EXCLUSIVE | 'Never-ending nightmare': Desiree Cagle fights to solve 1985 shooting death of mom Shannon
This article is based on sources and we have been unable to verify this information independently.
FRESNO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA: Shannon Saville 'Cagle' was murdered in her home in Mesa, Clovis, on July 23, 1985. She was the only daughter of Kenneth and Mary-Helen Cagle, and the youngest of four children. It is said she was shot dead execution-style, from behind. Her murder remains unsolved.
Shannon's daughter, Desiree Cagle, now 40, was just three years old at the time of her mother's murder. For several years now, Desiree has been fighting to unearth the truth about who killed Shannon. The case has received very little media attention, and Desiree has now formed a Facebook group, 'Justice For Shannon Cagle', to raise awareness about the case and look for answers.
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Desiree spoke to MEAWW, delving deep into the details of the case. "From what I was told, there was no forced entry, nothing stolen, no assault (sexual or otherwise). I’ve been told my mom died at the scene, but I was also told she may have died in the ambulance. This would need to be confirmed by the autopsy records," she said. MEAWW was unable to obtain an autopsy report that could confirm these claims.
Desiree said her mom moved to Colorado with a man, who is listed as Desiree's biological father on her birth certificate, around 1980-1981. However, Desiree said she found out in the last three years that the man, whom she did not name is actually not her biological father, as per a 23andMe DNA test. "My mom's relationship with this man did not work out, so she moved back home and gave birth to me in Fresno. I believe the man was living in Arizona at the time of her death, and still does," Desiree said.
When Desiree was 1.5 years old, Shannon married a man she had previously known. He worked as a DJ for a local radio station, which is also where Shannon met the man who Desiree found out was not her biological father. "I don’t have many details between their marriage date and the date of her death, but they moved into our home while my mom worked as a display coordinator for a store called 'Best' – located on Blackstone and Bullard," Desiree said. She added, "I believe it is now a Burlington store." Desiree did not name Shannon's then husband.
The murder of Shannon Cagle
On the day of Shannon's murder, her husband returned home from work, with Desiree with him. At the time, she was sick with a fever. "Leaving me in the car, he approached the home and found Shannon on the floor, keys and purse still in hand. He returned to the car and drove down the street to a neighbor’s home. The neighbor said that all Shannon's husband kept saying was that he needed to contact his pastor. It wasn’t until she asked several times what happened that he explained, but still insisted on calling his pastor. The neighbor went on to call the police," Desiree said. "He did not inform my mom's parents about her death and they found out watching the 10 pm news that evening."
"One of the neighbors, who was about 12 years old at the time, found me on Facebook a few years ago and we connected. Shortly after that she introduced me to another woman, who was her friend and neighbor, and they both described that night to me from their perspectives in detail. They told me how the murder affected them, their families, and their quiet neighborhood. They said they suddenly didn’t feel safe in anymore. This neighborhood was in a very rural area of Fresno County, and that peace they had living there was now shattered," Desiree said, adding, "I was too young to remember anything from the night of Shannon's murder."
'My mom was described as stunning, beautiful, carefree'
During the investigation, Desiree was under the watch of a neighboring family. When she was 11, her grandma, Shannon’s mom, Helen, adopted her. "Grandma and I had many conversations about the case. She had the autopsy report and case file copies, but all of that was lost when she died in 2015," Desiree said.
"Sadly, I have no solid memories of my mother," Desiree said. "The only things I have of her are photos, memories recanted by families who knew her, and a few pieces of her turquoise jewelry." On being asked what she has been told about her mother, Desiree said, "Aged 23, she was described as stunning, beautiful, carefree, funny, sweet, and caring. She wore a lot of turquoise native American jewelry, wore her hair in big waves with minimal makeup. I wouldn’t classify her as a hippie, but she loved her bellbottoms, and was a gypsy/boho-style dresser. She loved music and singing, comedy, and movies. Just a free-spirited woman."
"I asked my uncle, Shannon's brother who was closest to her, how he would describe her, and he said, "Your mom was a sweet and loving person. She was smart, funny, creative and fun to be around!"" Desiree said.
Was Shannon Cagle killed for money?
"A few nights prior to my mom's murder, neighbors noticed a car that had parked across from our home, and they thought it was suspicious," said Desiree. "They also thought Shannon's husband's reaction was or lack thereof to the murder of his wife was suspicious. No murder weapon was found. Her husband had a business/contract filling tractor tires with a substance called Polyfill – a rubber that effectively solidifies so the tires cannot be punctured. It seems that the investigators believed that the gun was disposed of this way to ensure the weapon was never found," Desiree claimed.
"I was told that one of the detectives was convinced her husband was responsible for her murder and wanted to make it his mission to get the case solved. I don't know where he is now, but I would love to talk to him about this if he is still around," she added.
Desiree alleged that detectives speculate Shannon may have been killed for money. "Her employer at the time paid out life insurance benefits to her husband. She had a private life insurance policy that paid out to him as well, and the investigators speculated that her signature was forged, but that was never proven," she said. "Being so young, she really had no enemies and everyone I talked to that knew her said she was the nicest and sweetest person they knew."
Could Shannon Cagle's husband be responsible?
Desiree said her grandmother had many conversations with the assigned detectives. "Given the circumstances around my mom's murder, it was almost as if the suspect had a key to the home, or was allowed inside. Maybe it was someone Shannon knew through her husband and she let him in the home? I can only speculate," Desiree said.
"A witness in the neighborhood gave a description of a man who was found wandering the neighborhood preceding the murder. They gave detectives a description and a sketch was made and included in a news article at the time. A person of interest was the stepson of a judge and he fit the build and age range of the person the witness described, and looked eerily similar to the sketch. This stepson also reported a gun stolen a few weeks prior to the crime that happened to fit the type and caliber of the weapon used to kill Shannon. The judge told investigators to leave his stepson alone or he would have their jobs," Desiree alleged. Notably, the judge in question was a friend of Shannon's husband.
She added, "My mom's husband passed a lie detector test and also had a confirmed alibi, so while I do not think he pulled the trigger himself, it is believed that he hired someone to do it."
Where is Shannon's ex-husband now?
Desiree said the husband remarried a year after Shannon was killed. "As far as I know, he now lives in the same city that my mother was murdered in, and in fact, pretty close to the same area of town. Living in the same town as him has been a thorn in my side as I am terrified of the man. He was emotionally and physically abusive to me while I was in his custody and I was always worried that if I sought justice or brought a spotlight to this case, that I would disappear. I was contacted by a local news station once to be interviewed about the case, but I declined for fear for my safety, and my family’s too," Desiree said.
"I adore his ex-wife, the woman he married after my mom was murdered," Desiree said. "She has a published book, under a pseudonym for fear of her safety, with a chapter outlining her experiences with him, the abuse we experienced, his den he created in the crawlspace of the home to hide in when police came by, etc. She stated that the Pastor who did their wedding ceremony begged her not to marry him but that if she ever mentioned that he had said that, he would deny ever saying anything." Desiree mentioned that Shannon's ex-husband later had some run-ins with the law, in connection with a fraud case and domestic violence, among others.
'I have suffered emotionally and psychologically'
"Losing my mother at such a young age, and so violently, it sits in my heart and mind," Desiree said on being asked what drives her to seek justice all these years later. "I have suffered emotionally and psychologically from losing her and the abuse I endured while under her husband's custody. Without that closure, it’s this never-ending nightmare that our family lives. I know solving the case would never bring her back, but just getting that closure is what I want."
She added, "Unfortunately, her mother died due to brain cancer and was never able to see her only daughter find justice. But her father, 87, mentions to me quite often that he would love to see the case solved before he leaves this earth. I am extremely close to him, as he and my grandmother raised me after adopting me. Our entire immediate family has been plagued with this – and the possibility of the killer just walking the streets and living their best lives while we are all in emotional agony is just too much to bear at times. I’ve seen so many articles and TV shows profiling decades old murder cases that were solved in recent times and I just can’t believe that my mother’s cannot be. This is the closure we all desperately need."
"I do not know why the case hardly received any media attention. Fresno County is fairly large and maybe it was just not as important as the other violent happenings in the city at the time? There is also speculation that Shannon's husband had very high connections with a judge, lawyers, and even insurance agents, so perhaps the case was swept under the rug? I woudn't know," she said.
Very recently, Desiree received a response from an investigator at the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, who said he reviewed the case and will re-review it to see if any evidence can be examined. Desiree shared a screenshot of the email with MEAWW.
No indivual, including all the people mentioned in this article, has been arrested or charged in connection with Shannon's murder.