A Small Crash. A Missing Woman. Major Questions. #crimejunkies #truecrimeinvestigation #podcast | Forensic Files

The entire scenario that kicked off this case, a woman comes to a stranger's door
a little worse for the wear, shoeless, coatless, in the cold saying she was in a car wreck and her boyfriend took off
and left her. Then she takes off just before deputies are about to come. That would be more than enough for a red flag
to be thrown up for Crime Junkies, right? Like we would be like like spiraling and like jumping into action.
Actually, we've literally seen this play out before. This feels like a slightly different version of the start to our
episode on Lisk when >> Shannon Gilbert was like running to a house looking for help.
>> Maybe that's why to me this should have been so alarming from the jump. But sadly, that's apparently not what's
on the minds of first responders. We were able to get what seems to be most of the case file. And when they look
over the car that's been abandoned, they realize this was far from a serious crash. One of the few things almost
everyone in this case can actually agree on is just how thick the fog was that night. And it looked like the car had
basically just kind of like veered off the road into they call it a ditch, but like we're talking a very shallow ditch
and then maybe got stuck. The car was still drivable though. And even the injuries that John saw, he described
them as small cuts on her feet and her arms, but I don't know where those would have come from. Some suggest that maybe
from the brush in the field going from the car to John's if she got cut through that way and didn't use the road. But
like >> This is like right where we grew up. It's like Michigan, Indiana, northern
Indiana like fields. >> is in November. >> everything is like cut down by this point.
>> Yeah, there'd be like some sticks and stuff in like the farm fields, but not a
lot.

When Brittany Wallace Shank appeared at a stranger's door on November 30, 2018, the details should have raised immediate alarm.

She was barefoot, coatless, injured, and out in the cold. She said she had been in a car wreck and that the man she was with had taken off. But before deputies arrived, Brittany left again and disappeared into the fog.

When investigators looked at the abandoned vehicle, the crash did not appear severe. The car had gone off the road into what was described as a shallow ditch, and it was reportedly still drivable.

So where did Brittany's injuries come from? Why was she so scared? And why did she leave before help arrived?

Watch our full episode for the complete investigation into Brittany Wallace Shank's disappearance tagged below. -------- Follow Crime Junkie: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crimejunkiepodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CrimeJunkiePodcast/ Crime Junkie is created and hosted by Ashley Flowers.

Text Ashley to chat this episode and more: https://my.community.com/ashleyflowers?t=Hi%20Ashley%21

About Ashley Flowers Ashley Flowers is the top female podcaster in the U.S. and the host of Crime Junkie, the #1 podcast among women and the #1 true crime podcast globally. As the Founder of Audiochuck, she has built a top-tier podcast production company that has garnered over 2.6 billion downloads, captivating audiences with its gripping storytelling through 10+ chart topping podcasts. Ashley and her team are dedicated to creating responsible true crime content that respects victims and their families.

Follow Ashley: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ASHLEYFLOWERS/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ashleyflowerscrimejunkie

Purchase Ashley’s highly anticipated second novel, The Missing Half now! | https://ashleyflowers.com/books

Brief Summary

A woman claims she was abandoned after a car wreck, raising red flags and drawing parallels to similar past cases.

Key points

A Mysterious Woman at the Door. A woman appears at a stranger's door, shoeless and coatless, claiming she was in a car wreck.
The Case File Reveals More. Investigators find the abandoned car was far from a serious crash, raising questions.

Episode highlights

The Case File Reveals MoreInvestigators find the abandoned car was far from a serious crash, raising questions.“This was far from a serious crash.”0:45Jun 26, 2026

Episode quotes

This feels like a slightly different version of the start to our episode on Lisk.

Comparison to a previous case

0:24WatchJun 26, 2026

More from Crime Junkie

Solve the Crime

Read a real case one clue at a time, then see how your call held up against the investigators.