Shania Hammonds was an 18-year-old from Charlotte, North Carolina. She was a senior at Mallard Creek High School who wanted to join the military and go to veterinary school after graduation. She was funny, outgoing, and always helpful.
On February 9, 2017 Shania was found in the backyard of the house she was staying at, deceased.
The teen had been staying with a friend’s grandmother at a house on Willow Gate Lane since December. At the time of Shania’s death, the person she was staying with had been out of town for the last couple days.
Friend’s said that they saw Shania at school on Tuesday (Feb 7), but she wasn’t there on Wednesday (Feb 8). The last anyone heard from her was while she was texting her best friend about puppies. Her friend’s dog had just had puppies and they were suggesting names for them. But the teen stopped replying by morning.
When friend’s weren’t able to get ahold of their friend, they got very worried. A friend went to the home Shania was staying at to look around for her. They found Shania’s body in the backyard near the shed, and there were no visible signs of how she died.
It was February and cold out, yet Shania was dressed in just a t-shirt and shorts with no shoes on. Her phone was left inside the home in the bedroom.
The medical examiner ruled the cause of Shania’s death to be undetermined. It was initially a death investigation but is now considered a homicide.
Despite the medical examiner’s ruling, the detectives believe she was suffocated. They said she did have an injury above her eye, so there were signs of a struggle. And since her phone was found inside they believe someone showed up unexpectedly during the night.
To this day, Shania’s death remains unsolved although detectives have re-interviewed witnesses and re-examining evidence.
If you have any information that could lead to an arrest in the Shania Hammonds case, there is a reward. Call Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600. Your tip can be anonymous.