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I Was Once Lost
Sixteen year old Shannon Aumock had a very difficult life when she ran away in May, 1992. She born to a young mother in March, 1976, as the result of a sexual assault. She lived with her mother in Phoenix, Arizona, until three years. Then her mother realised she was unable to care for young Shannon and gave her to CPS. A family adopted her in Scottsdale. She remained with them until she was 12 years old. However, the family sent her back to CPS because her behavioural issues become unbearable. Shannon was in a hope to go home. Occasionally living with a foster family, one never finds a place to call her own. Feeling alone and abandoned, Shannon run away from these group homes numerous times- 40 times, to be exact. Police recalled that they had contact with Shannon every week from 1989-1991, returning her back to these facilities.When Shannon was 10 years old, she was interviewed by a psychologist, due to her chronic running away. This psychologist asked Shannon a rather startling question during the interview- what would she want on her tombstone, if she were to die, due to the danger of her running off? She had a heartbreaking answer for him, stating that she would want her tombstone to be blank, because ”no one cared for [her] when [she] was alive, so why would anyone care when [she] was dead?”Sadly, Shannon would run away for a final time in the spring of 1992.May 27th, 1992On May 27, 1992, a man was riding his ATV in the area of 20th Street and Deer Valley road, in a remote area of desert north of the Central Arizona Project Canal, that was often used to dump trash. Some sources suggest that this man was part of a search party looking for the body of another missing girl, with a strong possibility being that of Brandy Myer, who disappeared two days prior. This man spotted a hand sticking out underneath a piece of plywood, discovering the body of a teenage girl. Upon calling police, the body was removed and examined- the girl had died from strangulation, and had been lying in that location for up to 8 weeks. Unknown who the body belonged to, they made composite sketches and circulated photos of her clothing, but she was not identified, and subsequently buried in a potter’s field at the Twin Butte’s Cemetery in Tempe, Arizona.It’s unclear if Shannon was considered to be the Jane Doe at any point early on, but it seems unlikely, as she was never reported missing by the group home that she had run away from. However, 20 years later, Jane Doe was positively identified as Shannon Aumock when her biological mother gave a DNA sample to detectives that matched the unidentified body found in 1992. Investigators stated that they were very lucky that the biological mother was still residing in the Phoenix valley, by that point, and were able to make a positive connection.SuspectsThere is only one person to be considered a possible suspect in the murder of Shannon, and also the presumed killer of Brandy Myer- Brian Miller, also known as the Canal Killer. Brian Miller was an eccentric character, who owned a unique looking truck with “ZOMBIE HUNTER” painted on it in large letters, often spotted around Phoenix. He frequently wore elaborate costumes, taking pictures with people around town, as well as some local police officers, all before he was eventually charged with murder.Brian was apprehended in January of 2015, when he offered a woman a ride home, and began to stab her repeatedly in his car. This woman was able to flee and call for help, where Brian was arrested and his DNA entered into the national database. His DNA hit on two unsolved murders in the Phoenix valley, from the early 1990’s- that of Angela Brosso and Melanie Bernas. Both women had disappeared while riding their bikes along the canal, and both women’s bodies were discovered floating in the canal. Angela’s head was found floating in the canal 11 days after her body was discovered, as it had been removed post mortem.Brian is also suspected of killing thirteen year old Brandy Myer, who left her home in 1992 to collect signatures for a book-a-thon being held by her elementary school. Brandy was last seen knocking on a door two homes down from Brian’s, and his ex-wife later told authorities that he had confessed to her that he had killed a young girl who knocked on his door in 1992. He claimed that she knocked, and when he opened it, he grabbed her without hesitation, pulling her inside and stabbing her to death. He then dismembered her body, before dumping it at a local recycling centre. Brandy’s body has never been found, and Brian was never charged for her murder. His trial for the murders of Melanie and Angela began last month, October of 2022.ClosingShannon was exhumed from the potter’s field in Tempe, and reburied at Sunset West cemetery in El Mirage, Arizona. She has a tombstone there, often decorated with flowers- and it’s not blank. It bears her name, Shannon Michelle Aumock, with her date of birth, the date her body was found, and an inscription that says:I was once lost, But now I am found.
Sixteen year old Shannon Aumock had a very difficult life, leading up to when she ran away in May of 1992.
Shannon was born to a young mother in March of 1976, as the result of a sexual assault. She lived with her mother in Phoenix, Arizona, until she was three years old, before her mother recognized she was unable to care for young Shannon, and gave her to CPS. Shortly after, Shannon was adopted out to a family in Scottsdale, where she remained until she was 12 years old- however, this family sent her back to CPS, claiming that her behavioral issues were too much to bear. This left Shannon in a position where she was hopping from group home to group home, and occasionally being placed with a foster family, never finding a place to call her own. Feeling alone and abandoned, Shannon would run away from these group homes numerous times- 40 times, to be exact. Police recalled that they had contact with Shannon every week from 1989-1991, returning her back to these facilities.
When Shannon was 10 years old, she was interviewed by a psychologist, due to her chronic running away. This psychologist asked Shannon a rather startling question during the interview- what would she want on her tombstone, if she were to die, due to the danger of her running off? She had a heartbreaking answer for him, stating that she would want her tombstone to be blank, because ”no one cared for [her] when [she] was alive, so why would anyone care when [she] was dead?”
Sadly, Shannon would run away for a final time in the spring of 1992.
May 27th, 1992
On May 27, 1992, a man was riding his ATV in the area of 20th Street and Deer Valley road, in a remote area of desert north of the Central Arizona Project Canal, that was often used to dump trash. Some sources suggest that this man was part of a search party looking for the body of another missing girl, with a strong possibility being that of Brandy Myer, who disappeared two days prior. This man spotted a hand sticking out underneath a piece of plywood, discovering the body of a teenage girl. Upon calling police, the body was removed and examined- the girl had died from strangulation, and had been lying in that location for up to 8 weeks. Unknown who the body belonged to, they made composite sketches and circulated photos of her clothing, but she was not identified, and subsequently buried in a potter’s field at the Twin Butte’s Cemetery in Tempe, Arizona.
It’s unclear if Shannon was considered to be the Jane Doe at any point early on, but it seems unlikely, as she was never reported missing by the group home that she had run away from. However, 20 years later, Jane Doe was positively identified as Shannon Aumock when her biological mother gave a DNA sample to detectives that matched the unidentified body found in 1992. Investigators stated that they got very lucky that the biological mother was still residing in the Phoenix valley, by that point, and were able to make a positive connection.
Suspects
There is only one person to be considered a possible suspect in the murder of Shannon, and also the presumed killer of Brandy Myer- Brian Miller, also known as the Canal Killer. Brian Miller was an eccentric character, who owned a unique looking truck with “ZOMBIE HUNTER” painted on it in large letters, often spotted around Phoenix. He frequently wore elaborate costumes, taking pictures with people around town, as well as some local police officers, all before he was eventually charged with murder.
Brian was apprehended in January of 2015, when he offered a woman a ride home, and began to stab her repeatedly in his car. This woman was able to flee and call for help, where Brian was arrested and his DNA entered into the national database. His DNA hit on two unsolved murders in the Phoenix valley, from the early 1990’s- that of Angela Brosso and Melanie Bernas. Both women had disappeared while riding their bikes along the canal, and both women’s bodies were discovered floating in the canal. Angela’s head was found floating in the canal 11 days after her body was discovered, as it had been removed post mortem.
Brian is also suspected of killing thirteen year old Brandy Myer, who left her home in 1992 to collect signatures for a book-a-thon being held by her elementary school. Brandy was last seen knocking on a door two homes down from Brian’s, and his ex-wife later told authorities that he had confessed to her that he had killed a young girl who knocked on his door in 1992. He claimed that she knocked, and when he opened it, he grabbed her without hesitation, pulling her inside and stabbing her to death. He then dismembered her body, before dumping it at a local recycling center. Brandy’s body has never been found, and Brian was never charged for her murder. His trial for the murders of Melanie and Angela began last month, October of 2022.
Closing
Shannon was exhumed from the potter’s field in Tempe, and reburied at Sunset West cemetery in El Mirage, Arizona. She has a tombstone there, often decorated with flowers- and, it’s not blank. It bears her name, Shannon Michelle Aumock, with her date of birth, the date her body was found, and an inscription that says:
”I was once lost, But now I am found.
