Brian Shaffer: Ohio Student's Vanishing Mystery
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Quick Facts
Brian Shaffer: Last stop at Ugly Tuna Saloona (2006)
It was just after 2:00 a.m. on the night of April 1, 2006, when Brian Shaffer, a 27-year-old medical student at [Internal Link Placeholder] State University, [Internal Link Placeholder] without a trace from the Ugly Tuna Saloona in Columbus, Ohio. A [Internal Link Placeholder] captured him at 1:15 a.m. arriving at the bar's entrance, wearing jeans and a distinctive blue-green striped shirt. Later, at 1:55 a.m., [Internal Link Placeholder] showed him again, this time talking with two women outside before turning back towards the entrance – the last confirmed sighting of the young student. This [Internal Link Placeholder] is both bafflingly simple and disturbingly complex: Brian Shaffer was seen entering the bar, but apparently never left. Despite years of searches, countless theories, and his family's tireless efforts, his fate remains an [Internal Link Placeholder] almost two decades later in the [Internal Link Placeholder].
Before disappearance: Grief, night out, last plans
Brian Shaffer's disappearance occurred during a turbulent time. Just three weeks earlier, he had lost his mother, Renee Shaffer, to cancer, a tragedy that shook the close-knit family. The evening before he [Internal Link Placeholder], March 31, 2006, Brian had dinner with his father, Randy Shaffer, to mark the end of a demanding week of studies. Although Randy noticed his son's fatigue, he supported Brian's plans to go out. At 9:00 p.m., Brian met his childhood friend, William "Clint" Florence, at the Ugly Tuna Saloona, a popular student bar. They continued to several other bars, and at 10:00 p.m., Brian called his girlfriend, Alexis Waggoner. She has stated that Brian was looking forward to their planned trip to Miami. Around midnight, they met Meredith Reed, a friend of Clint's, who drove them back to the Ugly Tuna Saloona. From this point, events become unclear. Although Brian Shaffer is seen on [Internal Link Placeholder] footage at the bar at 1:55 a.m., no cameras show him leaving the building. When the Ugly Tuna Saloona closed at 2:00 a.m., neither Clint Florence nor Meredith Reed could find him. They assumed he had gone home.
Police probe: Surveillance mystery and exits at Gateway
The Columbus police [Internal Link Placeholder] launched an intensive investigation. It began with a meticulous review of [Internal Link Placeholder] in the form of [Internal Link Placeholder] footage from the South Campus Gateway complex, where the Ugly Tuna Saloona was located – an area known for its extensive surveillance. It became shockingly clear: Brian Shaffer was [Internal Link Placeholder] going *up* the escalator to the bar, but no footage showed him going *down* again or leaving the building via the main entrance. This immediately fueled speculation about alternative exits. A service door, located in an area without camera surveillance, was closely examined. The door reportedly led through a corridor under renovation to a construction site with street access. Officers noted that the route would be [Internal Link Placeholder] to navigate, even sober. Although cadaver [Internal Link Placeholder] searched the area, they found no trace of the missing student. Another theory was that Brian Shaffer might have changed clothes or hidden, but an extensive review of [Internal Link Placeholder] from nearby [Internal Link Placeholder] yielded no results. Given Columbus's comprehensive surveillance network, Shaffer's disappearance seemed even more incomprehensible.
Voluntary disappearance?: Dreams, grief, argument with Clint
Brian Shaffer's case was further complicated by personal aspects that led some to consider a voluntary disappearance. The loss of his mother was a heavy burden, and his girlfriend, Alexis Waggoner, has said that Brian considered giving up medical school for a music career. His brother, Derek Shaffer, confirmed Brian's musical aspirations. However, the family has consistently rejected the theory that Brian voluntarily left his life, possibly due to the [Internal Link Placeholder] time or even suicidal thoughts, although there is no direct [Internal Link Placeholder] of [Internal Link Placeholder]. They point to his concrete future plans: plane tickets to Miami with Alexis were booked, and they were discussing marriage. Police noted that Brian Shaffer neither withdrew [Internal Link Placeholder] nor packed belongings, which argues against a planned departure. An unresolved element from the night at the Ugly Tuna Saloona was a reported verbal altercation between Brian and Clint Florence, the content of which remains unknown. Meredith Reed, who drove them back to the bar, was only briefly questioned. These elements make this [Internal Link Placeholder] one of the more complex disappearance cases.
Case theories: 'Smiley Face Killer' and Tijuana photo
The absence of concrete leads in Brian Shaffer's disappearance has fueled numerous conspiracy theories. The most widespread is the controversial "Smiley Face Killer theory," which [Internal Link Placeholder] a [Internal Link Placeholder] who drowns young men and leaves behind smiley-face graffiti. Although Brian Shaffer fits the profile – a white male in his 20s, potentially intoxicated – Columbus police have dismissed the theory as pure speculation in this [Internal Link Placeholder]. Another [Internal Link Placeholder] suggests Brian assumed a new identity to [Internal Link Placeholder] pressure. Although his credit cards were never used after his disappearance, a brief glimmer of hope emerged in 2020 when a photo of a homeless man in Tijuana, [Internal Link Placeholder], was presented as a possible Brian Shaffer. However, [Internal Link Placeholder] facial recognition technology ruled out a match, leaving the case an ongoing [Internal Link Placeholder].
New leads?: Brian Shaffer's profile and Ugly Tuna's end
More tangible developments in the case of the missing Brian Shaffer include the release of an age-progression profile in March 2021. The [Internal Link Placeholder] Attorney General's Office issued images depicting Brian as he might look at 42, created by forensic artists from the BCI (Bureau of Criminal Investigation). The image shows a man with incipient graying [Internal Link Placeholder] and more mature facial features, an attempt to generate new leads in this [Internal Link Placeholder]. The Ugly Tuna Saloona, the bar where Brian Shaffer was last seen, closed permanently in 2018 after 14 years of operation. The owner cited lease issues as the reason, and the building now houses office spaces. For the Shaffer family, the bar's closure was another painful reminder of their unresolved grief and the persistent [Internal Link Placeholder].
Family's fight: Shaffer family's search for answers
For Brian Shaffer's father, Randy Shaffer, who lost both his wife and his missing son within weeks, the grief has been unbearable. He has stated that he thinks about Brian every day. Alexis Waggoner, now married to someone else, still remembers the night Brian's phone went straight to [Internal Link Placeholder]. Brian Shaffer's brother, Derek Shaffer, has worked tirelessly to find answers to this [Internal Link Placeholder]. He participates annually in the "Brian Shaffer March for the Missing" and runs a Facebook group dedicated to the [Internal Link Placeholder]. Derek has repeatedly emphasized that the family owes it to Brian Shaffer to find the truth about his disappearance.
Seventeen years of mystery: Brian's escape from Ugly Tuna
Nineteen years after his disappearance, Brian Shaffer's [Internal Link Placeholder] continues to fascinate and perplex. Columbus police have reopened and reviewed the case over 50 times, but every new lead has so far hit a dead end. The central questions in this [Internal Link Placeholder] remain unanswered: How could Brian Shaffer leave the Ugly Tuna Saloona without being caught on [Internal Link Placeholder]? Was there a hidden exit that investigators overlooked? Could the missing student have fallen into one of the construction pits near South Campus Gateway? Or did something more sinister happen within the bar's walls – a crime without [Internal Link Placeholder] or a body? Until new [Internal Link Placeholder] or other crucial leads emerge, Brian Shaffer's fate remains one of America's most enigmatic missing person cases. It is a chilling reminder that even in a modern world with extensive surveillance, a person can vanish without a trace.
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Susanne Sperling
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