She went missing a year ago. Her family hopes for answers but finds 'only more questions'

A close-up view of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree and a Broadway show was in the cards in late 2022 for the four Shanahan sisters.

That holiday season, however, was marked by the disappearance of the eldest sister, JoAnn Dudek, after the 65-year-old Anthem resident suddenly stopped replying to texts planning the New York City trip Nov. 13, 2022.

The sisters fear foul play may have been involved in the disappearance of the former professional stage performer whose joy and music brightened family gatherings.

On Sunday, her sisters and loved ones gathered at Lost Legend Park in Anthem to call attention to Dudek’s case.

"There's no closure here, not for me. There's only more questions," sister Colleen Shanahan Adair, 56, told The Arizona Republic. "I'm broken, and I feel cheated out of the best years I could have enjoyed my sister, for no reason."

Dudek’s disappearance began as a missing persons case but was elevated to a homicide investigation in early February.

According to the sisters, when Dudek went missing, her car, cell phone and wallet were found at her home in the area of West Meridian Drive and West Hastings Way. Because of this, the sisters believe she did not leave on her own volition.

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, the agency leading the investigation, did not confirm this information to The Republic.

Sheriff’s Sgt. Calbert Gillett wrote in an email Friday to The Republic, saying there were no updates as detectives "are awaiting some examination results on this case.” When asked whether examination results involved DNA or other forensics, Gillett reiterated that no updates were available.

"If anybody, anybody has any information, please, please – as minute as you think it is – just reach out to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office," said Shanahan Adair.

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A passion for performing

Rounded out by a brother, the tight-knit Shanahan clan grew up in the small town of Great Neck in Long Island, New York.

Karen Olson, 61, told The Republic she and Dudek’s late parents always reminded the kids that “maybe we don't have much but what we always have is one another.”

A young JoAnn Dudek dedicated herself to dancing, taking her skilled footwork to entertain summer guests in the resorts that dot the Catskills Mountains in southeastern New York. Her dancing career would eventually lead to a Carnegie Hall performance.

"It was just not uncommon for JoAnn just to kind of burst out into song and twirl about," Olson said.

Dudek would regularly emulate greats like Liza Minnelli and Barbara Streisand while performing for family and friends.

On Olson’s wedding day, Dudek led a family chorus to the tune of the "Chapel of Love." The quartet of sisters sang the 1960s classic from their parents’ house, into the car, to the church and nearly down the aisle as the wedding started.

"That's just JoAnn. She saw a lot of love in life and a lot of happiness in life, and she was happy when other people were happy," Olson said.

Holding a master’s degree in social work, JoAnn Dudek worked for several years at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. While there, she served as a liaison to families whose children were receiving end-of-life care. She followed that with lighter duties as a sales representative in the pharmaceutical industry.

Chasing warmer weather, JoAnn and her husband, Walter Dudek, left Boston for California nearly 20 years ago. A storm, however, rerouted their drive into Arizona. Circling around the Phoenix area, they came upon the then-young master-planned community of Anthem.

"This is it," the couple said about finding their new home just north of Phoenix, Olson shared. "They just loved it there."

The second-oldest Shanahan sister, Terry Murtha, 63, told The Republic that Walter confided in her that he thought the stress he incurred from JoAnn's disappearance may have accelerated the proliferation of a previously undetected brain lesion.

His physician had suggested as much after the lesion led to a seizure on New Year's Eve 2022, Murtha said her 67-year-old brother-in-law told her.

Walter Dudek died from a subsequent seizure in April.

Determined to find answers

Uncertainty lingered a year after Dudek's disappearance as her family pleaded with the public to help fill in answers as to her fate. Dozens, including family and friends, showed up in solidarity at the vigil as they shared thoughts on Dudek while holding a candle.

The gathering was covered in photos of Dudek and accompanied by the acoustic guitar and vocals of David Freeman, an artist based in Phoenix. Freeman, who often works as an event musician, told The Republic he came to the vigil on Sunday night because he heard about Dudek's case and he felt compelled to participate in the vigil free of charge.

Friends and loved ones also joined in singing. When JoAnn's favorite song "You Are My Sunshine" started playing, family members burst into tears, hugged one another and held onto each other hands as emotions overflowed.

Ozzie Huff, a neighbor in attendance, said she had known Dudek for years and had built an intimate friendship that transcended far beyond a neighbor's kindness.

She said she met Dudek when Huff moved to Anthem in 2006, and they almost immediately clicked. They bonded over hours-long conversations and went out on what Huff called "little adventures" in which Dudek's unreserved personality would often push her out of her comfort zone and into the dancing floor, Huff said.

"She was the life of the party when I first met her, she liked to dance and have a good time. She was a wonderful person," Huff said. "What was special about her personality is that she spoke to everybody. She was very talkative, and a lot of fun."

The family has not been deterred in the face of this past year’s turmoil.

"We're never going to stop searching for the answers. … That's what we need for our family. We need to bring her home and we're never going to stop till we do," Murtha said Thursday over a phone conversation, her voice catching before the call went on mute.

Anyone with information on Dudek’s disappearance may call the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office at 602-876-TIPS (8477). Dudek’s sisters may be reached at justiceforjoann@gmail.com.

Reach breaking news reporter Jose R. Gonzalez at jose.gonzalez@gannett.com or on X, formerly Twitter:@jrgzztx.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizonan JoAnn Dudek went missing a year ago. Her family wants answers