Nearly 32 years after she vanished, the disappearance of Shanythia Peterson from Pompano Beach remains a haunting unsolved mystery. Peterson, then 18, was last seen on August 26, 1993, leaving her family’s home, and despite decades of investigation, her whereabouts are still unknown.
Shanythia Peterson was last seen at approximately 5:00 a.m. on August 26, 1993, when she left her residence in the 1600 block of North Cypress Road in Pompano Beach. Her initial plan was to drive her boyfriend to work.
According to reports, Shanythia’s mother awoke at 8:00 a.m., believing her daughter was still asleep as her bedroom door was closed and her car was in the driveway. However, investigators now believe Shanythia may have left the home again around 8:30 a.m. that morning.
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It wasn’t until 10:00 p.m. that evening, when Shanythia’s mother returned from work, that she realized her daughter was not home. Initially, she assumed Shanythia was with her boyfriend and went to bed without concern. The alarm was raised at 3:00 a.m., when Shanythia’s mother woke up and realized her daughter had missed her 1:30 a.m. curfew.
A Fading Trail
Shanythia’s family waited the remainder of August 27th for her to return before reporting her missing on the morning of August 28th, two days after she was last seen. Authorities quickly discovered that none of her clothes were missing from her home. Furthermore, she never picked up her paycheck from her part-time job as a cashier at K-Mart, and there has been no activity on her bank account since her disappearance.
On August 29th, Shanythia’s white 1992 Pontiac LeMans was found abandoned and locked in the parking lot of the Days Inn motel in the 1400 block of Northwest 31st Avenue in Pompano Beach. Inside the car, under the front seat, investigators found her purse, which contained a false identification card for Shanythia under the name “Toquerta C. Montgomery.”
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Unidentified Trucker and Leads
While there was no sign of Shanythia at the motel, she may have been seen talking to an unidentified male at that location. The man was reportedly driving an eighteen-wheeler truck with a blue cab and New Jersey license plates. Despite efforts, this individual has never been identified or located.
In 1995, a tip led police to search the yard of a residence in the 2800 block of Northwest Fourth Street in Pompano Beach, as an individual claimed Shanythia’s body was buried there. However, the search yielded no evidence.
Shanythia, a graduate of Ely High School, has never been heard from again. Her mother has voiced suspicions that Shanythia may have been harmed by two individuals known to her, but no one has ever been charged in connection with her disappearance or identified as a suspect.
Ongoing Search for Answers
Though some agencies list Shanythia’s disappearance date as August 27 or August 29, 1993, the official timeline points to August 26 as the last confirmed sighting.
The Pompano Beach Police Department continues to seek information regarding Shanythia Peterson’s disappearance. Anyone with information is urged to call the Pompano Beach Police Department at 954-786-4200.
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