FOE: Shaniece Harris

In this episode of Hunting 4 Answers: On May 29, 2017, 31-year-old Shaniece Harris left her home in Rock Hill, New York and never returned. Known for her devotion to family and her motto “FOE,” family over everything, her disappearance left loved ones desperate for answers. Eight years later, new developments reveal a chilling truth, but many questions remain. If you have information about Shaniece Harris' case, contact the FBI New York Field Office at 212-384-1000, the Sullivan County District Attorney’s Office at 845-794-3344, or the New York State Missing Persons Clearinghouse at 1-800-346-3543.

This is the story of Shaniece Harris. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hunting for Answers is a production of the Black Effect
Podcast Network and iHeartRadio. Welcome to Hunting for Answers, a
true crime podcast. I'm your host Hunter, and today we're
highlighting a case that began on May twenty ninth, twenty seventeen.
A thirty one year old woman left her home in Rockhill,

(00:22):
New York and was never seen again. She was devoted
to her family. Her favorite saying was foe family over everything.
But in the days after she disappeared, that very family
would be left searching for answers and wondering how someone
who lived for love and loyalty could simply vanish. This

(00:46):
is the story of Janie Harris. Janise Harris was thirty
one years old in the spring of twenty seventeen. She
lived in rock Hill and Sullivan County, New York. She
stood around five foot seven with black hair and brown eyes.

(01:07):
She had a tattoo that read Sparks on her right
hand and a rest in Peace tattoo with praying hands
on her left arm. Friends and family describe her as
kind hearted, someone who helped elderly neighbors with groceries, knew
how to light up a party, and above all lived
for her family. Her sister Tamika remembers Shenise checking in

(01:31):
often a quick call or text, just to say I
love you, family over everything. That was how she lived.
On the evening of May twenty ninth, twenty seventeen, Chnie
spoke with her sister less than an hour before she
left home around eight twenty pm. She was dressed in

(01:54):
a black and gray hooded sweatshirt with four pockets, black sweatpants,
and black back Nike Airmac sneakers. That night, she went
to a friend's house. That friend's name has not been
publicly disclosed, and while there she faced time with her girlfriend.
Before midnight, According to that friend, Nise left the house

(02:17):
with someone that friend did not know. That was the
last time anyone saw her alive. When Chanie didn't come
home the next morning, her girlfriend contacted Tamika. Their mother,
Elvia Crump, was in Florida at the time and also
hadn't heard from her, highly unusual for someone who checked

(02:39):
in so regularly. Tamika recalls she was told to wait
twenty four hours before filing a report, a response that
felt devastating in that moment, but under New York state law,
there is no waiting period to report someone missing, Still,
those first hours felt critical to the family. Within days

(03:04):
of Shenie's disappearance, her car was found abandoned in a
wooded area just several miles from Rock Hill, near the
Wurtsboro area of Sullivan County. Police searched that area multiple times,
but did not find Shenie. For the family, finding her
car was both a lead and a nightmare, the physical

(03:28):
proof that something was very wrong. As weeks and months passed,
the family refused to give up. A man named Domingo
Ramos saw Tamke a Facebook post and reached out to help.
He eventually founded Hope Alive eight forty five, an organization
created in twenty twenty to raise awareness for missing people

(03:52):
in the eight four or five area code. Hope Alive
eight four or five organized searches, held events, distributed flyers.
They kept Shenie's name in the public eye. Her family
says that community support was a lifeline during those dark years.
As the months turned into years, each anniversary was marked

(04:15):
with both hope but also grief. In March twenty twenty two,
nearly five years after Snie vanished, loved ones held a
press conference to talk about what they called ambiguous loss
and unresolved grief. In April twenty twenty four, al Via

(04:36):
Krump made a public plea, I need your help, She said, please,
if you know anything, come forward. For years, their questions
went unanswered. Investigations continued. In May twenty twenty three, law
enforcement arrested a Monticello man named Duane Johnson on state

(04:58):
weapons and drug charges. During those searches, authorities recovered more
than thirty firearms, body armor, ammunition, and video showing Johnson
displaying weapons and discussing his marijuana operation. Federal prosecutors later
connected those findings to Shenice's disappearance. Agents eventually recovered human

(05:24):
remains in the Wurtsborough area of Sullivan County. Investigators say
forensic testing identified them as Shehanice Harris. Her remains were
released to the family, and, according to local reports, a
funeral was held in October twenty twenty five. In June

(05:45):
twenty twenty five, prosecutors in the U. S. Attorney's Office
for the Southern District of New York filed a superseding
indictment charging Duane Johnson in connection with her death. According
to the indictment, The charges include conspiracy to distribute and
possess with intent to distribute more than a thousand kilograms

(06:08):
of marijuana, murder through use of a firearm alleged to
have occurred on or about May twenty nine, twenty seventeen,
possession with intent to distribute marijuana, possession of a short
barreled rifle in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and
unlawful possession of firearms. Prosecutors alleged that Johnson shot Shenice

(06:34):
inside a residence near five Maple Tree Lane in Monticello
in retaliation after she lost his marijuana. These are allegations
from the federal indictment and public statements from prosecutors. A
spokesperson for the U. S. Attorney's Office said they believe
Shenice's death was connected to a long running drug trafficking conspiracy.

(07:01):
The FBI had also added time does not erase investigative action.
They remain committed to seeking justice for victims. These are
still allegations. In an indictment, the defendant is presumed innocent
until proven guilty in a court of law. When the
identification and charges were announced, the Harris family called the moment,

(07:25):
but are sweet they finally had answers, but it also
led to a reality that they had dreaded for years.
Eight years after Shenie disappeared, her family finally has clarity
and justice is now in motion. Our thoughts and prayers

(07:46):
are with the family and friends of Shenie Harris. If
you have any information about her case that could help
investigators further, contact the FBI's New York Field Office, the
Sullivan County District Attorney's Office, or the New York State
Missing Person's Clearinghouse. You can find their contact information and

(08:06):
the description below. As we close out this episode, remember
that sharing Shanisa's story helps to bring awareness to our communities.
Her life mattered, and her story deserves to be heard.
Don't forget to click the follow button to stay updated
on Shanie's case and others like it. Be sure to

(08:26):
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case updates. Also, if you're watching us on YouTube, share
your thoughts on this case and the comments below. Thank
you so much for joining us on another episode Until
next time. Hunting for Answers is a production of the

(09:01):
Black Effect Podcast Network. For more podcasts from the Black
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