Where is Brian Shaffer?
This is probably one of the missing persons cases that I want solved more than anything. Of course, I want EVERY missing persons case solved, but there are so many questions about what happened to Brian. I’ve heard this case covered on many of other podcasts, and this case should continue to be covered in hopes of it being solved one day.
Background
Brian Shaffer was born on February 25, 1979. He graduated high school in 1997 and went on to do many great things before his disappearance. He attended Ohio State University and graduated with a degree in microbiology.
While he was attending medical school, his mom passed away from a type of cancer called myelodysplasia. Her death affected him because they were very close, but he had school and hobbies to take his mind off of it.
Brian
Brian with his mom, Renee
Disappearance
On March 31, 2006, Brian started his evening off by going out to dinner with his dad, Randy. Randy told Brian not to go out that night because he seemed exhausted, but Brian had plans to go out with his friend, Clint.
At 9pm, Brian and his friend Clint Florence went to a bar called the Ugly Tuna Saloona (which has since closed). They planned to go bar hopping in downtown Ohio that night in an area called the Arena District.
Brian and Clint ran into one of Clint’s friends named Meredith Reed. Meredith gave them a ride back to the Ugly Tuna Saloona, and drank with them there. From their reports, Brian wandered off and they couldn’t get a hold of him that night.
The Ugly Tuna closed at 2am, and they still couldn’t get a hold of Brian. They said they waited outside for him for awhile and left to go home and they assumed Brian went home as well.
Brian was supposed to go to Miami with his girlfriend, Alexis, the following Monday. He missed his flight, and no one could get in contact with him. Brian was reported missing that day. He was 27 years old.
The Investigation into Brian’s Disappearance
The police went to the area of downtown Ohio, especially the Ugly Tuna to try to get surveillance footage. The camera showed Brian with Clint and Meredith on an escalator at 1:15am, and then Brian is seen again talking to two women at 1:55am, this time it was outside. He then says tries to re-enter the bar, this was the last footage of Brian.
The police searched the Ugly Tuna and surrounding areas with police dogs, looking in dumpsters and handing out flyers asking if anyone saw Brian. There was very specific information about Brian on his missing persons flyer. Brian had a Pearl Jam tattoo on his upper arm on the right side and had a fleck in one of his eyes.
They also searched his apartment, and his car was still parked at the apartment and nothing had been touched in his apartment and there were no signs of a struggle.
Suspects
They asked multiple people to take lie detector tests, including Brian’s dad, Randy, and he passed.
The next suspect was Clint Florence, but he refused to take a lie detector test. The two women that Brian was talking to before he disappeared were also found, but they said they weren’t asked to take lie detector tests, so I’m guessing that they weren’t suspects, but I don’t know.
Brian’s girlfriend, Alexis, told the police that she used to call Brian’s phone every night even after his disappearance. She said it always went to voicemail, except for one night it rang and no one answered. Alexis wrote about it on social media and said “I kept calling to hear it purely because it was one of the best sounds I ever heard, even if no one picked up.”
The police did contact Brian’s cell phone provider, and they tracked the phone ping to a town called Hilliard, Ohio. Nothing ever came of this discovery though.
Theories
There have been many theories throughout the years, such as Brian leaving on his own because he couldn’t deal with his mom’s death. The other theory is that Brian was killed by the Smiley Face Killer, a killer who targeted many college aged men and dumped them in bodies of water.
Many people believe Brian is still alive. Including an attorney for Clint Florence named Neil Rosenberg, Neil said in 2009 to a Ohio State University newspaper, called The Lantern:
““If Brian is alive, which is what I’m led to believe after speaking with the detective involved, then it is Brian, and not Clint [Florence] who is causing his family pain and hardship, “Brian should come forward and end this.””
Brian’s family and girlfriend doesn’t think he’s alive and actually think that Clint knows more than he’s saying. They have said that Brian would never run off and not tell anyone.
Other
In September 2008, Brian’s dad, Randy died after a branch flew off a tree and hit him. He was found the next morning by his neighbors, and the police were called.
He never got any answers as to what happened to Brian.
Brian’s girlfriend at the time, Alexis
FINAL THOUGHTS
I’m truly heartbroken for the surviving members of Brian’s family, they have suffered three loses and one that’s unsolved. I agree with Brian’s family and I think Clint knows what happened or where Brian went. People don’t just disappear, even though it’s said it many tv shows and movies that someone just disappeared in thin air.
It makes me sick thinking that people are still saying Brian is alive, and constantly posting about it without having proof. People should not say this unless they have 100% proof. This is unfair to this family who has lost so much already.
If Clint was innocent, wouldn’t or shouldn’t he have come forward with ANY little details or take that lie detector test? Unless Brian was killed or wandered off with random strangers, I think Clint is the only one who truly should still be looked into. The police have said that they still receive tips about Brian, and are still looking into his case and I really hope that one day it will be solved.
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Brian_Shaffer
https://the-line-up.com/disappearance-of-brian-shaffer
