The brother of a missing Wyoming woman is asking the public for help locating his sister. Shanna Brubaker, 38, was last seen in Cheyenne on April 29, where she’d been living and working for just over two weeks.
Shanna may be experiencing a mental health crisis, which is fueling the family’s concern about her safety, according to her older brother, 40-year-old Samuel Brubaker.
Her employer became concerned and alerted the family after she was unable to contact Shanna on April 29. Shanna had been working for a property owner in Cheyenne cleaning houses. She left behind her cellphone, wallet and medication in the home where she’d been staying on 17th Street.
Shanna's friend Mayah Beeson, who lives with Samuel in Loveland, Colorado, and is close with the family, reported her missing 36 hours after learning she disappeared. It’s been more than three weeks since anyone has heard from her, which is abnormal, Samuel said.
Typically, Shanna is completely reliable and a hard worker, he told Cowboy State Daily, but in the past two years she’s been experiencing mental health issues that have derailed her life.
Prior to moving to Cheyenne, Shanna had been hospitalized for roughly six months at the Wyoming State Hospital in Evanston. This followed an incident last year where she was found by a camper nearly starved and suffering from the elements in Vedauwoo Recreation Area outside Laramie.
Shanna sometimes experiences delusions, which clash with her strong Christian convictions and cause her to see reality in a distorted manner, as described by Samuel.
Her mental problems began after a traumatic incident nearly five years ago, he said. Up until that point, Shanna had been living off and on with friends and family in Laramie and northern Colorado and working as a caregiver.
‘She’s A Danger Only To Herself’
Her brother is concerned about her safety, especially given her propensity to walk long distances and hitchhike, which makes her even more vulnerable.
“She is a very gentle and caring person,” Samuel said. “She’s a danger only to herself, not others.”
She also appears very lucid, Samuel added, and will respond to anyone calling her by name.
There’s cause to believe that Shanna may have returned to Vedauwoo, Samuel said, and the family is asking for anyone in the area to look for her.
The Cheyenne Police Department did not return Cowboy State Daily’s request for comment and update on Shanna’s case, though Beeson has been in touch with the detective on Shanna’s case.
Beeson also contacted the Albany County Sheriff’s Office, who shared Shanna’s missing person poster on its Facebook page.
“We miss and love her dearly,” Samuel said, “and just want to know she’s safe.”
Shanna is described as having brown hair and grey eyes and is 5 feet, 6 inches tall and weighing around 129 pounds.
She was last seen wearing a blue denim-looking jacket with black or grey jeans and green tennis shoes. She also may be wearing a blousy hat and carrying a small backpack.
Anyone who sees or speaks to Shanna is asked to call the Cheyenne Police Department at 307-637-6525 or the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation at 307-777-7181.
Anonymous tips can also be submitted on the DCI website. If Shanna is spotted in the Vedauwoo recreation area, please contact the Albany County Sheriff’s Office at 307-721-2526.
Jen Kocher can be reached at jen@cowboystatedaily.com.
