Shirlene Quigley, the controversial dance captain named alongside Lizzo in a bombshell new lawsuit, once mysteriously went missing amid concerns about her mental health.
The then-32-year-old’s disappearance in October 2016 garnered national attention after stars like Rihanna and Missy Elliot made public pleas to try and help find her.
“This beautiful soul, and former dancer of mine is MISSING!!!” the “Diamonds” singer captioned a video of Quigley on Instagram at the time.
“My heart aches thinking of how heavy this is on all who love her! If anyone has seen or has any information on @shirlenequigley’s whereabouts …..”
Elliot, for her part, asked in a since-deleted Instagram post for “help from the whole dance community to spread the word.”
Shirlene’s father, Brad Quigley, reported his daughter missing after he was unable to get in touch with her during their daily telephone check-ins.
He told The Post at the time that his daughter had been exhibiting strange behavior leading up to her disappearance and that she had allegedly texted a friend randomly, writing, “I’m spending time with God, my father, and don’t have time to deal with this right now.”
Brad noted that his daughter was deeply religious and was abstaining from sex until marriage, which was brought up in the new suit, where Shirlene was accused of trying to impose her faith onto her former colleagues.
One of Shirlene’s final whereabouts before she went missing was a bridal store, where she was seen shopping for a dress.
Her dad told The Post that he found that “really odd” because if his daughter were to get married, she “would so want [him] and her mother to be there.”
Shirlene was eventually found in New York City a few days later, but the exact details of why she went missing in the first place remained elusive.
Page Six has spoken to the North Bergen Police, one of the departments involved in the search for Shirlene nearly seven years ago, and they provided some insight into the investigation at the time.
Captain David Dowd, who worked on the case alongside his department and NYPD, recalls to Page Six exclusively Wednesday that a concerned citizen called them because they had noticed a woman matching Shirlene’s description, who was “unwell” and “needed medical help.”
“She was transported to a nearby hospital and so we sent detectives out to see if that was indeed her — and it was her,” the public information officer adds.
Dowd notes that Shirlene was allegedly so rattled that she was “unable to provide her name.”
“She’s a dancer and I can understand how demanding that job is and how physically intense that occupation is. Also, she was fasting so I can only surmise … that may have led to some type of altered mental status, where maybe she was dehydrated and that can definitely affect your thinking,” he says.
Although Shirlene went through what many would deem a traumatic experience, she returned to her career as a professional dancer seemingly seamlessly and landed a gig with Lizzo.
However, new allegations made by dancers Arianna Davis, Noelle Rodriguez and Crystal Williams this week have shed new light on how Shirlene may have assisted in creating a “sexually charged and uncomfortable” work environment.
While Lizzo is accused in the suit of allegedly pressuring her dancers to participate in sex shows in Europe, among other claims, Shirlene is being sued for religious and sexual harassment.
According to a copy of the lawsuit obtained by Page Six, the dance captain was “not only vocal about her religious belief but took every opportunity to proselytize to any and all in her presence regardless of
protestations.”
Shirlene allegedly took great interest in Davis’ disclosure that she was a virgin and even brought it up in conversations and interviews.
Despite her religious views, the dance captain was allegedly open about her sexual behavior and would “simulate oral sex on a banana in front of the rest of the dance cast,” per the suit.
“These instances were always unprompted and made plaintiffs uncomfortable,” the lawsuit states.
The plaintiffs further alleged that despite Shirlene’s “opposition to pre-marital sex, she had no problem sharing her masturbatory habits with the dance cast, often stating things to the effect, ‘Masturbating is
against my religion, but today I had an oopsie.’”
“[Shirlene’s] sexually explicit comments were so pervasive the entire dance team knew about her sexual fantasy of having ten penises in her face.”
Rodriguez, for her part, accused the dance captain of calling her a “non-believer” for her differing religious views, and Davis claimed the latter berated her, alongside Lizzo, when she was fired from the team.
Page Six has reached out to Shirlene for comment but did not immediately hear back. Lizzo has also not responded to repeated requests for comment.
Although Shirlene has not addressed the claims, she instead posted a video on Instagram Tuesday preaching about how “God is so good” no matter “what you’re going through.”
“God loves you so so so so much 💕🙏🏽🤍✝️ #neverforgetthat,” she captioned the clip.
The post has been met with criticism, with people commenting, “What a repulsive video to post considering the lawsuit that was just filed against you for religious abuse.”
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Another added, “Doesn’t the lawsuit say you shared your sexual fantasies with the dancers? that’s not very christian of you! you are nothing but a false prophet!”
Despite the backlash, Dowd tells Page Six that he remembers Shirlene as a “very kind, sincere, and genuine” person.
He says she came by the police station with her father to thank the officers for searching for her and even took a photo with them.
Dowd concludes, “I have investigated and supervised countless missing persons investigations during my career and Shirlene’s kindness and gratitude resonated with all of us, creating a lasting memory. We were all very thankful that she was found unharmed and reunited with her loving father.”
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