$10,000 reward offered in missing persons case

In July, it will have been 10 years since 32-year-old Brian Shookman of Great Falls, Mont., mysteriously disappeared after traveling to Shoshone County for a family reunion.

A missing person’s report was filed on Aug. 1, 2012, when he failed to arrive at the reunion after leaving his cousin’s home in Kellogg. Brian’s abandoned vehicle was located approximately one month later on a dirt road in the area of Dobson Pass.

For years, personnel with the Idaho State Police and Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office have followed leads, interviewed witnesses and collected evidence relating to his suspicious disappearance — but Brian has still not been located and is believed to be deceased.

A decade later, Brian’s family is hoping to finally bring him home by offering a $10,000 reward for information that will lead to his successful location and identification.

“Not to say that a conviction wouldn't be wonderful, but our main focus is being able to bury Brian,” Shookman’s younger sister, Jennifer Anselmo said.

With no closure coming from numerous articles over the years and even being featured on 2020 episode of Oxygen’s procedural drama, “Cold Justice,” Anselmo got the idea to offer a reward a few months ago.

“You know, we have to try this,” she said. “Putting out a reward is the only thing we haven’t tried.”

On July 26, 2021, Brian’s only son, 16-year-old Mason Shookman, passed away after he took a percocet that, unbeknownst to him, was laced with fentanyl.

Anselmo explains that she and the rest of the family desperately want to bury them together.

“We want to bring Brian home.”

If you or someone you know has information for the family that could lead to location and identification of Brian Shookman, call 208-792-7886, email bringbrianhome@outlook.com, or message the “BringBrianHome” Facebook page.

Any information provided can remain anonymous.

Tips for law enforcement can be directed to SCSO Cpt. Jeff Lee, who can be reached by phone at 208-556-1114 or by email at jlee@shoshoneso.com.

The Cold Justice episode featuring Shookman’s case, “Mystery on the Mountain,” premiered Saturday, March 28, 2020, on Oxygen.