FBI doubles reward to $20,000 for missing Des Moines woman last seen in Mexico
Jun 10, 2026, 12:30 PM | Updated: 5:21 pm
Photos of Shelbie Lynn Dwyer, 18. (Photos courtesy of FBI)
(Photos courtesy of FBI)
The FBI said the reward for information leading to the recovery of a missing Des Moines woman has been increased to $20,000.
Shelbie Lynn Dwyer, 20, has not been heard from since March 29, 2023. The FBI believes she traveled to Tijuana, Mexico, and was last seen in Sinaloa, Mexico.
Shelbie Dwyer’s description
Dwyer is white, 5 feet 3 inches tall, and approximately 100 pounds.
She has brown eyes and hair and has three tattoos: a rose on her right hand, a design on her right middle finger, and the word “Blessed” in cursive on her right forearm.
How a Washington woman vanished in Mexico
Dwyer left her Des Moines home on March 25, 2023, to travel to Mexico by car. Over the next few days, she had “sporadic” communication with her family, according to the FBI, until it stopped altogether on March 29, 2023.
Dwyer’s drive to Mexico was considered a road trip with a man described as a “trusted friend.”
“Dwyer is believed to have traveled to Tijuana, Mexico. She likely traveled by plane from Tijuana, had a layover in Guadalajara, then arrived in Culiacan, Sinaloa,” the FBI wrote in an update. “Dwyer was last believed to have been in the area of Guamuchil, Sinaloa, Mexico, on or around March 29, 2023. She has not been heard from since that time.”
Mother’s last call with her daughter
Dwyer was planning on coming home but ended up going on an airplane to Sinaloa, according to Stacy Macheta, Dwyer’s mother.
“That’s when her phone didn’t ping after she got out of the airport,” Macheta explained to KIRO 7.
Macheta said she last heard from her daughter while she was in Sinaloa, but that call was cut short.
“She was yelling at somebody, and then the phone died,” Macheta said.
Macheta told KIRO 7 the two didn’t go a day without telling each other they loved each other.
“She’s really a caring person. She was like my mini-me,” Macheta said.
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How to submit a tip to the FBI
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the FBI’s toll-free tipline at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324).
You can also contact your local FBI office, the nearest American Embassy or Consulate, or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.
Frank Lenzi is the News Director for KIRO Newsradio. Read more of his stories here.
