Not forgotten in North Idaho: Brian Shookman

Since he disappeared without a trace in 2012, there has been no sign of Brian Shookman. 

But his family has never stopped searching for him. 

“I think about what my brother would do if it was one of us,” said Lewiston resident Jennifer Anselmo, Shookman’s sister. “He would keep going for us.” 

In the 12 years since his disappearance, his family has accepted that he won’t be found alive. What they grapple with now is the mystery of what happened to him. 

“I don’t think people understand the damage it does to a family when you can’t put someone to rest,” Anselmo said. “It really ruined my family.” 

That weekend in July 2012, the extended family had planned to gather in Mullan for a reunion. Shookman, 32, was living in Great Falls, Mont. and had been in recovery from drug addiction. But in Shoshone County, his family said, he reconnected with a cousin who used drugs. 

“We hoped they weren’t getting into trouble,” Anselmo said. 

Shookman was arrested that Friday on a 1999 bench warrant for failing to appear on a charge of possessing an alcoholic beverage as a minor. His dad picked him up from jail. Shookman had been using drugs, his mother said, and returned to his cousin’s place to sleep it off. 

The next day, his cousin showed up for the family barbecue, along with his girlfriend. Shookman never did. 

The family assumed Shookman was embarrassed about relapsing and had gone home to Great Falls. But when no one had heard from him by Sunday night, it became clear something was wrong. 

“I knew right away he wasn’t alive,” said Becky Banning Shookman, Brian Shookman’s mother. Her voice wavered. “He hadn’t contacted us.” 

Three weeks later, Shookman’s car was found abandoned on a dirt road near Dobson Pass. There didn't appear to be any signs of struggle. Multiple searches for Shookman turned up nothing. 

“It’s like a needle in a haystack,” Anselmo said. 

Jeff Lee has worked in law enforcement more than a decade, including seven years with the Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office. He spent countless hours investigating the Shookman case, both on and off the clock. 

These days, Lee is a deputy with the Coos County Sheriff’s Office along the Oregon Coast. Shookman’s disappearance still haunts him. 

“It’s something that’s hard to let go of and forget about,” he said. “It’s just not possible.” 

Police identified and interviewed four people they believe were in Shookman’s orbit around the time of his disappearance, Lee said, but have not found enough evidence to pursue charges against anyone. 

Though the spot where Shookman’s car was found is off the beaten path, it’s frequented by hunters. Lee believes it’s unlikely that Shookman walked into the woods and died from an injury or exposure to the elements. 

“Somebody would’ve found something and called it in,” he said. 

Similarly, Lee doubts that Shookman died due to an overdose. If that were the case, he would’ve likely been found near his vehicle. 

The remaining possibility is foul play. 

“I do have a strong feeling that there are one or more people involved in this, and I just hope that, before they get old and their time is up, that they come forward and do something about it so that we can find Brian,” Lee said. 

Anselmo agrees. 

“I believe my brother was murdered,” she said. 

Shookman’s family remembers him as a vibrant, happy outdoorsman and a loving dad to his son, Mason. 

“He was the most kind, gentle person,” said Becky Banning Shookman, Brian Shookman’s mother. “He loved his family more than anything. He struggled with drugs, but he was always trying to get better.” 

“He loved living,” Anselmo said. “He would call me every morning and say, ‘Jenny, did you thank God you’re alive today?’” 

Shookman and Mason were “two peas in a pod,” Anselmo said. The father and son spent summers catching rabbits in the backyard, swimming and fishing, building campfires and lighting the biggest fireworks they could find on the Fourth of July. 

“They cherished their time together,” she said. “From the time Mason was little, Brian just really spent all of his attention focusing on Mason when they were together.” 

The loss of his father affected Mason greatly. 

“I think it just put a huge hole in his heart,” Anselmo said. “He struggled from there on out.” 

Mason died of a fentanyl overdose in 2021, two days before the ninth anniversary of his father’s disappearance. He had taken a Percocet that, unbeknownst to him, contained a lethal amount of fentanyl. He was 16 years old. 

For years, Banning Shookman held off on getting a headstone for her son, wanting to wait until he was found. It was Mason’s insistence that finally swayed her. 

“I had no idea that was so important to him,” she said. 

Eight years after his disappearance, the family placed a headstone for Shookman. The stone is carved with the outline of Montana, along with the words, “Forever soaring with the eagles, fishing in the streams.” 

“Thank God we did it before (Mason) died,” Banning Shookman said. 

Now Shookman’s headstone is joined by ones for his son and his sister, Danielle Banning. 

“For me, it brought a lot of peace bringing Mason and my sister there,” Anselmo said. 

She still hopes to lay her brother to rest there. 

Shookman’s family has used a Facebook page, Bring Brian Home, to share his story, in the hopes of reaching someone who knows what happened. 

For the 10th anniversary of his disappearance, his family offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the recovery of his remains. The reward remains unclaimed. 

“We aren’t trying to put anybody away,” Anselmo said. “We’re trying to bury Brian. Of course, at the end of the day, I want whoever did this to rot in hell, but they’re going to get that. I want to find my brother.” 

Editor's note: This is a monthly series of articles highlighting unsolved cases in North Idaho. If, after reading this, you recall anything about the events described, please contact the Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office: 208-556-1114. Shookman’s family accepts tips, including anonymous ones, via email: bringbrianhome@outlook.com.

If you have an unsolved case in North Idaho that you'd like to see revisited, email kthornbrugh@cdapress.com.

    “Those boys were two peas in a pod,” Jennifer Anselmo said of her brother, Brian Shookman, and his son, Mason.
  

    Shookman