Case Details
- Photo URLs:
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- Missing Since:
- Missing Since 07/19/1992
- Missing From:
- Missing From Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
- Classification:
- Classification Endangered Missing
- Gender:
- Female
- Race:
- Race Black
- Date of Birth:
- Date of Birth 01/03/1989 (36)
- Age:
- Age 3 years old
- Height and Weight:
- Height and Weight 3’0, 44 pounds
- Clothing/Jewelry Description:
- Clothing/Jewelry Description A navy blue t-shirt with the cartoon character Mickey Mouse, white shorts and white sneakers with blue trim and rabbit designs.
- Distinguishing Characteristics:
- Distinguishing Characteristics African-American female. Black hair, brown eyes. Shanta may use the name Shante Reid; it was her birth name.
- Details of Disappearance:
- Shanta, a little girl, disappeared from a Kmart in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on July 19, 1992. Her foster mother, Susan, said Shanta vanished near the toy department. But store security cameras only showed Susan going in alone; Shanta wasn’t seen.
Shanta’s birth mother was in jail, and couldn’t help the police. Shanta’s family had a reunion in Myrtle Beach that weekend, so police looked into whether they took her, but they were cleared. Susan and her husband were in the process of adopting Shanta and her brother, but the state still had custody. After Shanta disappeared, her brother was taken away from Susan.
Three years later, Susan was charged with abusing Shanta. A nurse and a babysitter reported seeing injuries on Shanta that suggested abuse – burns and other marks. What happened with those charges is unclear.
Police searched the Johnsons’ property and found evidence connected to Shanta, leading them to believe she was buried there, then moved. They think Shanta’s death was planned, and Susan is the main suspect. The case is still not solved.
- Agency:
- Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office 919-323-1500
- Source Links:
This person was missing Missing Since 07/19/1992