Action 8 News i-Team: 25 years later, still no answers on who killed Shannon Paulk

ACTION 8 NEWS i-TEAM (WAKA) – August 16, 2026, marks 25 years since 11-year-old Shannon Paulk disappeared from her Prattville neighborhood and was later found dead. A quarter-century later, her killer has still not been caught.

It was August 16, 2001, that Shannon vanished from the Candlestick Park mobile home community off South Memorial Drive. When Shannon’s mother returned home from work, she could not find Shannon.

An extensive search involving a myriad of local law enforcement and the FBI began. For weeks, law enforcement and the community looked for any clues that could lead investigators to her.

However, on October 6, 2001, Prattville police say their collective hearts were broken when Shannon’s body was found by hunters in a wildlife refuge in Autauga County.

The Prattville Police Department has never given up hope that the person responsible for Shannon’s death will face justice and closure can be given to Shannon’s family. The department has worked with ALEA and the FBI over the years to hopefully uncover new clues through new technologies.

Prattville police say this is one of the most tragic criminal cases they’ve ever investigated.

Action 8 News has covered this case extensively over the past 25 years. In recent months, we spoke again with Shannon’s mother and with investigators, who all hope our continued reporting will keep this case in the minds of people throughout the area in the hopes that someone who knows what happened to Shannon will finally come forward with the information that will solve this murder.

i-TEAM Special Report on Shannon Paulk, Part One
i-TEAM Special Report on Shannon Paulk, Part Two

If you have any information that can help investigators solve this case, please call the Prattville Police Department. The number is (334) 595-0256.