The Murder of Shannon Siders
For this case I watched an episode of Cold Case Files. It’s season 1 episode 7, titled ‘Circle of Friends.’
An 18 year girl is brutally killed, and the case goes cold for 22 years.
Background
Shannon Siders
Shannon Marie Siders was born on March 31, 1975. Shannon was raised in Newaygo, Michigan, by her dad Bob, after her parents divorced when she was young.
Shannon was described as sweet, kind and the person you could tell anything to without being judged.
The Disappearance
On July 17, 1989, Bob left around 10:30pm, for his late night shift at the Pepsi-Cola plant. Once he left, Shannon went out to join a few friends for a night of partying. There were eight people at this get together that night, and it was the last time Shannon was ever seen alive.
Bob got off work the next morning around 8:30am, and returned home to an empty house. Bob called several of Shannon’s friends and some parents, asking if they’d seen Shannon. Bob also went outside to call for Shannon, he said that sometimes she’d go to the neighbor’s homes. There was no response, and no one knew where Shannon was.
Bob immediately went to the police station to report her missing. He also put up missing person flyers, and contacted every police station in the state.
Shannon and her dad Bob
The Hole in the Woods
Over Labor Day weekend in 1989, two individuals were out in a wooded area called the hole in the woods. This was a spot where local teens went out to party. Two individuals were out, when they stumbled upon two forms of ID cards with Shannon Siders name on them.
The Michigan State troopers went out to the area, where also found a pair of blue jeans.
On October 15, 1989, three months after Shannon disappeared, a deer hunter, who was further up in the Manistee National Forest, found a body. He went into the Newaygo police to report it.
Around 10pm that night, Bob received a call from a local restaurant owner, that a body was found and it was believed to be Shannon’s. Bob said he went to the police station that night, and they confirmed it was Shannon. Bob had searched that same area over the last few months, and if he would’ve gone further, he would’ve been the one to discover his daughter.
The Autopsy
Shannon’s body was found almost three months to the day when she was last seen. The local medical examiner was brought in. She had several different injuries to her body, but her cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head. She had been brutally beaten, and her skull was crushed.
It was soon determined that this case was probably sexually motivated. Shannon’s shirt had been pushed up, her underwear was around one of her ankles and her privates had been mutilated. She was also found in a compromising position.
Bob had a closed casket for the funeral, he didn’t want to remember his daughter that way. He said that most of the high school showed up, and that several people asked to write letters to Shannon, to put with the casket. He agreed.
The Profile
The original investigators in this case asked the Michigan State police behavior analysis team to create a profile about who could’ve killed Shannon.
The profile said that Shannon was likely killed by someone she knew, in her age and peer group. The profile also said that she was killed by more than one person, it was sexually motivated and that drugs and alcohol were involved.
There were many rumors around the small town. Most of the rumors pointed to different people. There was also a rumor, which later turned out to be true, that Shannon’s class ring was stolen by her killer, as a trophy.
The police discovered that there were eight people that Shannon had met up with that night, and they needed to interview everyone.
The Suspects
The first suspect was a boy named Brandon. According to witnesses, Shannon had been driving around with him and another boy named Levi. Shannon’s friend said that Shannon didn’t like to be around Brandon, and that he would refer to women as sluts and whores. There were also tips that Brandon left town soon after Shannon disappeared.
Brandon was brought in for questioning. He said that on that night Shannon wanted to go home, and got into a car with other people. Brandon was asked about him leaving town, and he said he had gone to Colorado to pick up his cousin. He was actually only gone for a day or two, and he was ruled out.
The next suspects were two brothers named Paul and Matt Jones. Paul and Matt both said that Shannon invited them over to drink beer and watch movies. They said they drove Shannon home, and she said that she was tired, so they dropped her off around 12am-1am. They also gave the police a description of Shannon’s house, said that there was a TV and light on, and that her dog was running around.
The original investigators looked into the Jones brothers extensively, and they passed polygraph tests. They were cleared.
Bob never let the small town forget about his daughter. He created signs that read ‘Who Killed Shannon Siders.’ He put them up at different places of work for all to see.
22 Years Later
In August 2011, a new administration in Newaygo, wanted to created a Cold Case Task Force. Several new detectives knew that they wanted to join to re-open Shannon’s case.
They started by doing a victimology profile. They interviewed Shannon’s family, close friends and acquaintances. Everyone that knew her said that she wore a class ring that was never found. The police didn’t disclose this information, hoping that whoever had it was the killer.
A woman named Aimee Bonner was 15 years old at the time Shannon died. She had volunteered at the police station in 1989, and wanted to help solve this case. She created a Facebook page, and received several tips about the case.
A woman named Stephanie contacted Aimee, believing her family was involved. Her family was a local family with a bad reputation. There was incest and abuse happening in the family. Stephanie told Aimee that her family owned a house that had a creek running under it. She said that Shannon had been held in the basement for a few days, and sexually assaulted. She said that Shannon was eventually put into a van and dumped in the woods.
Aimee contacted the Task Force, and they went to the home. The homeowners had been convicted of several assaults and attempted murder, but they weren’t involved in this case. The house had no basement, and there was no evidence that this family was involved.
The Exhumation
Another rumor going around the small town was that someone had written a confession letter, and put it with Shannon’s casket. The police asked Bob for his permission to exhume his body. He agreed.
The police did read the letters, but there was no confession letter. The police did discover some hair that was in Shannon’s right hand, but when it was tested it came back to being hers.
Over 400 people were interviewed when the case was re-opened, but it was the statement from Julia, Shannon’s friend that caught their attention.
Julia’s Story
Julia said that she and Shannon had made plans to hangout on the night she disappeared. Julia had gotten off from work at 11:45pm, and went to Shannon’s. Julia said there was no answer, but that she went into the home at one point, and came back several times. Julia said the final time she was there was around 3am, and Shannon still wasn’t there. Julia’s original report hadn’t been filed.
Paul and Matt Jones had told the original police that they dropped Shannon off around 12-1am. The police also found several people that were in contact with Paul and Matt after Shannon disappeared, and found their behavior odd.
Paul’s ex-girlfriend Lindsay, said that she got a ride home from him one day, and noticed a girl’s ring in his ashtray. Lindsay confronted him about having another girl, and he said “let’s face it, she’s probably dead.”
The police believed that Matt and Paul killed Shannon, after she denied their sexual advances. The case was all circumstantial at this point.
An Eyewitness
During the investigation, several people told Aimee to talk to Jenny Corgin. Aimee had been friends with Jenny, and when she spoke to her, she was hysterical.
Jenny said that she was with Dean Robinson on that night in 1989. They were driving around in the woods, and saw a parked car. Dean got out and spoke to the driver, who Jenny heard them identify themselves as Jones, and that they were looking for a girl.
The police now believed that Shannon had gotten away, and was hunted. The Jones brothers caught up to her, beat her and took turns sexually assaulting her.
Jenny said that she and Dean saw the brothers a short time after the first interaction, and also saw an unconscious Shannon on the ground. Jenny said that Dean got out, tripped and fell, and that he was kicked in the face by Paul. Jenny said that Dean would’ve been killed, if the brothers didn’t realize she was in the car.
Convictions
Matt Jones was convicted of first degree murder, and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Paul Jones was convicted of second degree murder, and sentenced to 30-75 years in prison.
Matthew and Paul Jones
FINAL THOUGHTS
It’s so sad that there were people that knew what happened to Shannon all this time. I understand that they didn’t want to say anything, probably out of fear, and it’s sad for them as well. I also believe there were other people that knew what happened, that have never come forward.
I wonder if these brothers had ever been convicted of anything before. It seems like this would be an escalation, not something that would be done for a first crime. They deserve to be locked up for good, and one of them was even asked by the police about what the punishment should be. They answered “locked up.”
I’m so happy that Shannon’s dad finally has justice for her, and that he can finally let her rest in peace.
Sources
https://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/2015/12/1989_michigan_sex_murder_solve.html
https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2017/02/10/shannon-siders-murder/97775732/
https://www.whokilledshannonsiders.com/
