$10,000 reward and new lead in 27-year-old missing persons case

Wingham, Ont. -

This October, it will be 28 years since Lynette Jones last saw her son, Shawn, alive.

“It’s been like a nightmare, not knowing. You can accept death, but not knowing is worse than death. I really want to know what happened to my son,” she says.

Then 14-year-old Shawn Jones and his 15-year-old cousin Leslie Jones were last seen near Lion’s Head on October 22, 1993.

There have been sightings of the pair since, but nothing that’s brought them home.

Now there is hope the generosity of an anonymous donor, who’s put up a new $10,000 reward for information leading to answers in their cold case, will bring some of those answers.

“We’re hoping with this anonymous $10,000 reward, it will trigger some memories for some people. Either good or bad memories, but any type of lead would be greatly appreciated,” says Brian Follis, a private investigator working with the family and the missing persons group, Please Bring Me Home.

One of the new leads Follis has uncovered is a red canoe that went missing and was later found overturned, the same night and in the same area between Lion’s Head and Earl’s Bay, where Shawn and Leslie disappeared.

“So this is one of the leads we’re going to be following up on with residents in that area. So, we’ll be canvassing that area, trying to locate who the resident is and to see if they have any more information in regards to that night,” says Follis.

Please Bring Me Home, a team of Grey-Bruce-based volunteer investigators trying to solve over 60 missing persons cases across Canada, are hoping the new lead and monetary reward will help bring some resolution for Shawn and Leslie’s families.

“It’s a cold case, and cases get more difficult the longer than time goes on,” says Nick Oldrieve, Please Bring Me Home co-founder and executive director.

The new developments are providing hope for Shawn’s mother.

“That’s all I’ve got left, is hope. I’ve got nothing else,” she says.

Follis and Oldrieve say they’re also trying to locate the vehicle that Shawn and Leslie crashed the night they disappeared.

They’ll be canvassing Grey-Bruce auto wreckers to see if the car, and any potential evidence, still exist.

You can learn more or leave an anonymous tip in this case, or any of the group’s other 60 cases, by visiting www.pleasebringmehome.com.