MORGAN, Utah, Mar. 25, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — A no-bail arrest warrant has been issued for the boyfriend of the 15-year-old Ogden girl who’s been missing since March 3.
Janessa Boney and 19-year-old Andrew Shutt, of Bountiful, have not been heard from since that date by their families but for a cell phone ping and a possible sighting in the Hurricane area that same week..
Shutt had a hearing in Morgan’s 2nd District Court Wednesday on an unrelated criminal case. Boney’s and Shutt’s family members were in attendance, hoping the pair might show up, Shutt’s family also having arranged his $10,000 bail on his Jan. 19 arrest.
No sign of either, according to posts on the “Find Janessa Boney” page on Facebook created by her family shortly after Mar. 3.
Judge Noel Hyde ordered the warrant for Shutt, according to court records, as well as a notice to Beehive Bail Bonds to produce Shutt for the court by April 5 or bail forfeiture proceedings would commence.
Thursday an updated “Find Janessa Boney” page, in addition to sharing the outcome of Wednesday’s hearing, noted Boney’s family had a private investigator on the case and planned a Go fund Me page to cover expenses.
A non-profit search organization, Wehelpthemissing.org is now involved, listing a tip-line, (866)660-4025 along with the Ogden Police Department contact phone number, (801)395-8221.
“This group has grown quite a bit so I thought I would make an updated post,” Kirstie Pilcher, Boney’s aunt wrote on the page.
She reiterated that her niece has made no new entries on her various social media pages since Mar. 3.
“After speaking with Andrews aunt it has become apparent that both Janessa and Andrew have had a lot of childhood trauma.
“We believe that they may have bonded through that and that is why they felt like running away was the best option. They both lied to each other about the age difference.”
Boney’s last contact was her goodbye text to her aunt, where she had been staying in Plain City, in the early morning hours of Mar. 3, several hours after her pre-dawn departure with Shutt. At the time Boney said “I’m only going to be gone for a while” and “everything will be fine.”
Hyde’s bench warrant should give police more to work with, as Shutt can be arrested on the spot if sighted.
So far, police have been limited in what they can do since there appears to be no evidence Janessa’s departure wasn’t consensual. The Ogden Police Department has published an alert on social media, although the case is still classified as a runaway, not a kidnapping.
In Shutt’s Jan. 19 arrest, he is charged on multiple counts including felonies after a high-speed chase out of Morgan that ended when he lost control of his vehicle on the Riverdale I-84 off-ramp. He was alone in the car and no injuries resulted.Speeds topped 105 mph after he fled a Morgan County Sheriff’s deputy’s traffic stop over a bad headlight on his vehicle, according to 2nd District Court charging documents.
Officers seized marijuana, paraphernalia and a firearm found in the front seat console, which he admitted were his, according to a probable cause affidavit. According to court records, he has no other offenses as an adult.
Boney is 5-foot-3, 115 pounds. She may be wearing a black tank top or crop top adorned with skeletons, black sweat pants and black-and-white Converse tennis shoes. She left home with a beige or brown hoodie. Her right nostril and upper lip are pierced and she has a smiley face tattoo on her ankle.
Shutt is 5-foot-11, 120 pounds, with nose and ear piercings and a rose tattoo on his right forearm. He may be dressed in black clothing and shoes.
They are believed to be traveling in a gold or brown Chevy Tahoe with temporary tags and a sticker in the back window of a grenade with the words “Ford Repair Kit.”
