OH OH - Brian Shaffer, 27, Columbus, 1 Apr 2006 #5

[dotr]

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• NOV 18, 2020

[URL='https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/disappearance-brian-shaffer-true-crime-garage-part/id1455668750?i=1000499188117'] The Disappearance of Brian Shaffer with True Crime Garage, Part 1 [/URL]
Jensen and Holes: The Murder Squad on Apple Podcasts
''Paul and Billy are joined by Nic and the Captain from the True Crime Garage podcast to look into a missing person case they've covered extensively. In the first part of this special two part Fall Distraction, the guys discuss the circumstances surrounding Brian Shaffer's disappearance on March 31, 2006, in Columbus, Ohio.''

 

[Looking4Brian]

Hypothetically, and I really think this is unlikely, if LE had enough undisclosed evidence to determine that Brian walked away voluntarily, why would they assign new detectives to his case? After so many years without an answer, I'm inclined to believe that LE doesn't know much more than the laymen/laywomen.

In my opinion they wouldn’t assign new detectives if they knew Brian was alive. My problem isn’t with him being declared deceased. That’s actually pretty normal in missing person cases. My problem is that even though Brian is presumed dead that CPD has his case classified in this way. If it is really believed he is deceased then why have his case closed/open or as a voluntary walk off. Just seems like the family and LE are on different ends of the spectrum.

 

[Looking4Brian]

Very interesting.

I have one basic question; if someone voluntarily walks away, is LE required to notify the public? If the answer is no, then it changes everything. That means he quite literally could have notified LE years ago and all of this work is pretty much for nothing. Just a man who walked away from life and chooses to not be bothered.

Obviously there are a million other possibilities though.

If Brian contacted CPD they would do whatever Brian wanted. However, they would close his case. Even though Brian’s case with CPD appears to be closed/open, he is still very much in NCIC. So in my opinion Brian has not contacted CPD or any LE.

 

[Ozoner]

I was just thinking—I have never read any kind of interview with anyone who was working at the construction site around the time that Brian disappeared. That's an interview I would love to read.

 

[GoBuckeyes]

The case wouldn't still be open.

That's not necessarily the case. Uniformity in how things are categorized is lacking: across states, jurisdictions, and sometimes even within departments. moo

 

[GoBuckeyes]

If Brian contacted CPD they would do whatever Brian wanted. However, they would close his case. Even though Brian’s case with CPD appears to be closed/open, he is still very much in NCIC. So in my opinion Brian has not contacted CPD or any LE.

We've discussed this in the missing airline exec's disappearance. Last I checked, his case was open too, but there's not any sense of urgency whatsoever. No pressers, public updates, etc.

 

[GoBuckeyes]

In my opinion they wouldn’t assign new detectives if they knew Brian was alive. My problem isn’t with him being declared deceased. That’s actually pretty normal in missing person cases. My problem is that even though Brian is presumed dead that CPD has his case classified in this way. If it is really believed he is deceased then why have his case closed/open or as a voluntary walk off. Just seems like the family and LE are on different ends of the spectrum.

Okay, now the assignment of new detectives, unless those previously assigned are retiring, is pretty compelling to me. I have to admit it. (As much as I want to picture Brian happy on a beach somewhere.) But then, as you said, why the closed/open category? Is there a timeline of the changes in case categorization, if any? Was it recently recategorized?

 

[GoBuckeyes]

To me the tuition not getting paid isn't very telling. The campus is huge! I think it's likely that Brian was expending a lot of energy on finals, and he just hadn't gotten around to it yet. But then, that would have to mean that, one way or the other, he's deceased or he walked off and left his surviving family to wonder. I don't want to believe any of those scenarios. New option with happy outcome, please. Sigh.

 

[GoBuckeyes]

As many of you are aware we have been working on the disappearance of Brian Shaffer for many years. It’s been awhile since we have dug deep into the case and I reached out to True Crime Junkies for a fresh set of eyes. What we found shocked us and left us with more questions, than answers.
Yesterday we announced the disposition of Brian’s case listed with Columbus Police Department. Attached is the front page of the FOIA request. As you can see his disposition is listed as Not a crime/other service. As I mentioned previously, I reached out to several officers that I have worked with in the past to explain the disposition. It was explained to me by several officers that Brian is listed as a voluntary walk off and one officer said it meant Brian’s case is closed/open. Meaning it will reopen with new information. Shortly after releasing this information yesterday I was sent a message with a little more information. On 2/11/2013 an application was filed by Brian’s family to have Brian legally presumed dead. On 4/8/2013 the case was closed with what we are assuming the presumption of death granted. Along with the FOIA document and the presumption of death we have also attached documents for a trust case involving Brian. While we aren’t quite sure yet what the trust dockets mean, we are still digging for answers behind Brian’s disappearance. Our next step is a FOIA request both cases mentioned above.

Can someone help me parse this information, please?

I see a motion to have Brian declared dead, Feb. 2013, which was granted. But then 1 year and 1 day later, someone applied for a trust in Brian's name or for Brian?? I don't speak legal. So confused.

 

[Kaie]

I was just thinking—I have never read any kind of interview with anyone who was working at the construction site around the time that Brian disappeared. That's an interview I would love to read.

I wonder if management put them under a bit of a "gag order" in a hurry. Not not even necessarily because they have anything to defend... but because you can't say the wrong thing if you don't talk.

 

[Ozoner]

Okay, now the assignment of new detectives, unless those previously assigned are retiring, is pretty compelling to me. I have to admit it. (As much as I want to picture Brian happy on a beach somewhere.) But then, as you said, why the closed/open category? Is there a timeline of the changes in case categorization, if any? Was it recently recategorized?

Even though Brian's case is a mystery, there is no evidence of a crime, so the status of the case doesn't necessarily mean much.
As for the check, my guess is that it is still in Brian's wallet, which is likely still with his body.

 

[Valiant]

Very interesting.

I have one basic question; if someone voluntarily walks away, is LE required to notify the public? If the answer is no, then it changes everything. That means he quite literally could have notified LE years ago and all of this work is pretty much for nothing. Just a man who walked away from life and chooses to not be bothered.

Obviously there are a million other possibilities though.

While they may not be required, I'm sure they would issue some type of statement that, while possibly not providing details, would save themselves time from having to deal with future inquiries.

 

[Ozoner]

They would have no obligation to respect Brian's wishes about remaining hidden. Does everyone remember the runaway bride story? I think LE billed her for the cost of their search efforts.

While they may not be required, I'm sure they would issue some type of statement that, while possibly not providing details, would save themselves time from having to deal with future inquiries.

 

[Looking4Brian]

@Looking4Brian Would it be possible to request a timestamp on when the case status was changed from "Active Missing Person" (or whatever it was initially) to "No crime/Other service"? That could shed some light on whether the case description is a clerical definition or an actual case development. If the case status change occurred on the same day or a date near when Brian was presumably declared dead, it might indicate that the status is nothing noteworthy.

If you look at the report with Brian’s status it has a time stamp that it was updated in October 2019. Unfortunately there is no way for me to know what was changed or updated. Not only is his status not a crime/other service, but in April 2019 CPD tweeted this. I will say that I brought this to the attention of John Hurst and Don Corbett. It seems no one knew Brian was declared deceased. John was still with CPD when Brian was declared deceased, so I would say that Brian’s status has nothing to do with the declaration of death.

 

[Looking4Brian]

They would have no obligation to respect Brian's wishes about remaining hidden. Does everyone remember the runaway bride story? I think LE billed her for the cost of their search efforts.

You are right. They have no obligation to respect Brian’s wishes. I really think it depends on the investigating agency and how they handle things. CPD has told me many times they would do whatever Brian wanted. Hurst even says this on an episode of Comeback. Recently I had an experience like this with the disappearance of Madison Bell back in May. Looked like a kidnapping, but ended up being a voluntary walk off. When LE found her they asked her what they should tell her family. She allowed them to tell her she is alive and well, but they were not to disclose her location. Even with a quick over the top investigation she was not required to pay anything back and no charges were filed.

 

[Looking4Brian]

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  • NOV 18, 2020

The Disappearance of Brian Shaffer with True Crime Garage, Part 1
Jensen and Holes: The Murder Squad on Apple Podcasts
''Paul and Billy are joined by Nic and the Captain from the True Crime Garage podcast to look into a missing person case they've covered extensively. In the first part of this special two part Fall Distraction, the guys discuss the circumstances surrounding Brian Shaffer's disappearance on March 31, 2006, in Columbus, Ohio.''

I find the information from the band members interesting. I have heard this story before from Captain, but there was a detail added that I have never heard. Captain says that someone watching the band was having an after party and invited the band. Could this have been why Brian was going to talk to the band? Brian was supposed to have an after party that night, but never called his friends for them to come over. I also didn’t realize there was 20-30 people that left with the band. I think Captain has a point with wanting to see the hallway footage.

 

[Looking4Brian]

Can someone help me parse this information, please?

I see a motion to have Brian declared dead, Feb. 2013, which was granted. But then 1 year and 1 day later, someone applied for a trust in Brian's name or for Brian?? I don't speak legal. So confused.

I was told that this is the acquisition or transfer of Brian’s remaining assets after the presumption of death. Based on the amount of money I would say this is the funds Brian received from his Mother’s life insurance policy, but I’m not 100% certain of that.

 

[Looking4Brian]

Okay, now the assignment of new detectives, unless those previously assigned are retiring, is pretty compelling to me. I have to admit it. (As much as I want to picture Brian happy on a beach somewhere.) But then, as you said, why the closed/open category? Is there a timeline of the changes in case categorization, if any? Was it recently recategorized?

Detective Tucker was moved to a different division in the department.

 

[lg2019]

I have wondered about this case for YEARS.. and I know a lot of other people have too. It’s just mind boggling. I have frequented ugly tuna a LOT during my college years .. I loved that place. I’m sad that the whole area is different now.

When it comes to Brian running away from his life, I just can’t seem to believe that. He would have to be pure genius to not be seen on ANY cameras and not have any evidence of him being alive still. I mean I’d probably go on my vacation I had planned first... regardless of his gf wanting a proposal. I know there were a lot of factors that could point to him wanting to leave his life, but he did still have a brother whom he was closer with in the months before his disappearance.

A lot of me thinks that something happened in the construction site.. and someone covered it up bc of lawsuits. I wouldn’t put it past osu / the bar owners. Speaking of the bar owner... I looked into where he lived and it just so happens he lived near where Brian’s phone pinged when Alexis called months later.

Does anyone know what kind of searches were done in the construction site? I know it has been remodeled since then as well. Also I read there was a kitchen exit for workers.. and I’ve read a construction exit, are they the same one?

 

[Falkner77]

Speaking of the bar owner... I looked into where he lived and it just so happens he lived near where Brian’s phone pinged when Alexis called months later.

Whoa. In Hilliard? Seriously? Bombshell @Looking4Brian