Tanya Shannon Update: Ill. Community Supports Missing Mom's Four Daughters in Crash Mystery
RANSOM, Ill. (CBS/AP) Despite the odds and the dropping temperatures, four young girls between the ages of 4 and 15 continue to hope that their mother Tanya Shannon, who disappeared after the car crash that killed her husband, is found safe.
Unfortunately, after a three-day search which yielded few clues, the prospects of finding Shannon alive were grim, and authorities had no choice but to suspend the search until the frigid temperatures subsided.
The tight-knit community of Ransom - population 450 - has vowed to care for the four children left behind in the wake of this double tragedy.
The town's shops and taverns, as well as businesses in neighboring towns, are lending their support to the Shannon daughters, who in an an instant lost their father, Dale Shannon, and quite possibly their mother, too.
Although there are few businesses on the town's lone downtown street, members of the community have been contributing both monetary and food donations, reports The Chicago Tribune.
One of the local taverns draped plastic jugs with pictures of the four smiling daughters and messages about their plight along the bar, with the hope of raising money for the young girls.
At Jerry's Tap, a pile of dollar bills sat in the "jar on the bar" Wednesday.
In addition to monetary donations, people have also donated canned goods, cereal and snacks, Carl Watson who mans the taps at Jerry's, told The Chicago Tribune.
"It's starting to roll in," Carl said. "A lot of people are just becoming aware of what's going on. It'll pick up. I have faith."
Tanya Shannon and her 41-year-old husband Dale left a friend's holiday party and were believed to be riding home when their car crashed along a well-traveled stretch of highway early Sunday.
Dale was behind the wheel and died from a broken neck; however, there were no signs of Tanya Shannon other than a slipper found a short distance away from the crash site.
"It's just one of those weird situations," said Sergeant Jeff Whalen of the LaSalle County Sheriff's office. "We have no idea what happened."
Authorities believe Shannon may be dead or her body may be buried in the snow, but they have not ruled out the possibility that she may be alive.
Anyone with information on Tanya Shannon's whereabouts is urged to call the LaSalle County Sheriff's office at 815-433-2161.