are actively engaged in these investigations and will continue to leverage all available investigative methods. Recent successes in historical investigations underscore our commitment and demonstrate that these files do not become inactive with age. We remain steadfast in our pursuit of accountability thorough investigation of all historical offences.”

Those assurances from the police are welcome news to Shannon’s family and friends.

“It’s a day you don’t want to remember but you can’t help but not remember,” Gerald said. “It’s very difficult but I have a great family and some awesome friends that support me and you need that. I need that personally.”

“I saw her literally it would have been today five years ago,” Shannon’s friend Angela Hulsman told CFJC. “We went and had dinner with a friend and went out looking for the northern lights because neither one of us had ever seen them.”

“It’s hard [to reflect on the anniversary], but at the same time it just allows me to remember the good times.”

Angela Hulsman (L) and Gerald White in Kamloops on Oct. 30, 2026. (Image Credit: Kent Simmonds/CFJC Today)

Hulsman has helped organize events like jeep convoys and fundraising barbecues like one this Sunday at Rivershore Ram, to keep Shannon’s memory alive. Sunday’s barbecue is by donation and it will run from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., with a raffle and 50/50.

“We’ll come together and share stories,” she said. “We’ll be there raising money for the SRD K9 team which has been there from day one. They’re absolutely amazing and we would do anything to support them because they help so many families continue to look for their loved ones.”

Mike Ritcey is president of Search, Recovery, and Detection K9s of BC (SRD K9s) of BC, and he told CFJC those searches will not stop.

“We’ve searched the Heffley Creek area but we still go back in that area. Inks Lake, we’ve been in that area. We started on Greenstone, a few places on Greenstone Mountain and we’ve even searched out along Kamloops lake on the north side,” he said.

“It’s sad that its going on this long but there is a group of us and we’re still out there looking and we have dogs that are trained in human remains detection.”

Ritcey said all money donated to SRD K9s of BC goes right back to search efforts, adding they’re appreciative as they don’t get government grants.

“We’ll just keep plugging away at it,” Ritcey added. “It doesn’t matter if its five years or 10 years, we’re going to stick with it. It means so much to the families and I think families with missing people, they need someone out there searching for their loved ones.”

And that’s all Gerald can hope for right now, knowing there are people out there still looking for his daughter.

“It makes it difficult when you’re far away,” Gerald said. “Closure isn’t going to happen for me. The hole in the heart isn’t going away but to find her, that is what I want.”

“More than anything I just want her, so I can take her back home to her family.”

[Ed. note: Shannon White’s story was featured on CFJC’s series Into This Air last summer. You can find that episode here.]

by Victor Kaisar

‘A day you don’t want to remember’: Sunday marks five-year anniversary of Shannon White’s disappearance

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