OH OH - Brian Shaffer, 27, Columbus, 1 April 2006 - #2

[Brainy]

The saddest and most puzzling element of this case is how Brian could be gone in such a short period of time, with no evidence of where he went. Pondering this, let's examine:

1.) If there was a struggle, robbery, mugging, inside or outside of the bar, there would be screaming, there would be chaos, somebody would have seen something.
2.) No evidence of Brian's cash or credit card being used. If he was robbed, the perpetrators would have taken those things.
3.)The cameras account for every single person coming out of the bar, but Brian. That is so perplexing!
4.) If Brian is dead, you would think that his body would have turned up after now eleven years!
5.) If Brian is alive, how did he get out of town so quickly without being seen?

Satch

Let’s address point #1. If he was lured into a restricted access area of the bar and that someone could have unexpectedly knocked him unconscious from behind. We tend to think motive for murder as something grand and thoughtful. Oftentimes, those motives are completely irrational and petty. If he was drunk, he could have said something to “offend” someone. That could have very well be the reason. Again, I don’t really know. This is just a speculation. I didn’t know Brian personally or anyone who in the bar that night.
I do contemplate the idea… what if he left on his own? Okay, yes, let’s give that a thought. It doesn’t sound impossible, but how are you going to walk away drunk, at 2 am? Where are you going to go? If he left the bar, he could have just wandered off and then something bad happened in some dark alley. Whatever happened, that someone must have been quite the expert to be able to get rid of the body of a grown man.

 

[MatthewTyler]

I do contemplate the idea… what if he left on his own? Okay, yes, let’s give that a thought. It doesn’t sound impossible, but how are you going to walk away drunk, at 2 am? Where are you going to go? If he left the bar, he could have just wandered off and then something bad happened in some dark alley. Whatever happened, that someone must have been quite the expert to be able to get rid of the body of a grown man.

I do not consider the idea of him leaving on his own totally out of the realm of possibility, as he did drop hints about that to Alexis in the weeks before his disappearance, and of course because of recent tragedies he had as well. Logistically though, the escape would be difficult to pull of without being seen by either a person or camera. Not to mention, as you said, the whole drunken 2 am thing is a strange condition to make your move. I lean towards the next thing you said about him getting out and meeting some kind of demise that way. I tend to think it was a personal thing and that someone wanted him gone for whatever reason. The only piece I can't put into an idea is why he left through the construction exit in the first place. Anyway, going back to the idea about him meeting trouble afterwards, whoever killed him really wouldn't need to be an expert to make him disappear. Ohio is a state with a lot of farmland. You can drive 5-10 miles in any direction out of Columbus and be in the countryside. I'm willing to bet that if Brian's remains aren't in fact inside the bar somewhere, then he's almost certainly buried out in the rural country somewhere. Being 6f ft 2 doesn't matter when there's acres upon acres of open land to bury him in

 

[dotr]

Brian apparently was on the verge of asking his pretty and clever gf to marry him, and was due to leave on vacation where a proposal was assumed to happen.
Maybe somebody really did not want AW to marry Brian, or vice versa.
speculation.

 

[Brainy]

I do not consider the idea of him leaving on his own totally out of the realm of possibility, as he did drop hints about that to Alexis in the weeks before his disappearance, and of course because of recent tragedies he had as well. Logistically though, the escape would be difficult to pull of without being seen by either a person or camera. Not to mention, as you said, the whole drunken 2 am thing is a strange condition to make your move. I lean towards the next thing you said about him getting out and meeting some kind of demise that way. I tend to think it was a personal thing and that someone wanted him gone for whatever reason. The only piece I can't put into an idea is why he left through the construction exit in the first place. Anyway, going back to the idea about him meeting trouble afterwards, whoever killed him really wouldn't need to be an expert to make him disappear. Ohio is a state with a lot of farmland. You can drive 5-10 miles in any direction out of Columbus and be in the countryside. I'm willing to bet that if Brian's remains aren't in fact inside the bar somewhere, then he's almost certainly buried out in the rural country somewhere. Being 6f ft 2 doesn't matter when there's acres upon acres of open land to bury him in

Yes, exactly. I agree that him disappearing on his own is not completely impossible or shouldn't be considered, but at the same time, given the circumstances of his disappearance make him even more improbable. It's not like he walked out of his apartment and no one saw him again.


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[Brainy]

Brian apparently was on the verge of asking his pretty and clever gf to marry him, and was due to leave on vacation where a proposal was assumed to happen.
Maybe somebody really did not want AW to marry Brian, or vice versa.
speculation.

I had never thought of this, and who would that be? Someone obsessed with Brian?


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[neesaki]

Brian apparently was on the verge of asking his pretty and clever gf to marry him, and was due to leave on vacation where a proposal was assumed to happen.
Maybe somebody really did not want AW to marry Brian, or vice versa.
speculation.

I've wondered about this as well. Remember Brian had told AW that this weekend was his chance to tell the guys about her? I always thought that was a little odd, as in what, she was some kind of secret before? He was practically engaged to her, how could they not have already known?

 

[Satch]

What about this theory. I think this is likely,

Brian leaves more drunk than anybody realizes through the regular Ugly Tuna exit, for whatever reason, is missed by the cameras. He's walking around disoriented and sick from the booze, gets to the middle of nowhere fast. (Off of the premise of how easily it is to get to secluded areas of Columbus Ohio very quickly). He's hit by a car on a quiet street. The driver panics, Brian is dead or close to it. The driver kills Brian in a panic if he's not already dead and has the opportunity to take Brian's body anywhere. Would that make sense? How many of you believe this possibility?

Satch

 

[Brainy]

I've wondered about this as well. Remember Brian had told AW that this weekend was his chance to tell the guys about her? I always thought that was a little odd, as in what, she was some kind of secret before? He was practically engaged to her, how could they not have already known?

where is this coming from? So Brian's friends didn't know about AW? How do we know this? If that was really the case, then something completely different going on when his gf and his family weren't around him. Could it be that Brian was interested in someone else?

 

[Brainy]

What about this theory. I think this is likely,

Brian leaves more drunk than anybody realizes through the regular Ugly Tuna exit, for whatever reason, is missed by the cameras. He's walking around disoriented and sick from the booze, gets to the middle of nowhere fast. (Off of the premise of how easily it is to get to secluded areas of Columbus Ohio very quickly). He's hit by a car on a quiet street. The driver panics, Brian is dead or close to it. The driver kills Brian in a panic if he's not already dead and has the opportunity to take Brian's body anywhere. Would that make sense? How many of you believe this possibility?

Satch

Satch - if you go back a few pages that's a theory that I discussed thoroughly. I think it is completely plausible.

 

[Brainy]

Here are my previous posts about Brian being involved in a potential MVA:

“My theory is that Brian was very intoxicated at some point, somehow got out of the bar in the middle of the night and was hit by a car. He was either dead or badly injured. Realizing what had just happened, the driver put Brian in the car and then later disposed of the body. This would explain why no physical evidence was found. People who are hit by a car may not have external injuries and may not have external blood loss.

The driver would have a motive. They panicked as they hit Brian. Whether he was alive or dead at that point didn’t matter. The driver panicked and then decided to get Brian into the car. At some point, realizing that Brian is dead, the driver gets rid of the body. No body = no crime = unresolved disappearance = very little chance of random person ever becoming a suspect.”

 

[Satch]

Here are my previous posts about Brian being involved in a potential MVA:

“My theory is that Brian was very intoxicated at some point, somehow got out of the bar in the middle of the night and was hit by a car. He was either dead or badly injured. Realizing what had just happened, the driver put Brian in the car and then later disposed of the body. This would explain why no physical evidence was found. People who are hit by a car may not have external injuries and may not have external blood loss.

The driver would have a motive. They panicked as they hit Brian. Whether he was alive or dead at that point didn’t matter. The driver panicked and then decided to get Brian into the car. At some point, realizing that Brian is dead, the driver gets rid of the body. No body = no crime = unresolved disappearance = very little chance of random person ever becoming a suspect.”

WOW!

I am really connecting with Brainy on this post. I will even go so far as to say that I am about 60% sure that this is what happened. It will be interesting to see where other Websluthes members would put that percentage. look at how easily it explains the "No body, no evidence, and unanswered questions" in this case.

Satch

 

[Brainy]

WOW!

I am really connecting with Brainy on this post. I will even go so far as to say that I am about 60% sure that this is what happened. It will be interesting to see where other Websluthes members would put that percentage. look at how easily it explains the "No body, no evidence, and unanswered questions" in this case.

Satch

I think so too. If it was completely random, it would explain why there have been no leads/progress in the investigation.


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[MatthewTyler]

WOW!

I am really connecting with Brainy on this post. I will even go so far as to say that I am about 60% sure that this is what happened. It will be interesting to see where other Websluthes members would put that percentage. look at how easily it explains the "No body, no evidence, and unanswered questions" in this case.

Satch

I don't know, I'm never really keen on the whole "panicked driver hides body" theory. I mean, if the road was truly so quiet to the point that nobody heard any kind of commotion, then why bother hiding the body at all? The driver could easily just drive off and leave the body. In fact, I think the natural panicked instinct of about 80% of people in that scenario WOULD be to just drive away. Why would the driver even implicate themself at all. They would not be criminally at fault if they just reported that a drunken Brian walked in front of their car and it was an accident, but they would be at fault for hiding a body, so that seems to be not only more work but also more chance of legal repercussion. I realize that a hit and run is far worse, but at least with that they are making sure they can't be fingered as any sort of suspect, so that would make more sense to me.

 

[neesaki]

I guess my memory needs refreshing, this is from a detailed article published by the Ohio Missing Dispatch
http://www.magcloud.com/webviewer/900141?__r=563315&s=w

The 2 women Brian was talking to at 1:55 a.m. outside the bar were "associates of Clint's". (they later stated that Brian didn't appear to be intoxicated. )
And, something else I guess I missed,

"Brian appears to be motioned back into the bar and leaves the camera view." (pg. 14)

. Question - who was it that "motioned" him back in to the bar?

And this:

About 2:09 a.m. CF and MR "are seen on camera outside of the bar calling Brian's cell phone.....
... his phone went straight to voicemail. One message left on Brian's phone was from Meredith and said "Where the hell are you?" They assumed he left without them and they left. (pg. 14)

That is one tight timeline for something to already have happened to Brian and the perp or someone, to already turn off or disable his cell phone. Not to mention there would have still been people in the bar. How could they have missed anything that could have happened?

Regarding the other exits:

The fire exit:

"This door opened up to the alley behind the complex. The door is alarmed and has a camera that would auto focus to the door if it was opened." (pg. 15)

The construction exit:

"... there was an elevator that led down into the construction site under the Ugly Tuna. This area was described as dark and hard to maneuver..." In addition, this exit had a chain around the door.... that you could squeeze through the gap... " (pg. 16)

The only other way to exit the building would be to jump over the second story balcony or the trash chute. Both of which seem improbable. (pg. 16)

Statements made by CF:

Clint gave a theory in an interview ... saying "I am afraid that Brian might have left the bar and ran his mouth a little bit. He has been known to do that". He also made claims that Brian would often wander off on his own. Both statements appear to be contested by Randy in later interviews. (pg. 16)

And I totally don't remember this: ​

"Reports indicate that Clint went to Brian's apartment on the day of his disappearance and spent 6 hours waiting for him to come home. It is unknown why he did this or what he did at the apartment."(pg. 16)

What was he doing there for 6 hours?

 

[laurabranigan]

I still strongly support the theory that Clint knows something. He has distanced himself completely from this. H has been resistant, lawyer-up very fast, refused to talk and I do believe he was ever involved in search efforts.

None of which is a particularly reliable indicator of his involvement. People deal very differently with loss.

 

[Brainy]

I don't know, I'm never really keen on the whole "panicked driver hides body" theory. I mean, if the road was truly so quiet to the point that nobody heard any kind of commotion, then why bother hiding the body at all? The driver could easily just drive off and leave the body. In fact, I think the natural panicked instinct of about 80% of people in that scenario WOULD be to just drive away. Why would the driver even implicate themself at all. They would not be criminally at fault if they just reported that a drunken Brian walked in front of their car and it was an accident, but they would be at fault for hiding a body, so that seems to be not only more work but also more chance of legal repercussion. I realize that a hit and run is far worse, but at least with that they are making sure they can't be fingered as any sort of suspect, so that would make more sense to me.

Perhaps when they initially hit Brian he was still conscious and and saw the driver so the driver offered to help. Brian got into their car and lost consciousness as they were heading somewhere (their home/hospital/another location). Not knowing how to absorb the consequences of having a dead body in their car, they decide to get rid of it....

I do actually think there is a point to hide a body if no one is there. If the person is missing and there is no body, then there are endless speculations. It may not necessary involve a criminal investigation/homicide. If there is in fact someone dead on the street, then it is going to be investigated differently than a grown man disappearing from a bar. If there is someone dead on the street, the street surveillance could potentially identify car & license plate # and then the driver. If this actually happened to Brian but no one besides the killer is aware of it, then it makes complete sense. Nobody would be checking the nearby cameras for any activity if it's just a missing persons case. They would be checking in the vicinity of the bar, and that is not to say that Brian wasn't a good distance away from the bar when he got hit.

Again, like all of you - I don't know and can't know what happened based on the all the information available. However, I think it's worth considering. If it's not completely plausible, I would say it is somewhat plausible.


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[Brainy]

None of which is a particularly reliable indicator of his involvement. People deal very differently with loss.

Yeah, that's true. But if that's his consistent behavior over a given period of time, I refuse to believe that he is "greiving". I would think that greiving people would put some effort and time into searching or at least trying to search for their friends and loved ones. His behavior certainly raises many questions about his involvement, character as a man and a friend.


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[Brainy]

I guess my memory needs refreshing, this is from a detailed article published by the Ohio Missing Dispatch
http://www.magcloud.com/webviewer/900141?__r=563315&s=w

The 2 women Brian was talking to at 1:55 a.m. outside the bar were "associates of Clint's". (they later stated that Brian didn't appear to be intoxicated. )
And, something else I guess I missed, . Question - who was it that "motioned" him back in to the bar?

And this:



That is one tight timeline for something to already have happened to Brian and the perp or someone, to already turn off or disable his cell phone. Not to mention there would have still been people in the bar. How could they have missed anything that could have happened?

Regarding the other exits:

The fire exit:


The construction exit:




Statements made by CF:


And I totally don't remember this: ​


What was he doing there for 6 hours?

Waiting for six hours - that is certainly weird. I don't think I would be able to sit and wait in silence while my friend was nowhere to be found. It sounds like he was not in a hurry.

It is curious that the two women said that Brian didn't appear to be intoxicated. Every time I have watched the surveillance video, his body language and posture seemed way too fluid and composed for him to be drunk. I have seen drunk people, you can spot them easily if you've been around some. This is also curious because Clint also stated that Brian was drunk. I wonder if this was just an attempt to misdirect on his part, to make LE believe that whatever happened it must have been influenced by booze.


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[Brainy]

I forgot to ask... How did Clint have keys to Brian's apartment?


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[neesaki]

I forgot to ask... How did Clint have keys to Brian's apartment?


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I haven't thought of that, good question.