Friend of missing Queensland woman reveals last text sent by Tahnee Shanks

Before Queensland mum Tahnee Shanks mysteriously disappeared in Mexico, she sent a series of texts to her friend about her partner. She said it was for “backup”.

The friend of a Queensland woman who disappeared in Mexico at the start of May has revealed the eerie final texts sent by Tahnee Shanks before she went missing.

Originally from the Whitsundays, the 32-year-old had lived in Mexico for nine years. Ms Shanks and her partner Jorge Luis Aguirre Astudillo were reported as missing when Ms Shanks’ daughter Adelynn was discovered in a church in Cancun.

The two-year-old is now living with her grandmother and aunt in Brisbane, after Ms Shanks’ family travelled to Mexico to bring her home.

Stream your news live & on demand with Flash. From CNN International, Al Jazeera, Sky News, BBC World, CNBC & more. New to Flash? Try 1 month free. Offer ends 31 October, 2022 >

Whitsundays woman Tahnee Shanks and her partner Jorge Luis Aguirre Astudillo have been missing in Mexico since early May. Picture: Facebook.

However, in the weeks before she went missing, texts shared by the Daily Mercury reveal she had asked a friend to remember the name of her husband, while trying to justify her odd request.

“I know this is gunna sound weird but keep (his) name. Jorge Luis Aguirre Astudillo! Just in case anything happens to me they can go after him,” she wrote

“Not that anything will! But I just want to keep that as a backup.”

Authorities have also issued a missing person alert for Jorge Luis Aguirre Astudillo, the partner of Whitsunday woman Tahnee Shanks who is also missing. Picture: Twitter

The last reported sighting of the family was driving past a police checkpoint from Cancun to Merida, on their way back from a family holiday. Mr Astudillo and Adelynn were also seen travelling in the white Toyota Tundra.

Eight hours later, Adelynn was found at the Cancun church, indicating that the family may have returned to the popular beach city. However, there is no footage that shows this.

Missing Whitsunday woman Tahnee Shanks sent this text to her friend a few weeks before she went missing in Mexico. Picture: Supplied

Investigations into the location of Ms Shanks and Mr Astudillo remain ongoing. Mexican police believe they found the Tundra abandoned in Cancun, leading to increased fears around Ms Shanks’ welfare.

“I’m assuming he’s dumped the car and got some other form of transport, and he’s on the run,” said Ms Shanks’ brother, Daniel Shanks, appearing on Sunrise.

“So if he’s capable of doing that to his daughter, well, that’s what we’re so worried about.”

However, authorities are currently treating both Ms Shanks and Mr Astudillo as victims.

“At this time, both are victims, they are missing persons, later maybe we can determine if he is responsible for something, so far he is a victim,” said Óscar Montes de Oca Rosales, general attorney of Quintana Roo.

Speaking to media, Mr de Oca Rosales said authorities were still trying to place how, when and why the family returned to Cancun.

“We are analysing videos and the chronology of events,” he said.

“They were visiting Cancun for one day, made an hotel reservation, then they went back to Merida, but on the road decided to come back to Cancun, and that is when the girl’s event takes place.”