BLOUNT COUNTY, Tenn. — It's taken around six years, but a Blount County family was finally able to lay a young woman to rest after she was reported missing in September 2018.
In March 2020 — around a year and a half after the missing person's report — the remains of Cheyenne Tonisha Shropshire were found in a Blount County field. She was 22 years old when she died.
After medical examiners ruled her death as a homicide, authorities renewed their efforts to find her killed. Around four years after her remains were found, nobody has been charged with the crime. There is a $7,500 reward for information leading to an arrest in the case.
Recently, family members were also able to get some of her remains to be buried. On March 28, they held a ceremony to honor her life and to remember her.
"I think it was very, very heartwarming, but it was also, it was very emotional," said Savannah Shropshire, Cheyenne's little sister. "It's as if we have to relive it again. We're saying goodbye, officially, for the last time. And so, we can say that we are happy to have her home. It's not what we want, but at least we get to have the peace that she's with us now and not anywhere else."
Savannah said that she is still searching for answers about what happened to her big sister. She also said she remembers her as her best friend.
"She was so loving, so caring, so protective. I was her little sister, so she would always protect me and she was always there by my side," said Savannah. "It's important to me because I know for a fact that she would fight for me. She would fight much harder, she would go bat to bat for me."
The memorial service also brought renewed calls for justice in her death. The Blount County Sheriff's Office said that anyone with information about her death can reach out to BCSO Sgt. Joe McCarter during normal business hours. His phone number is 865-273-5001, the sheriff's office said. It also offers a service allowing people to text crime tips to 274637, or leave a tip online. Anyone who texts a tip should start their message with the agency's keyword, "BCSOTN."
People also also anonymously leave a tip by calling a tipline at 865-273-5200.
"Even if this person doesn't get prosecuted, we just live life knowing that she's in heaven and she's safe in the hands of our Lord," said Savannah. "I'll be strong for her. We will protect her daughter in this, she will be forever missed."