COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH)-- Eighteen years back, an Ohio State University trainee disappeared after he was caught on cam entering a bar, however was never ever recorded leaving. Despite a frenzy of media coverage, one of the state's most well-known disappearances remains a mystery.
Brian Shaffer was a 27-year-old medical trainee in his second year at OSU when he was last seen. Lori Davis, a supporter for missing out on persons, has worked with Brian's family since he went missing out on.
" He had currently went through the White Coat Ceremony and he was on his way to becoming a medical professional," Davis said. "His character, they've said that Brian was uproarious, that he was extremely charming, that he was really outbound. And I've even heard that he could be a little persistent at times."
On March 31, 2006, a Friday and the start of spring break for students, Brian called his bro, asking if he wished to join him for dinner. His bro had actually currently made strategies with his fiancée, so Brian wound up grabbing dinner at a regional steakhouse with his father, Randy, Davis said. Simply a few weeks prior, on March 6, Brian's mother had actually died.
" They had a great time," Davis stated. "There has actually been some speculation that there might have been an argument throughout that same supper which would have been about the life insurance policy for Brian's mom, Renee. [Randy] never ever informed me that, so I can't state if that is real or false."
Randy and Brian left the restaurant on good terms, Randy told Davis. Brian's sweetheart, Alexis Waggoner, was all of a sudden out of town that weekend due to medical concerns with a household pet, Davis said.
" He wound up calling that sweetheart," Davis said. "I believe it was around 10 to 10:30 that night, left a voicemail, everything was great within the voicemail. He sounded fine."
Another buddy, Meredith Reed, ended up satisfying the pair that evening. Around 1:15 a.m., the trio ended up at the Ugly Tuna Saloona-- a bar where they had actually been earlier that night, according to NBC News. Among numerous security cams captured Brian walking into the establishment.
" Over time, it has come out that there were other medical students that were there that night at the bar," Davis said. "Normally they simply talk about the 2 pals, Clint and Meredith, that were out with Brian. A great deal of details that's come out ever since that suggested there was about 4 to 5 other males that met them there also."
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Once inside the bar, Brian separated from Florence and Reed. Just after 1 a.m., Brian said he was going upstairs to see the band that was playing that night and walked away. While Brian's pals mentioned they believed he went to talk to the band, Davis does not believe Brian understood the band, regardless of a remote connection (friend of a friend) to one of the members.
Brian was last caught on tape stepping outdoors at 1:55 a.m., speaking with two girls, then appearing to re-enter the bar. Those ladies have been questioned by authorities and by Brian's father; Randy "totally" believed the two women had nothing to do with his disappearance, Davis said.
At 2 a.m., the bar's closing time, Florence and Reed were ready to leave and started looking for Brian, however could not discover him. Electronic cameras captured the pair leaving the bar-- in one of the most confusing aspects of the case, Brian was never seen once again on camera leaving through any entrance or exit.
Davis discussed the case with an investigator, who had actually repeatedly studied the video. That detective told her the video haunts him, as he is 100% sure every person who went in the bar can be seen on video leaving, except for Brian.
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The only escape without being seen on tape would have been through a service exit that led to a construction site with doors to the street. A
Columbus cops sergeant informed NBC News in 2006 that the area was "greatly" under building and construction and would have been hard to exit, even sober. At least among the electronic cameras was not stationary and turned, Davis stated, so there are small windows of time where it's possible Brian left without being recorded.
The next day, Brian did not answer numerous calls from Waggoner and Randy. The real issue started to set in when Monday happened-- Brian and Waggoner were expected to go to Florida for spring break, but she never ever spoke with Brian.
Brian's disappearance got nationwide limelights back in the 2000s and remains greatly discussed online today. Davis said she has actually "heard everything" concerning the case. Theories include Brian being eliminated in the bar and gotten with band equipment, thrown down a trash chute, or that Brian placed on a camouflage and left on his own.
Randy even made trips out of state in action to "sightings" of Brian. Davis stated a popular report was that Brian was a homeless guy in Mexico, which was eliminated. Police and his family have actually received many pointers, none of which resulting in an answer.
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In September 2008, Randy died never ever understanding what happened to his child. During a storm, high winds came through the state and a tree fell, fatally striking him.
" There has been tons of speculation of what occurred to Brian Shaffer that day, and unfortunately, 18 years later, I don't feel like we're any closer to knowing genuinely what had taken place to Brian," Davis said.
Brian's tattoo (Photo Courtesy/Ohio Attorney General's Office).
Authorities do not appear to be any closer than they were in 2006 to finding what occurred to Brian, either.
Columbus cops stated the case is "periodically" reviewed, however there are no new updates to offer at this time.
At the time of his disappearance, Brian was 6 feet 2, around 165 pounds, and had brown hair and hazel eyes. He had a Pearl Jam tattoo on his upper right arm, and a dot on the iris of his left eye. He was last seen wearing jeans, a blue or green striped shirt and tennis shoes.
Anybody with information regarding the disappearance of Brian Shaffer is advised to call the
Columbus Police Department at 614-645-4545 or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers anonymous suggestion line at 614-461-8477.
Reach out to aboldizar@wcmh.com if you're a family member of a private with an unsolved missing out on individuals or homicide case in Ohio.
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