ABOVE: Brian Klecha. Screenshot via Investigation Discovery/Facebook.
TAMPA BAY | Brian Klecha, a gay man last seen on Dec. 27, 2017 in Polk County, is the subject of Investigation Discovery’s new episode of “Disappeared,” the network’s popular missing persons series.
ID calls the show a reinvention of the franchise, which ran from 2009-2018 before transitioning to a podcast. Its televised 10th season “shines a light on individuals who vanished seemingly without a trace and aims to facilitate answers about the missing in order to bring closure to their loved ones.”
“Our recent success with the ‘Disappeared’ podcast inspired us to reboot this fan-favorite series with all new episodes,” ID President of Crime and Investigative Content Jason Sarlanis announced earlier this year. “With the proliferation of new surveillance techniques in recent years and the audience more determined than ever to participate in solving true crime mysteries, we knew this was the right time to bring ‘Disappeared’ back in a way that could really make a difference.”
Watermark first covered Klecha’s case in early 2020. He went missing 12 days after moving to a shared residence in Lakeland and was last seen withdrawing funds from his local credit union around Christmas 2017.
As Klecha had ties to Hillsborough, Orange and Polk counties, the Florida Dept. of Law Enforcement oversaw his case. Along with Klecha’s family and Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay, they upped their reward for information that could lead to solving it from $5,000 to $10,000 in late 2019.
ID contacted Watermark earlier this year to contribute to the episode after reading our coverage. Managing Editor Ryan Williams-Jent was interviewed for “The Sweetest Man in the World,” the show’s eighth episode which premiered Oct. 26.
“In December 2017, Brian stops responding to his mother, Kathy’s texts,” it’s described. “She decides to file a missing person’s report and Det. Massucci finds himself untangling a complicated love triangle involving Brian, which leaves him with more questions than answers.”
In the episode, Williams-Jent details Watermark’s reporting while providing context and information regarding LGBTQ life in the region. Klecha’s mother, his landlord Andrew Dowler, Det. Chuck Massucci of FDLE and more share their perspectives.
“35-year-old Brian Klecha was last seen on Dec. 22, 2017 as he prepared to leave on vacation,” ID shared ahead of its release. “After friends and family couldn’t get in contact with him for weeks, they reported him missing.
“The detective on the case learned that there was some tension between Brian and one of the other occupants in his house — Brian had once dated AJ, another man living in the home. Find out what else the detective uncovered on ‘Disappeared.’”
View a clip and read more about the episode below.
Klecha’s case is ongoing. Family members and local law enforcement urge anyone with information that could help contribute to solving his disappearance contact Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay, detailed below.
Watermark was proud to contribute to ID’s coverage of Klecha. “It is always better to have more eyes and more ears on every story,” Williams-Jent explains in the episode. “It helps lead to answers and answers can bring closure.”
“Disappeared” airs Wednesdays on Investigation Discovery and streams on Discovery+. View the Brian Klecha-focused episode on demand or streaming and learn more at InvestigationDiscovery.com.
Anyone with information about Brian Klecha is asked to contact Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay at 1-800-873-8477 or to submit a tip online.
You must be logged in to post a comment.