Tanya Shannon's Husband Was Drunk In Crash That Led To Her Disappearance

As police and volunteers in rural Illinois wait out a bout of winter weather in the search for Tanya Shannon, new information has been released about the crash that led to her disappearance.

Two weeks ago, Tanya and her husband Dale attended a Saturday night holiday party in Streator, Ill., dancing and enjoying themselves. They left arm-in-arm, and Dale got behind the wheel to drive them home to nearby Ransom, about 15 miles away.

At 1:45 a.m. that night, a deputy found their car slammed against a utility pole on the Grand Ridge Mazon Blacktop. Dale's neck broke almost immediately, killing him. But Tanya disappeared virtually without a trace, leaving behind only a single slipper and a few footsteps leading into the snowy plain.

Now, the LaSalle County Coroner's Office is suggesting a possible cause for the crash: Dale Shannon had a blood-alcohol content of .266, more than three times the legal limit of .08, according to an Associated Press report.

Meanwhile, forecasts continue to predict high temperatures well below freezing in the area, with the weather possibly warming up late next week. The search for Tanya will wait for warmer weather, as authorities hope that a snowmelt will reveal some more of the snow-covered field surrounding the crash site.

Officials speculate that she may have fallen into a ditch, and her body may be covered by the snow, but they are not ruling out the possibility that she is alive.