Case Files for Missing and Endangered

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Michael Pak –
Shannan Gilbert Driver

Michael Pak was the last person known to have seen Shannan Gilbert alive; he was her driver on the night she went missing. He drove her to a client’s house in Oak Beach, where she reportedly began acting erratically and fled the scene. Shannan’s body was discovered in a nearby marsh in December 2011, more than a year after she disappeared.

Learn More About Shannan

Michael Pak

Michael Pack aka Aka Minjae Pak, Michael Min Chul Pak, born in the summer of 1969, moved to the United States from Korea in 1974 with his mother, sister, and brother after the early loss of his father.

About Micahel Pak Michael Pack 2004 Arrest Records – Micahel Pak

Michael Pak

Michael Pack aka Aka Minjae Pak, Michael Min Chul Pak, born in the summer of 1969, moved to the United States from Korea in 1974 with his mother, sister, and brother after the early loss of his father. His mother managed a small supermarket, providing Michael with his initial exposure to hard work. He often shared stories of the extensive hours he spent assisting her at the store.

By 1987, Michael graduated from Stuyvesant High School in New York City. His journey continued as he enrolled at SUNY Binghamton, where he pursued a Bachelor’s degree in History. Graduation came in 1993, and with it, a degree that promised potential but not a clear path.

After graduating from SUNY Binghamton with Bachelors in History, Michael’s career began at the Carousel Mall in Upstate Binghamton. He juggled various roles, working in a deli and a supermarket, a nod to his family’s small business legacy. But his aspirations led him further, and by 1998, he found himself at AIG as a writing technician, navigating the complexities of insurance policies and corporate life.

In 2004, Michael Pak married Jisuk Son, who was born in December 1976. However, that same year, his life took a tumultuous turn when he was charged in Fort Worth, Texas, with passport misuse and the illegal transportation of individuals into the United States. The Northern District of Texas federal court found him guilty, sentencing him to six months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release and a $3,000 fine. The strain of these events led to the dissolution of his marriage, and Jisuk divorced him.

Upon his release in April 2005, Michael sought to rebuild his life with assistance from his brother, who helped him secure a job at his pool bar, his divorce from Jisuk Son was finalized in 2007.

In 2008, he took a position at Grand World Insurance Company in Flushing, New York. His career seemed to be on a steady path, but a new chapter began in 2009 when he became a driver for Prestige Escort Agency. The day he was suppose to start his car 2001 Isuzu Rodeo broke down, prompting him to switch to a Jeep Liberty.

On his first day working for the agency, he picked up Shannan at 32nd and Broadway, Astoria Boulevard. It was a seemingly ordinary moment but marked the beginning of a complex relationship.

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Michael Pack 2004 Arrest

Michael Pak had just settled into a new apartment in Ridgewood, but soon after moving in, a problem emerged. There were issues with the building code, and it became clear that all tenants needed to vacate.

Michael’s roommate, who was the building manager, distributed checks to the tenants to cover their moving expenses. This sudden upheaval was inconvenient but not insurmountable. At that time, Michael was contemplating a move to Los Angeles, drawn by the promise of sunny weather and new opportunities.

Michael was contacted by someone who said they needed help. The job promised $3,000 each and involved assisting people from China with their travel arrangements, ensuring they navigated airports and reached their destinations smoothly. The offer came with the added bonus of a return flight to Los Angeles.

A contact informed Michael that someone needed assistance helping people from China navigate their way into the United States. The job seemed straightforward: help individuals who weren’t fluent in English get through airports and connect with the right resources upon arrival. Michael was reassured that his role was merely to assist with language barriers and connections, not realizing that the situation was far more complicated.

Michael agreed to the job. The task seemed innocuous enough—helping people with their English as they traveled. It was only after he started working that the reality of the situation began to sink in. What he thought was a simple task of assisting people turned out to be part of a much murkier operation.

What he had thought was a simple arrangement quickly turned into an unexpected ordeal.

The instructions he received were vague. He was told to meet the travelers at an airport, which he initially believed was in Thailand. But when Michael arrived, His ticket was for Sri Lanka, and the airport there was nothing like the modern facilities he was used to.

After arriving in Sri Lanka, instead of sleek terminals and bustling gates, the airport resembled a run-down house with minimal amenities. The customs area was a long cafeteria-style table, a stark contrast to the sophisticated setups of major international airports. Michael Pak found himself in a foreign environment that was both disorienting and unsettling. The intense heat and chaotic streets, with military presence and armed patrols, contrasted sharply with the familiar comforts of home. The situation seemed increasingly surreal as he navigated his way around, struggling to adapt to the new surroundings.

Michael found a payphone and called his contact, hoping for guidance. His contact informed him that the person he was supposed to meet had been delayed. The message was simple: find a hotel and wait. There was no additional information, no advice on navigating the area, and no support for his predicament.

Michael checked into a hotel. The next day, he met Peter, a young Chinese man in his mid-20s, whom he was supposed to assist in flying to San Francisco.

They proceeded through the airport, with Michael helping Peter as planned. But when they reached customs, the situation took a turn for the worse. As they stood in line, Peter was abruptly taken away by authorities. Michael was stunned and worried.

When it was Michael’s turn to face the customs official, he asked about Peter’s whereabouts, only to be met with a similar fate. The officials detained him, and the gravity of his situation began to sink in.

After being released and flown back to Los Angeles, Michael faced the consequences of his ignorance. He waited anxiously for the $3,000 payment, which eventually arrived after several days. However, the contact soon requested his help once more, this time with a woman. The instructions were vague and seemed to imply that he needed to guide her through similar processes.

$3,000 for each individual he helped, which sounded like an easy way to make money while facilitating their journey. Michael continued with the job, driven by the immediate financial gain and the promise of a free flight. On his second assignment, he returned to Sri Lanka, this time to a slightly better hotel with a swimming pool.

He met an older man, around fifty years old, who had noticeable medical conditions and was accompanied by two young girls. Michael’s task was to escort one of the girls while the man would travel with the other. The process seemed routine until they reached the airport.

The girl Michael was helping passed through customs, but as he went through the line, he was met with a new set of problems. It escalated quickly; he was detained and questioned by officials. The realization that he was entangled in illegal activities hit him hard. His involvement in the scheme, had now led to his arrest.

Michael’s arrest was part of a broader crackdown on illegal immigration operations. He was charged with offenses related to his involvement in the scheme and ultimately sentenced to six months in federal prison. Convicted of misuse of passport in Fort Worth, Texas – Illegal transportation of Asian People to America

Michael Pak Police Report

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Michael Pak Deposition

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Timeline

May 1, 2010 – Shannan Gilbert and Michael Pak

In the early hours of May 1, 2010, around 2 a.m., Shannan Gilbert arrived at a two-story wooden house on 8 Fairway Drive in Oak Beach, Long Island. She was driven in a dark SUV by Michael Pak, her driver for the night. The house belonged to Joseph Brewer, a 46-year-old unemployed financial adviser who was in the process of separating from his wife. Brewer had responded to an ad Shannan posted on Craigslist earlier that evening.

After dropping Shannan off at Brewer’s house, Pak waited in the SUV, passing the time by playing poker on his phone. During this time, Shannan and Brewer were inside the house together.

Phone records show that Shannan and Michael exchanged six short calls, and Shannan also made a call to a nearby CVS in West Islip around 2:55 a.m. She asked Michael to pick up some lube and a deck of playing cards, but Michael declined, saying he didn’t know the area. Shannan and Brewer briefly left the house together in Brewer’s car for about fifteen minutes.

Around 5 a.m., Brewer came outside and asked Pak for help. When Michael Pak entered the house, he found Shannan in a state of panic, clutching her cell phone. According to 911 records later released, Shannan had called 911 at 4:51 a.m., during which she sounded frantic, with voices in the background trying to calm her. Shannan didn’t disclose her location to the dispatcher, possibly because she was unaware of it herself, making it difficult for the police to provide assistance.

Pak tried to convince Shannan to leave with him, but she refused, appearing disoriented and possibly under the influence of drugs. Frustrated, Pak left the house and returned to the SUV.

Shortly after, Shannan fled the house, ran down the front steps, and began screaming for help as she ran down the road. A neighbor, 75-year-old Gustav Coletti, heard the commotion while shaving and opened his door to find Shannan pleading for help. Despite Coletti’s offer to call the police, Shannan begged him not to, for reasons that remain unclear—whether out of fear of repercussions or concern about getting arrested. Coletti reported that Shannan then ran out of his house and vanished from sight.

By the time Pak arrived back in the area, Shannan was nowhere to be found. Pak spent nearly an hour searching Oak Beach for her before returning to the city. As daylight broke and police arrived—45 minutes after Coletti’s call—the only evidence of Shannan Gilbert was a set of footprints leading towards a desolate stretch of beach known as Gilgo Beach.

The Suffolk County police searched Brewer’s house, seized his car, and questioned both Brewer and Pak, ultimately concluding that neither was a suspect. Brewer and Pak both claim they were polygraphed, though the police have not confirmed this. Brewer later told reporters that he did not have sex with Shannan and only wanted company, denying any involvement with drugs. The search yielded no results, and by fall, the investigation seemed to have reached a standstill.

May 1, 2010
  • Evening: Shannan Gilbert, a 24-year-old escort, travels to Oak Beach, Long Island, with her driver, Michael Pak, for an appointment with a client, Joseph Brewer.
  • Early Hours of May 2, 2010:
  • 2:00 AM – 3:00 AM: Shannan arrives at Joseph Brewer’s home. The evening begins normally, but things take a turn when Shannan reportedly becomes distressed.
  • 4:00 AM: Shannan begins to exhibit signs of paranoia, claiming someone is trying to harm her. Brewer tries to calm her down, but Shannan eventually flees his home.
  • 4:51 AM: Shannan makes a frantic 911 call. She sounds disoriented and confused, mistakenly stating her location as Jones Beach. Despite the confusion, her distress is evident as she repeatedly asks for help.
  • Shortly After 4:51 AM: Shannan arrives at the nearby home of Gustav Coletti, knocking on his door and asking for help. When Coletti offers to call the police, Shannan panics and runs away from his home.
  • Around 5:00 AM: Michael Pak arrives at Coletti’s home in his SUV, looking for Shannan. He informs Coletti that Shannan had become upset and left a party, and he was trying to find her.
  • 5:00 AM – 5:30 AM: Shannan continues to run from house to house in the neighborhood, knocking on doors and seeking help. During this time, 911 operators are still listening to the open line from her call. Neighbors, including Coletti and Barbara Brennan, also call 911 to report the situation.
  • After 5:30 AM: By the time the police arrive, Shannan Gilbert has vanished. Despite extensive search efforts, she is not found.
May 2, 2010

April 2, 2010 around 2:00 PM Alex Diaz contacted Mike Pak the driver who had last seen Shanna. The driver, equally concerned, had been under the impression that Shanna had safely made it home. When it became clear she hadn’t, the two men returned to Oak Beach on May 3, retracing their steps, searching local beaches and hospitals, hoping for any sign of her.

December 2011
  • December 13, 2011: Shannan Gilbert’s remains are discovered in a marsh in Oak Beach, over a year after her disappearance. Her death remains shrouded in mystery, with debates over whether it was a tragic accident or something more sinister.
Key Individuals:
  • Michael Pak: Shannan’s driver, who was present the night of her disappearance and tried to find her after she fled the home.
  • Shannan Gilbert: A young woman whose disappearance and death have been the subject of much speculation and investigation.
  • Joseph Brewer: The client Shannan was meeting that night, who claimed no involvement in her disappearance.
  • Gustav Coletti and Barbara Brennan: Neighbors who interacted with Shannan during her frantic escape and later called 911.