Family May Have Received Call From Missing Daughter

THORNTOWN, Ind. -- A central Indiana family released a statement Monday saying that they received a call from a woman who thinks she may be their missing daughter.

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Shannon As She Looked When She Disappeared Slideshow: Searching For Shannon Indiana Missing Childrens' Web Site

Indiana State Police confirmed Sunday that they are investigating new information in the 1986 disappearance of a 6-year-old Shannon Sherrill.

Shannon vanished Oct. 5, 1986, as she was playing outside her mother's home in Thorntown, about 35 miles northwest of Indianapolis.

State police said the investigation is now at "a critical juncture" but refused to give details. The family did not release any additional details.

Sources told RTV6 that birthmarks, scars and dental records are reportedly matching up with the mystery woman. Her parents are now awaiting DNA test results.

Shannon's 23rd birthday will be Aug. 12.

There was a massive search when she disappeared 17 years ago, but no trace of her was found.

"I feel she's out there. It's just a matter of finding her. Some days I have my down days and I just don't know if I'll ever see her again," Shannon's mother, Dorothy Sherrill, said in September 2000.

After her parents spoke to RTV6 in 2000, police received a couple leads in the case, but both fell flat, Tedesco reported.

Four years ago, police released a picture of what Shannon might have looked at at the age of 19 (pictured, right).

The Shannon Sherrill case still baffles authorities 17 years later. Investigators would still like to close the case.

"We'd like to know what happened to her. If she's alive, we'd like to get her back to her folks. If she's buried somewhere, we'd like to get closure for the family," retired ISP Detective Francis Shrock told RTV6 earlier this year.