LEONIDAS TOWNSHIP, MI (WTVB) – The FBI and the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Office completed a two-day excavation operation at a Leonidas Township property near Mendon, after discovering a large underground shipping container that may hold critical evidence.
Acting on a fresh investigative lead, hazmat teams and federal agents equipped with heavy machinery braved rainy conditions to unearth the structure, which is comparable in size to a semi-trailer.
On Wednesday afternoon, authorities were seen pulling a mattress topper, several trash bags, and other personal belongings from the buried bunker, fueling hopes for a breakthrough in a long-standing case.
This weeks development marks a potential turning point in the nearly eight-year-old missing person case of Brittany Shank, a 23-year-old mother of four from Sturgis who vanished in November 2018.
Shanks brother Victor Hawthorn says the family needs closure
Shank was last seen barefoot and bleeding in the winter cold following a car crash on Fawn River Road, roughly 27 miles away from the current dig site.
While St. Joseph County Chief Deputy Zach Zuk confirmed that the retrieved items are being processed for potential links, law enforcement has not yet announced any definitive breakthroughs or verified the discovery of human remains, stating that additional information could be released in the coming weeks.
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