As my name indicates I am an OSU graduate...I was a junior in high school when Brian disappeared. I ended up here after finally deciding to look up the details on "the guy who disappeared from Tuna." It's such a bizarre story, and it really hits home since I've been to that bar myself countless times. I've done quite a bit of reading on this subject since I decided to look it up. One idea I'd like to debunk having lived in the campus area:
-"Brian's body was put in a campus dumpster and was taken away in a trash truck." There's no way. I'd guess that on any given day, at least 5 homeless people have climbed through each and every dumpster looking for scrap metal. They would have found him.
As for the best friend, Clint, everyone wonders why he was so quick to "lawyer up" and why he won't take a polygraph. Having been exposed to criminal justice studies in college, this doesn't seem as damning to me as it does to some people on this forum. The police in general have been known to coerce confessions out of people to quickly close a case, and getting a lawyer can be a very good idea in this case. Also, polygraphs are NOT foolproof. Basically all they measure is anxiety. So if you're a suspect in a missing person's case, and you're being brought into a police interrogation room, chances are you're already pretty anxious. And if you happen to fail accidentally...everyone will think you're guilty. Maybe Clint is involved maybe he's not...but these two things don't have me convinced that he is.
My theory is that Brian left on his own volition. I think everything was just too stressful for him and he bolted. I know many people say that there's no way, but that's what I think.
But for you foul play theorists: Don't you find it strange that Brian's father, the ONE person who was CONSTANTLY keeping Brian's case in the news, and constantly nagging at the police to dig deeper...ended up dead from a falling tree branch? Something sounds fishy there. I'd be curious to know if anyone actually saw that branch fall on him. Seems to me that someone thought it was time to silence the little birdy who wouldn't stop chirping. And also...it's been mentioned on here that Brian's apartment was near the Olentangy River. But it hasn't been mentioned that the river is dammed right at King Avenue (where Brian's apartment was). Well...in the past week or so, they have been draining the reservoir for some reason...will his body turn up? Hopefully not...because he's still alive (I hope.)
Murder gang theorists: Have you been to the Ugly Tuna Saloona area on a busy night? It's crawling with security and cops. If someone was trying to abduct Brian all he'd have to do was yell "Guy's got a gun!" And there would have been a swarm of cops. You may think that Brian wouldn't have the heart to disappear and hurt his family and girlfriend...well I never knew Brian, but to me, all the signs point to that. I look forward to any rebuttal or agreements.
Welcome to websleuths, OSUgrad! Great first post. While I may not necessarily agree with the theory of him taking off on his own, I certainly can't rule it out. And it's always great to hear new opinions. Especially from someone in the area of his disappearance. This case has always been near and dear to my heart. He's a PJ fan! (As nerdy as that sounds). I don't know what would be more heartbreaking for those he left behind-him leaving on his own or meeting with foul play. While I lean towards the foul play, I still don't know what to make of the fact that there was no video of him leaving the bar. Can you tell us how you think he left on his own while also escaping video?