Circumstances of Disappearance
Shanta and her adoptive mother visited Briarcliffe Mall in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on July 19, 1992. The mother told authorities that Shanta disappeared near the toy department of the K-Mart store inside the shopping center during the afternoon hours. They were visiting from Cumberland County, N.C.

The couple had begun adoption proceedings for the child and her younger brother three months earlier. Shanta, formerly Shante Reid was born in Wilmington to a mother addicted to drugs. The baby tested positive for cocaine at birth.

A review of store surveillance tapes showed that the adoptive mother entered the store alone.
On May 5, 1992, a doctor examined Shanta and pronounced her in excellent health. A month later, Shanta was seen by doctors at Duke University Medical Center for health problems associated with her birth.

According to the records the doctors at Duke noticed physical and mental problems, including bruises, scratches and extreme fear in a child who previously had appeared to be extroverted. She had bitten her fingernails so severely that her fingertips bled.

No charges has been filed in Shanta's disappearance. FBI and Horry County investigators suspect that Shanta never entered South Carolina.