NEW DETAILS EMERGE IN SHELLY HANSEN DISAPPEARANCE

[My Northern Wisconsin]

         
Submitted photos.

Note:  Much of the last day of Shelly's life, and the weeks prior to and after her disappearance, was learned and speculatively pieced together from interviews conducted by My Price County and Wisconsin Watch and an affidavit from a 2008 search warrant obtained by Wisconsin Watch.  Wisconsin Watch reached out to My Price County a number of years ago about this case, and we provided some information and assistance.  Wisconsin Watch did impressive investigative work to search for a possible suspect, which was shared with My Price County, while My Price County's goal has always been to assist in getting information to locate Shelly's remains for the sake of her family.  We are all part of a small community, and My Price County takes that fact into consideration when publishing news.  If the police issue a current press release with a current suspect's information, per our policy, we will publish that information, but we have not named a suspect directly in My Price County's article as the police have not issued a statement about any current suspects.

WHERE IS SHELLY HANSEN?

Marchelle "Shelly" Hansen likely woke up on the morning of Thursday, November 12, 1987, and readied herself for her doctor's appointment.  The 23-year-old knew she was pregnant, confirmed by Dr. Dahlie six days prior, and she had an ultrasound scheduled later that day.  Though she had financial concerns, she was excited for the birth of her baby, which she knew would be born sometime in July 1988.  She had already told her mother, Joyce, about the pregnancy, hoping for the emotional support of her family.

Along with other likely tasks of the day, Shelly met with Dr. Dahlie for an obstetrical ultrasound at Flambeau Hospital at approximately 12:15 in the afternoon, according to information in an affidavit obtained by Wisconsin Watch.  Five ultrasound photographs were taken.

At some point during the day, Shelly called her mother and allegedly told her the name of the baby's father, though Joyce did not reveal that information until years later.  Shelly went to the laundromat, where she saw a woman named Kathy, according to a Wisconsin Watch interview.  While doing laundry, she showed Kathy the ultrasound photos and stated she planned to "confront" the unnamed father later.  Shelly seemed in a hurry and took her damp clothes with her, stating she would air dry them at her apartment.  Perhaps on this same day, or just a few days prior, Alice Valiga, who My Price County interviewed, remembers seeing Shelly outside the "dime store" as Alice was leaving the bank.  She said Shelly briefly spoke with her, stating she bought two bibs and something else for the baby.  Also on this day, or just a few days prior, Shelly visited friends and family at Phillips Plating, and she spoke of her pregnancy.  Without a doubt, Shelly was excited about this baby.

Just before 3 p.m., which is when Shelly's shift at Marquip started, a co-worker, Tina, remembers Shelly telling her she was pregnant and showing her an ultrasound image.  When asked who the father was, Shelly would not say specifically but talked about not wanting to get him in trouble, because he was a married man with two small children.  She also shared that he was a foreman at Marquip, which would narrow the potential father possibilities significantly.  To add to that, her prior relationship was with a man named Gary, who she had alleged was harassing her and who did work at Marquip, but he was not a foreman, not married, and did not have any children at that time.

That same evening, another Marquip employee, Cindy, told Wisconsin Watch that she saw Shelly in an intense conversation with a foreman, who was pacing during the interaction.

While Shelly's normal shift was from 3 to 11 p.m., it was reported by police that she was seen leaving work at about 8 p.m. that evening.  Somewhere between 10 and 11 p.m., she was seen at the Tasmanian Devil bar by a city police officer named Leonard Shilts.  The Tasmanian Devil is a bar where some of the Marquip employees would drink beer and play darts after work, including Shelly and her foreman.  While it is unknown why Leonard Shilts did not share this information with investigating officers in 1987, he did share it with authorities on August 27, 2003, 16 years later.  Shilts stated that while "making rounds" that evening, he went into the bar, and Shelly told him that she would be going away from her residence for a time so she would like him to watch her apartment, which was Apartment 4 at Starlite Apartments.  The officer stated he drove past the apartment complex at about 2 or 3 in the morning, and he observed the truck of a Marquip foreman at Shelly's apartment.  He also saw a light-colored car near Shelly's apartment, which likely belonged to Shelly's neighbor.  Shelly's red Dodge Omni was not noted as being seen in the parking lot.

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Shelly's neighbor, Barb, spoke to Investigator Christopher Jarosinski in 2005 and 2007.  Barb stated that during the week prior to Shelly's disappearance, she heard things through the thin walls of the apartments.  She was woken up by violent, intense arguments with a man's voice in loud, accusatory tones and a woman's voice in calming tones.  She said she also heard the man and woman engaging in sexual relations.  During these times, she stated a "spruced up" pickup truck was in the parking lot.

Shelly's red car was seen at Lake Ten Resort, parked at an unusual angle, on Friday, November 13, 1987, and reported to the police on Saturday, November 14, 1987.  On Tuesday, November 17, Alice Valiga, Shelly's supervisor at the grocery store where she also worked, reported that Shelly did not come to the store for her shift.

What happened to Shelly after she left the Tasmanian Devil is unknown to most people, but it is possible that someone alive today knows something, which is exactly what Sheriff Brian Schmidt told WSAW News Channel 7 in a 2024 interview, stating, "Is there someone that knows something now that time has passed who wants to come forward and at least talk about this with us?”

In 2008, when a search warrant was obtained for a suspect, the affidavit states 1st degree intentional homicide and conspiracy to commit the same are felony offenses.  While the community has felt this was a homicide case for years, that is the first known police document that asserts it is a homicide investigation.  When the police talked with the suspect, he mentioned that more than one person could have been involved in Shelly's disappearance, but he denied any involvement.

All those clues are left in the past; present times have no answers as to "Where is Shelly Hansen?"  On August 24, 2026, Shelly would be turning 62 years old if life had not been denied to her by the hands of one or more people.  Had her baby been born, that person would be almost 39 years old today.  But, as fate would have it, that innocent child never was born.  Likely a boy, given Shelly allegedly told her mother its first or middle name would be "Michael," he never got to grow up and see the world.  Shelly never got to experience motherhood or the other joys of life.  By now, she could be a grandmother.  Instead, she will forever be a 23-year-old woman that met a tragic fate.

14,099 days have passed since Shelly went missing.  While her family can find some peace that she is now in Heaven, they have had to live 14,099 days of Hell in regard to not knowing what happened to their loved one or where her remains reside.

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According to speculation by members of the community, some think Shelly's remains may be under poured concrete.  One older lady allegedly reported seeing branches and leaves in the woods near the home of who she thought was a suspect and reported that to police.  According to the Hansen family, many locations have been searched, such as lakes, sand pits, dumpsites, and many leads have been followed over the years.  Shelly's brother, Ron, did admit, however that "just because they search something with a dog doesn't mean that they're going to get a hit on that day; maybe the dog might have a bad day or something, but you don't know that, you're not 100% sure that she's not gonna be there, but it all depends on the dog, if he has a good day or not."  When asked if they felt certain locations needed to be searched again, Shelly's sister-in-law, Wendy, said she is all for getting Shelley found in whatever way it needs to happen but also felt the Price County Sheriff's Office was keeping them updated.

Due to public interest that was generated by John Brylski, a former police officer from Outagamie County who moved to Price County around 2019 and later became a private investigator, My Price County heard information from community members and first spoke with some members of the Hansen family in late 2023.  Robert "Bob" Hansen, the oldest in the family of seven, said, "I remember the day they called and told me.....The first few months we kept thinking we were going to find her."  He added that hope stretched on for a few years and his mother, Joyce, hoped to have answers, but, unfortunately, Joyce passed on in 2022.  At her funeral, Bob shared that people said to him, "Now your mother finally knows where Shelly is, because she is probably in Heaven."  Joyce is no longer on Earth to speak about her daughter, but, in a November 12, 1998, article by the Sheboygan Press, she shared, “I light candles at the church, and when people ask me what they can do, I tell them to remember Shelly in their prayers.”

Ron and Wendy stated they have an annual meeting with the Price County Sheriff's Office to update the family on any progress.  Sometimes other agencies, such as state and federal agencies like the DOJ and FBI, are also in the meetings.  Wendy said, "We don't care who finds Shelly; we just want her found."  In a phone call with Wendy Hansen on June 19, 2026, she reiterated, "We want her found already.  It's been forty years.  And, again, I'll say, we don't care who finds her; we just want her found already.  We want to be able to put her to rest and let the family rest.  We've really gone through a lot with this over the years.  It's time."

In addition to John Brylski, Richard "Dick" Kramer is another private investigator who looked into this case.  During an interview with My Price County on November 14, 2023, Dick spoke of a reward, the sheriff's office and other agencies, two families that may have or may not have asked him to look into the case, among other things.  He ended the conversation by stating, "I will tell you one thing, and this is honestly, there is not a day that goes by that I do not think about her.  I don't know if you've ever been part of a homicide, a family that has gone through a homicide, but it's something that never ends until it's solved."  Months after that interview, in 2024, Dick Kramer passed on.

On December 7, 2023, Chief Deputy Robert "Bob" Hawn told My Price County there have been open records requests that have been denied by the Price County District Attorney, because it is an active investigation.  "If those records got out," he said, "it could seriously jeopardize that investigation."  When asked how much time is spent on the case annually, he answered, "We don't keep track of the number of hours that we spend on a case, so I couldn't tell you that this year we spent 86 hours on the case; I don't, I wouldn't be able to answer that.  What I can tell you is that they are actively working on it."  He added, "We have identified some areas where we can follow up on the case; we've identified additional evidence that we would like to have tested, especially with the advances in technology and things like that.  You know, there may have been evidence that was tested in the past that, you know, we could have tested again and maybe, who knows, maybe, maybe we'll get some positive results....We're not going to stop working on it until, you know, two things happen, one, we find Shelly and two, we find out, we determine what happened to Shelly."

When My Price County told Chief Deputy Hawn that two private investigators said they gave information to the Price County Sheriff's Office and felt it wasn't followed up on, he said, "These two, uh, individuals who, I guess you could say are looking into the matter, are in no way, shape, or form involved in the Price County Sheriff's Office investigations, so their ability to say that we're not following up on their information is, I think, their own belief and opinion.  Um, you know, they do not have access to our case files, so therefore, they have no idea what it is that we've done, and they have no idea what it is that we're doing."  He said they look into information that anyone gives them on any case.

Chief Deputy Hawn said factual information from the public is just one more piece to the puzzle.  "If they have any information that they believe could help us in locating Shelly, they need to contact us.  We are always open to information from the public."  When asked if there is DNA they can follow up on now that technology is better, he said, "What I will say is that we are currently working on it."

Since that December 2023 interview, My Price County sent Sheriff Schmidt a few requests for non-confidential, factual information that could be reported about the case to keep public interest and hopefully generate leads.  However, Sheriff Schmidt never replied nor shared that there was an unsealed affidavit of case information available, which was discovered by the investigative efforts of Wisconsin Watch.  On June 18, 2026, My Price County reached out to Chief Deputy Hawn and Sheriff Schmidt with a similar request and additional questions.  Chief Deputy Hawn replied to all our questions and included a statement that Sheriff Schmidt sent to Wisconsin Watch, which read, "The disappearance of Marchelle Hanson is an active, open, and pending investigation with this office.  No detailed information about the case has been or will be released from the Sheriff’s Office per our policy and court case 24-CV-91."  The cited case is the Petition for Writ of Mandamus filed by John Brylski asking to release the records of the Shelly Hansen case, which was denied by the court.  In regard to the unsealed affidavit, Chief Deputy Hawn stated, "I can only assume the information this news agency uncovered would be a record not maintained by the Price County Sheriff’s Office."

Chief Deputy Hawn also responded when My Price County asked if a reward was or could be put in place for significant leads or if anyone with information would be given immunity.  He said, "Unfortunately, Price County does not have a reward program such as Crime Stoppers in place.  I’m glad you mentioned this, though, as I can see the usefulness of a non-taxpayer-funded, community-based, non-profit organization such as Crime Stoppers USA in cases like this one.  This is something I will have to explore in the future.  Additionally, law enforcement does not and should never possess the authority to grant immunity to anyone.  Immunity is an issue the District Attorney’s Office would have to explore and pursue."  When asked if someone had credible information that Shelly may be buried on their property, would their land be restored after the search effort, he stated, "The Sheriff’s Office does generally fund the costs associated to an investigation.  Therefore, if credible information, which has been corroborated, is obtained and the determination is made that a search of a particular location is warranted, the Sheriff’s Office will more than likely incur the costs sustained if land is disturbed and restoration of said land is necessary."

Since Chief Deputy Hawn is aware that My Price County's goal in researching this case has always been to find the remains of Shelly Hansen for the benefit of her family, he shared, "I believe we share a common goal, which has been the goal of this office since 2009 and that goal is to locate Ms. Hansen and to bring to justice anyone who may have been involved or is responsible for her disappearance."

If you have information that could lead to finding Shelly's remains or any other information helpful to this case, you are encouraged to do the right thing and contact the Price County Sheriff's Office at 715-339-3011.  Shelly's family deserves the answers they so desperately have sought for 14,099 days and counting.

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