Shaniece Harris Missing Person Case

Jun 28, 2017

Jul 18, 2023

Shaniece

Harris

40

31

68 inches

260 lbs

300 lbs

Hispanic / Latino

Female

In the quiet community of Rock Hill, New York, 31-year-old Shaniece Harris was last seen on the evening of May 29, 2017. She had plans to visit a friend's house, and her sister recalls speaking with her less than an hour before she left. Later that evening, Shaniece FaceTimed her girlfriend before leaving the friend's home with an individual her friend did not recognize. This would be the last time she was seen or heard from by her loved ones. Her sudden silence was out of character, as she was known for frequently checking in with her family. Two days after she was last seen, her gray Volkswagen Jetta was found abandoned on South Woods Drive in the nearby town of Thompson, adding a layer of concern to her already troubling disappearance. The initial days of the investigation were fraught with confusion. When Shaniece's sister attempted to file a missing person report with the Monticello Police Department, she was initially told she needed to wait 24 hours. When she returned the next day, she received conflicting information and was questioned about the delay in reporting. Despite multiple searches in the area where her car was discovered, no trace of Shaniece was found. For years, her family tirelessly advocated for her, putting up billboards and partnering with the organization Hope Alive 845 to raise awareness about her case. The FBI eventually offered a reward of up to $10,000 for information that could lead to an arrest in her case. Her family held onto hope, with her mother expressing the deep pain of not knowing her child's whereabouts. After an agonizing eight years without answers, a significant breakthrough occurred in the case. In June 2025, federal prosecutors announced that Shaniece's remains had been found and that Dwayne Johnson of Monticello had been charged with her murder. Authorities stated that Johnson, an alleged drug trafficker, had fatally shot Shaniece on or around May 29, 2017, inside a residence in Monticello. The motive was reportedly in retaliation for Harris losing some of Johnson's marijuana as part of a large-scale drug trafficking conspiracy. A search of Johnson's residence in 2023 had previously uncovered approximately 30 firearms, body armor, and a large quantity of ammunition. The recovery of Shaniece's remains in Wurtsboro finally brought a tragic end to the long search, allowing her family to hold a funeral and lay her to rest. The case of Shaniece Harris is a heartbreaking story of a life cut short, and a family's prolonged quest for truth and closure in the face of an agonizing disappearance that was ultimately solved as a homicide.

May 29, 2017

Rock Hill

New York

Sullivan County

Rock Hill

34649

Sullivan County Sheriff's Office

Monticello

New York

Sullivan County

12701

58 Old Route 17, New York

8457947100

County

Law Enforcement

2017-0759

2017-05-30

Sullivan County Sheriff's Office

Brown

Brown

Brown

Yes

09/03/2026