Missing
Shannon Clair LaBau
LaBau, approximately 1999
Date and time person was reported missing : 02/23/1999
Missing location (approx) :
Helena, Montana
Missing classification : Endangered Missing
Gender : Male
Ethnicity :
White
DOB : 10/31/1975 (45)
Age at the time of disappearance: 23 years old
Height / Weight : 6'3, 240 pounds
Description, clothing, jewerly and more : A light-colored t-shirt, a dark blue and white plaid flannel shirt and blue jeans.
Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos
: Caucasian male. Blond hair, blue eyes. LaBau wears contact lenses. He has an unfinished tattoo of a black dragon on his upper right arm, a faint one-inch vertical scar on his forehead between his eyes, and a mole on his neck. LaBau's left ear has previously been pierced.
Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : LaBau was last seen on February 23, 1999. He told his mother he was going to Townsend, Montana with a friend to look at a muscle car he was thinking of buying. He said he return to his Helena, Montana home later that day. He was carrying several thousand dollars in cash at the time. He has never been heard from again.
The last confirmed sighting of LaBau was at the bank in Helena, when he withdrew the money for his intended purchase. The friend he was with on the day of his disappearance has changed his story several times. Once he said he dropped him off near his apartment in downtown Helena; another time, the friend said LaBau got a ride to Butte, Montana.
Authorities have been unable to determine who owned the car LaBau wanted to buy; supposedly, the owner was a rancher.
LaBau had an appointment with an optometrist to renew his contact lens prescription. The appointment was set for after his disappearance; he did not arrive as scheduled. He also left money behind in his bank account and uncollected paychecks at his place of employment.
LaBau's red 1976 Chevrolet truck with the Montana license plate number 5T31420 apparently disappeared with him; it has not been recovered. The friend who was with him on the day of his disappearance reportedly changed his story several times.
Although police have found no evidence of foul play in his case, LaBau's family believes he may be deceased, as he left behind a baby daughter and it would be uncharacteristic of him to abandon her. He was close to his mother and also had a dog he adored.
LaBau graduated from Helena High School and worked as a cook at the time of his disappearance. His mother had him declared legally dead shortly before she died of cancer in 2007. His case remains unsolved.
Other information and links : ncy
Helena Police Department
406-447-8461
September 2021 updates and sources
A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are not known. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2�5% of missing children in Europe.
By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends.
Several organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and imAge at the time of disappearance: s of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.
The Helena Independent Record
Unsolved in the News
KXLH 9
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