Shannon Marie Siders
Shannon Siders, 18, was out early in the morning July 18, 1989, with perhaps a half dozen friends in downtown Newaygo.  At some point she and some of her friends got into a car and took off.  When her father, Robert Siders, came home in the morning from his third-shift work at Pepsi in Grand Rapids, he said it didn’t appear that had she returned to the house again.  Shannon’s new puppy had not been let out, something he says she would have been sure to do.  But there was no sign of any struggle in the house, nor was anything missing other than his daughter, the clothes on her back, and her purse.  She sometimes went to stay with friends, and Bob Siders called around before filing a missing persons report.  The State Police responded and then turned it over to the Newaygo City Police.  Both agencies worked the case and turned up tips but no sign of Shannon.  In addition to their work, Bob printed up and distributed flyers in the area, along the west side of the state and into bordering states.
It wasn’t until that fall that a bow hunter happened upon her badly decomposed remains at a site some five miles distant, near a place called The Pit, a party spot for local teens. Â Forensic results revealed a fractured skull, broken ribs and shoulder bones. Â Pathologist Ronald Graeser, D.O., described the assault as sadistic and violent. Â The death certificate lists July 18, 1989, as the date of her death.
Her father says that his daughter, like many other young people, had some struggles and was finding her way. Â She had dropped out of school but was reconsidering pursuing her diploma. Â When confronted with the need to either be in school or work she told him that she’d need a car in order to get a job. Â “I told her that’s not the way it worked…she could get a job and THEN buy her own car. Â She was a typical teen…and she was my daughter.” Â Siders had raised Shannon as a single parent from the time she was four years old. Â His assessment of her comes from their close association: “I believed she had the potential to be somebody.”