OH OH - Brian Shaffer, 27, Columbus, 1 April 2006 - #3

[embufum]

Well, if you've ever been to a commercial construction site when they are going several stories down for footings, pilings, maybe a parking garage, etc., it is not hard to see how a body, if it landed in wrong spot in trench along a footing a wall, might be inadvertently buried when trench is filled in, especially in rainy, muddy conditions. Yeah, seems a bit unlikely, but all the alternatives seem wildly unlikely, IMO.

There's a reason there wasn't a single trace of Brian after 1am or whatever that morn - he was dead. No ATM use, no calls, no nothing. He was already dead. Some would drum up a murder scenario. To me, accidental fall or intentional leap followed by inadvertent burial in a construction trench - not one across town but right next door - is far simpler and more likely. Had there not been a construction site right next to the structure in which Brian was last seen, I would not have posited this theory. But there was apparently a construction site right next to where Brian was last seen. And if surveillance vids are to be believed, only way Brian got out of the building was via the construction site. And things get buried in construction sites - pillars, walls, footings. And once buried, they're not seen again for many a year. If ever...

I always tell people to do their own research but from the info the I have been able to gather mainly from watching interviews with detectives every exit had cameras on them either directly or indirectly from cameras from other buildings. So even the construction area door was covered. I personally have said before on here I think he jumped over the patio onto the roof of the restaurant under the bar and left from there, but I'm not putting any money on that theory either.

 

[Satch]

Well, if you've ever been to a commercial construction site when they are going several stories down for footings, pilings, maybe a parking garage, etc., it is not hard to see how a body, if it landed in wrong spot in trench along a footing a wall, might be inadvertently buried when trench is filled in, especially in rainy, muddy conditions. Yeah, seems a bit unlikely, but all the alternatives seem wildly unlikely, IMO.

There's a reason there wasn't a single trace of Brian after 1am or whatever that morn - he was dead. No ATM use, no calls, no nothing. He was already dead. Some would drum up a murder scenario. To me, accidental fall or intentional leap followed by inadvertent burial in a construction trench - not one across town but right next door - is far simpler and more likely. Had there not been a construction site right next to the structure in which Brian was last seen, I would not have posited this theory. But there was apparently a construction site right next to where Brian was last seen. And if surveillance vids are to be believed, only way Brian got out of the building was via the construction site. And things get buried in construction sites - pillars, walls, footings. And once buried, they're not seen again for many a year. If ever...

Interesting!

In your view how did Brian get out to the Construction site from the bar and die in the site? Note the time, If that happened, it would have been at or after 2am, not 1am.

Satch

PS. Found your answer above. Thank you! Re-posted here:

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5) I think it is likely Brian either tried to exit through the construction site and fell and was trapped and died, or more likely leapt from the roof into the construction area. If the builder was putting footings/foundations in at that time, ten, twenty, thirty feet down, fill dirt may have been graded in over body without anyone noticing. This would explain why cadaver dogs found no scent next door at Saloona. Also, was there heavy rain within a day or two? That might have help cover body in eroding muck, preventing its discovery. Had searchers scoured fill areas at the construction site, rather than sewers, may have solved case.

*******************************************

 

[itsrak]

Interesting!

In your view how did Brian get out to the Construction site from the bar and die in the site? Note the time, If that happened, it would have been at or after 2am, not 1am.

Satch

PS. Found your answer above. Thank you! Re-posted here:

*******************************************

5) I think it is likely Brian either tried to exit through the construction site and fell and was trapped and died, or more likely leapt from the roof into the construction area. If the builder was putting footings/foundations in at that time, ten, twenty, thirty feet down, fill dirt may have been graded in over body without anyone noticing. This would explain why cadaver dogs found no scent next door at Saloona. Also, was there heavy rain within a day or two? That might have help cover body in eroding muck, preventing its discovery. Had searchers scoured fill areas at the construction site, rather than sewers, may have solved case.

*******************************************

Yeah, 2am. Is there any info available about the nature and exact location of the construction that was taking place when Brian disappeared?

* I gather from LE interview, that the construction site was judged to have likely been difficult to negotiate even in a sober state. That sounds less like interior renovation type construction, and more like a new structure going up.
* If new construction, how far along was it? Foundation/footing work below ground, or were they much further along, say doing fit-out?
* Was the construction immediately adjacent the structure housing the Saloona, as opposed to separated by an alley, etc?
* Did LE search the construction site within a few weeks of the disappearance? Use dogs?

Construction sites are of course dangerous. And then to someone unfamiliar, drunk, after dark... Example: Years back, a guy owned a house a few blocks from mine. Lived alone. He was renovating it. Was in midst of replacing the old 2nd-story walkout deck. Had removed old deck, new deck not yet in place. So, the sliding glass door for the time being opened to - yup, nothing but a 12 foot drop! So this man had a date over, was drunk. He apparently stepped out during the night to urinate, forgettng that the deck was gone... His date, wondering where he was, found the sliding glass door open, found him dead.

 

[Brainy]

It's been 12 years...


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[XPh]

Yeah, 2am. Is there any info available about the nature and exact location of the construction that was taking place when Brian disappeared?

* I gather from LE interview, that the construction site was judged to have likely been difficult to negotiate even in a sober state. That sounds less like interior renovation type construction, and more like a new structure going up.
* If new construction, how far along was it? Foundation/footing work below ground, or were they much further along, say doing fit-out?
* Was the construction immediately adjacent the structure housing the Saloona, as opposed to separated by an alley, etc?
* Did LE search the construction site within a few weeks of the disappearance? Use dogs?

Construction sites are of course dangerous. And then to someone unfamiliar, drunk, after dark... Example: Years back, a guy owned a house a few blocks from mine. Lived alone. He was renovating it. Was in midst of replacing the old 2nd-story walkout deck. Had removed old deck, new deck not yet in place. So, the sliding glass door for the time being opened to - yup, nothing but a 12 foot drop! So this man had a date over, was drunk. He apparently stepped out during the night to urinate, forgettng that the deck was gone... His date, wondering where he was, found the sliding glass door open, found him dead.

itsrak, Thanks for so nicely summing up many thoughts I've had over the years of following this case. I agree that the most likely scenario is that Brian had a very unfortunate accident that night and that his remains are somewhere within/beneath the building (previously the construction site). IMO, any other scenario seems too far fetched.

If anyone does have the answers to these questions about the exact nature of the site at the time, it would be helpful in coming up with exactly what may have occurred--but at the same time, I don't think it would change my opinion, and even with a precise theory, I'm not sure that the remains are in a place where they can be unearthed at this time.

The building today in 2018 looks like one large continuous structure that houses several business. I don't know anything about construction, but it looks to me like the entire structure was built around the same time. This leads me to suspect that the construction was more of a renovation type of project rather than a completely new addition from the ground up. I could be wrong, though. Please correct me if I am, because I'd love to know more about the details of the construction site at the time.

I also think it's possible that the construction site is a red herring, and that the accident occurred somewhere else that has simply been missed. Wedged in some very unlikely spot on the roof, trapped in duct work....there is precedence for these events in other disappearances (see Jamie Minor). I realize it seems like these places would have been checked, but I think it's possible that there's some unknown detail that is just making the remains much harder to be detected.

Of course, I hope I am wrong and that Brian is still alive, but unfortunately I think that's highly unlikely.

 

[Ozoner]

Well, if you've ever been to a commercial construction site when they are going several stories down for footings, pilings, maybe a parking garage, etc., it is not hard to see how a body, if it landed in wrong spot in trench along a footing a wall, might be inadvertently buried when trench is filled in, especially in rainy, muddy conditions. Yeah, seems a bit unlikely, but all the alternatives seem wildly unlikely, IMO.

There's a reason there wasn't a single trace of Brian after 1am or whatever that morn - he was dead. No ATM use, no calls, no nothing. He was already dead. Some would drum up a murder scenario. To me, accidental fall or intentional leap followed by inadvertent burial in a construction trench - not one across town but right next door - is far simpler and more likely. Had there not been a construction site right next to the structure in which Brian was last seen, I would not have posited this theory. But there was apparently a construction site right next to where Brian was last seen. And if surveillance vids are to be believed, only way Brian got out of the building was via the construction site. And things get buried in construction sites - pillars, walls, footings. And once buried, they're not seen again for many a year. If ever...

I don't know whether it happened in this case, but it would not be unlikely for someone to inadvertently be buried in a trench. I remember exploring construction sites as a kid on occassion. (I didn't have the kind of constant, helicopter-parent supervision that kids today have to deal with; childhood must be pure hell now.) I remember that it was usually impossible to see to the bottom of any trench because the trenches were always partially filled with water. Trenches and holes for footings always had to be dug well below the water line. It would have been relatively easy for a construction worker to fill a trench with gravel or cement without noticing a submerged body.

In order to evaluate this theory, we would need much more information about what construction work was performed in the days following Brian's disappearance.

 

[XPh]

I don't know whether it happened in this case, but it would not be unlikely for someone to inadvertently be buried in a trench. I remember exploring construction sites as a kid on occassion. (I didn't have the kind of constant, helicopter-parent supervision that kids today have to deal with; childhood must be pure hell now.) I remember that it was usually impossible to see to the bottom of any trench because the trenches were always partially filled with water. Trenches and holes for footings always had to be dug well below the water line. It would have been relatively easy for a construction worker to fill a trench with gravel or cement without noticing a submerged body.

In order to evaluate this theory, we would need much more information about what construction work was performed in the days following Brian's disappearance.

I know next to nothing about construction, so please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems to me like trenches are something that would be present very early on in the construction process. The building that houses Ugly Tuna is one large building which is partitioned off into several business tenants. I don't know exactly when it opened, but it was not too long before Brian's disappearance in 2006.

It sounds like Ugly Tuna was ready to go while other areas of the building were still being finished. I have a hard time imagining that there were trenches still present in the adjacent space while a portion of the building was open for business. It seems more likely that the rest of the building was just being "finished."

But again, this is just speculation and is based on no actual knowledge of how construction works or what the state of the site was in 2006.

 

[Satch]

itsrak, Thanks for so nicely summing up many thoughts I've had over the years of following this case. I agree that the most likely scenario is that Brian had a very unfortunate accident that night and that his remains are somewhere within/beneath the building (previously the construction site). IMO, any other scenario seems too far fetched.

If anyone does have the answers to these questions about the exact nature of the site at the time, it would be helpful in coming up with exactly what may have occurred--but at the same time, I don't think it would change my opinion, and even with a precise theory, I'm not sure that the remains are in a place where they can be unearthed at this time.

The building today in 2018 looks like one large continuous structure that houses several business. I don't know anything about construction, but it looks to me like the entire structure was built around the same time. This leads me to suspect that the construction was more of a renovation type of project rather than a completely new addition from the ground up. I could be wrong, though. Please correct me if I am, because I'd love to know more about the details of the construction site at the time.

I also think it's possible that the construction site is a red herring, and that the accident occurred somewhere else that has simply been missed. Wedged in some very unlikely spot on the roof, trapped in duct work....there is precedence for these events in other disappearances (see Jamie Minor). I realize it seems like these places would have been checked, but I think it's possible that there's some unknown detail that is just making the remains much harder to be detected.

Of course, I hope I am wrong and that Brian is still alive, but unfortunately I think that's highly unlikely.

If Brian jumped from the roof onto the construction site, how many feet would he have jumped? Would that landing impact from the jump be enough to kill him? If not, would he have been heard if he cried out for help if trapped? I don't think It would not be that rubble would have landed on top of him immediately upon impact. Unless he was so badly injured upon jumping or falling that he couldn't yell. Like he didn't jump, but actually fell off the roof into the construction site so badly injured, or he was dead upon impact.

Satch

 

[XPh]

If Brian jumped from the roof onto the construction site, how many feet would he have jumped? Would that landing impact from the jump be enough to kill him? If not, would he have been heard if he cried out for help if trapped? I don't think It would not be that rubble would have landed on top of him immediately upon impact. Unless he was so badly injured upon jumping or falling that he couldn't yell. Like he didn't jump, but actually fell off the roof into the construction site so badly injured, or he was dead upon impact.

Satch

My understanding, if correct (but it may not be), is that the construction site was directly attached. It's all one building, but a portion of the building was under construction. So I don't know that there would be any "jump" involved.

I do wonder if he could have accessed the roof from Ugly Tuna, walked across the roof to the other end of the building, then climbed (or fell) down toward the construction site? That would explain one way he may have gotten into the construction area despite the locked doors and police officers who were positioned in front of it. Then he fell into an area where he went undetected.

Just speculation, obviously, but it seems plausible to me. I'd be very interested to know where the roof access was/is located in the building.

 

[itsrak]

XPh, Ozoner - I've been doing a bit of, er, websleuthing from here in Virginia.

Here's an image showing Gateway theatre at center, Saloona at right. http://gatewayfilmcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/gfc.jpg

Near as I can tell, they are in separate but immediately adjoining buildings. When was building housing Saloona built? I can't find that out. What year did Saloona open? As to any construction adjacent to the Saloona, it appears the building housing Gateway theatre was going on or perhaps just completed around the time of Brian's disappearance:

Seven screens, opened in November 2005. Owned by Campus Partners development group. Previously managed by Drexel Theatres Group. As of March 1, 2008, managed by Landmark Theatres. In late-2009, it was taken over by an independent operator and renamed Gateway Film Center.

So, it had opened a few months before Brian disappeared, or maybe Nov 2005 was when it formed, not when it opened for business. But Yelp show no reviews till 2007 for Gateway, so maybe it hadn't yet opened when Brian disappeared and was still under construction. One of first reviews notes a hideous stench emanating from area of the on-site kitchen serving beer and snacks to theatre-goers. Of course, if you smell a stench, you're going to assume it must have to do with the kitchen...........................................

I'm thinking that when LE referenced dangerous construction zone next to Saloona, they were referring to the structure housing the Gateway. I'd guess Brian's remains are on the site of the Gateway structure. Probably under it.

It is unbelievable what befell the Shaffer family in just a two year period.

 

[XPh]

itsrak--yes, the Ugly Tuna Saloona and Gateway theatre most certainly are in adjoining buildings. Today, when you arrive at the top of the escalators, you make a right to enter the Ugly Tuna, or a left to enter the theatre. I was always unsure of whether the construction site was the theatre itself, or if that was already finished/operational. From what you found, if the theatre was opened November 2005, then it would have been operational at the time of Brian's disappearance (which is good to know).

Here is a link to another forum that has several pictures of what the building looks like (I've found it quite helpful for visualization): http://earonsgsk.proboards.com/thread/4166/guy-walks-bar?page=5.

The accuracy of these locations can be confirmed by these two televisions broadcasts:

1. The E! News program which in one shot pans from the bar entrance to where the big yellow doors indicate the construction entrance (these would have been behind the camera, out of view). See timestamp 5:44: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fz50sB89uG8

2. The Dateline broadcast which shows the construction exit at timestamp 5:13: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqktBCMVlJ8. For those more knowledgeable than myself about construction, this might provide some idea about the type and extent of construction taking place.

Of note, I know that the reddish doors shown at 5:24-5:29 are where present day Jimmy John's is located, but I am having trouble placing 5:14-5:21.

 

[Satch]

My understanding, if correct (but it may not be), is that the construction site was directly attached. It's all one building, but a portion of the building was under construction. So I don't know that there would be any "jump" involved.

I do wonder if he could have accessed the roof from Ugly Tuna, walked across the roof to the other end of the building, then climbed (or fell) down toward the construction site? That would explain one way he may have gotten into the construction area despite the locked doors and police officers who were positioned in front of it. Then he fell into an area where he went undetected.

Just speculation, obviously, but it seems plausible to me. I'd be very interested to know where the roof access was/is located in the building.

Even if you go with death or injury leading to the construction site or in the construction site. why would Brian want to take that route and be like Spiderman jumping or climbing from building to building? Unless Brian was the type to take dangerous risks as a part of his personality. It seems more and more likely that the camera did not miss him and Brian wanted to get out through a different route, undetected. If Itsrak's theory of what happened is correct, and it is certainly possible, it could put Clint in the clear.

Satch

 

[dotr]

Re watching the link kindly provided by XPh and once again simply stumped as to what could have happened to Brian. Why him, why then?
LE in the video @ 5:40 states that since he was drinking heavily, he may have been vulnerable to foul play on the walk home. SO, does that mean they think it is possible that he did in fact leave the bar?
Was this some kind of joke- find a drunk guy, stuff him in a car and drive to another city/ town, wherever and leave him there?
speculation, imo

Dateline.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqktBCMVlJ8

 

[XPh]

Even if you go with death or injury leading to the construction site or in the construction site. why would Brian want to take that route and be like Spiderman jumping or climbing from building to building? Unless Brian was the type to take dangerous risks as a part of his personality. It seems more and more likely that the camera did not miss him and Brian wanted to get out through a different route, undetected. If Itsrak's theory of what happened is correct, and it is certainly possible, it could put Clint in the clear.

Satch

Again, I don't think there would be any "Spiderman-like" jumping between buildings involved, because the buildings are all connected, so he would just need to walk across the roof until he is above the construction area, then descend into it (or maybe fall?).

If there is roof access from somewhere within Ugly Tuna that he wandered into due to being drunk, it's possible that the door may have locked behind him upon entering the roof. Perhaps his phone battery had died (Clint said his call went straight to voicemail) and he tried to get down on his own through the construction site or an air duct, and that's where he became trapped somewhere.

To me this makes much more sense than him voluntarily evading cameras, because what purpose would that serve? If he wanted to run off and start a new life, he could have just left after getting back to his apartment where he lived alone--no one would have seen him leave from there either. When you pair that with the fact that he has gone undetected for 12 years, this makes a voluntary leave extremely unlikely. Getting out of Ugly Tuna undetected (with no reason to do so) is very unlikely, and remaining undetected to the outside world for 12 years is very unlikely. When you pair these together, it's exponentially more unlikely that both of these scenarios happen together.

Gaining access to the construction site or some other area within the building that has managed to go unnoticed is also admittedly unlikely--but it's only unlikely once (not twice). We know that something unusual had to happen that night, so I'd go with the theory that only requires one very strange occurrence rather than two.

 

[itsrak]

Re watching the link kindly provided by XPh and once again simply stumped as to what could have happened to Brian. Why him, why then?
LE in the video @ 5:40 states that since he was drinking heavily, he may have been vulnerable to foul play on the walk home. SO, does that mean they think it is possible that he did in fact leave the bar?
Was this some kind of joke- find a drunk guy, stuff him in a car and drive to another city/ town, wherever and leave him there?
speculation, imo

Dateline.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqktBCMVlJ8

Why Brian? Why then?

I can offer up a few guesses.

1) It was just weeks since Brian had lost his mom. He'd been very busy since as a med student prepping for exams, and that probably helped keep his mind off his loss. With exams done, that distraction was now gone, and it may have suddenly hit home that he'd never see his mom again. Maybe that drove him off the deep end.

2) The 'pop-the-question' trip to FL was looming. Brian had already expressed doubt that he was right for his GF. That may have been depression showing. Or, that may have been the old 'its not you, its me' routine to get out if he didn't think she was the one for him.

 

[itsrak]

Even if you go with death or injury leading to the construction site or in the construction site. why would Brian want to take that route and be like Spiderman jumping or climbing from building to building? Unless Brian was the type to take dangerous risks as a part of his personality. It seems more and more likely that the camera did not miss him and Brian wanted to get out through a different route, undetected. If Itsrak's theory of what happened is correct, and it is certainly possible, it could put Clint in the clear.

Satch

Can anyone point me to the details of theory in which Clint is the perp? Would like to see what factors might point to Clint, because I can't find a single one. I don't considering hiring a lawyer to rep you necessarily being a factor that points at Clint. In this day and age, it is just a good idea. Lotta bad cops and prosecutors have over the decades put the wrong guy in prison, maliciously or not. Near as I can tell, Clint didn't walk away from Brian that night, Brian walked away from his old pal Clint.... "Clint, your friend has gone missing, and he'd been out drinking with YOU when last seen. Have a seat here in the interrogation room. You might want to comb your hair, cuz this will be taped and you may be appearing in thousands of Forensic Files re-runs in the coming decades. You don't need a lawyer, do you? No? OK, great, let's get started..."

 

[Satch]

Can anyone point me to the details of theory in which Clint is the perp? Would like to see what factors might point to Clint, because I can't find a single one. I don't considering hiring a lawyer to rep you necessarily being a factor that points at Clint. In this day and age, it is just a good idea. Lotta bad cops and prosecutors have over the decades put the wrong guy in prison, maliciously or not. Near as I can tell, Clint didn't walk away from Brian that night, Brian walked away from his old pal Clint.... "Clint, your friend has gone missing, and he'd been out drinking with YOU when last seen..."

I consider Clint's actions and personalty to be extremely suspicious, maybe not so much lawyering up, but never participating in the search and always talking about Brian in a very cold arrogant way. He never helped Brian's family at all, to my knowledge, never attended a vigil for Brian, never showed an empathy or emotion for his supposed "best" friend. Many people believe that Clint is responsible for what happened that night, or at the very least, knows what happened that night. Clint's actions are not the way you treat a "best friend." There's no evidence that Clint's a perpetrator, at least, not yet.

Satch

 

[embufum]

There is just so much mis information about this case. I'm not talking about people on this thread I mean people who actually write articles about it. All they seem to do is rewrite the wrong info that is written elsewhere. What ever happened to investigative journalism?

The Ugly Tuna Saloona closed at 2:30 not 2 and last call was 2:10. I verified this with a call to the bar. I also called a friend of mine who lives in Columbus and he told me that it's always been like that. Also in one of the threads on a Pearl Jam site someone else posted the same hours within a month after Brian went missing.

People constantly talk about a freight elevator. How do they know this? I was there and there is an elevator directly to the left of the escalator. If there is one it isn't near the bar area. Never once has anyone ever mentioned where this freight elevator is or if it even exists.

Brian supposedly left with the band out the service or employee entrance. Again where is this entrance and if it exists why do employees have to use this way to get into the bar? I've worked at malls before and I have never been told to come into a secret entrance to get to work.

Also this building is not your normal lay out. Once you enter those doors there is nothing on the bottom but the escalator and the elevator. Everything is upstairs. At the top of the stairs there is what appears to be an emergency exit and to the left a theater which may have it's own exit but I am not sure about this. I did not see any other way to get into this bar other than the main entrance. The band most certainly would come up the escalator.

No one in the articles have ever given a description of this place? The bar is EXTREMELY SMALL! The bar takes up a lot of space. It's one big room with a small kitchen area to the left. It has two small bathrooms. The only place that I could see to hide would be under the tiny stage area in the back right of the bar. It's about 3 ft high with a curtain over the front. The only other way out is off the balcony and onto the roof of a restaurant which would be very easy to get out that way.

Some people think that Brian was killed in the bar? HOW??? Remember that when Clint and Meredeth left it was before last call or around there. They mentioned that they searched for him in the bar and in the mens room then they called him. Lets say this took about 10 minutes. Brian disappeared with in minutes of walking back into that bar. There is not a chance in hell that Brian was beat up and killed in front of dozens of people with two policeman standing outside. IMO if Brian did not answer his phone within minutes of his two friends seeing him it's because he chose not to.

The only place IMO that Brian could have hidden was under that stage. He even said to Clint that he was walking back to that area. As far as to why he may have I could only guess.

 

[Ozoner]

XPh, Ozoner - I've been doing a bit of, er, websleuthing from here in Virginia.

Here's an image showing Gateway theatre at center, Saloona at right. http://gatewayfilmcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/gfc.jpg

Near as I can tell, they are in separate but immediately adjoining buildings. When was building housing Saloona built? I can't find that out. What year did Saloona open? As to any construction adjacent to the Saloona, it appears the building housing Gateway theatre was going on or perhaps just completed around the time of Brian's disappearance:



So, it had opened a few months before Brian disappeared, or maybe Nov 2005 was when it formed, not when it opened for business. But Yelp show no reviews till 2007 for Gateway, so maybe it hadn't yet opened when Brian disappeared and was still under construction. One of first reviews notes a hideous stench emanating from area of the on-site kitchen serving beer and snacks to theatre-goers. Of course, if you smell a stench, you're going to assume it must have to do with the kitchen...........................................

I'm thinking that when LE referenced dangerous construction zone next to Saloona, they were referring to the structure housing the Gateway. I'd guess Brian's remains are on the site of the Gateway structure. Probably under it.

It is unbelievable what befell the Shaffer family in just a two year period.

Great find on the review mentioning a hideous stench!

If they were, say, installing ventilation at the time Brian disappeared, there could have been gaps along the top of any walls that abutted whatever roof Brian might have jumped or fallen onto.

How many cases have we read about where a skeleton was found in a chimney many years after a disappearance because somebody was trying to break into a locked building? Any kind of vertical shaft could have been missed during the search for Brian if the searchers remained at ground level.

There's a real chance that Brian got wedged in some kind of crevice--possibly even a gap between sections of the building--and died of positional asphyxia. If that's the case, then his body may be above ground in the Gateway portion of the building, possibly near the kitchen.

 

[dotr]

Great find on the review mentioning a hideous stench!

If they were, say, installing ventilation at the time Brian disappeared, there could have been gaps along the top of any walls that abutted whatever roof Brian might have jumped or fallen onto.

How many cases have we read about where a skeleton was found in a chimney many years after a disappearance because somebody was trying to break into a locked building? Any kind of vertical shaft could have been missed during the search for Brian if the searchers remained at ground level.

There's a real chance that Brian got wedged in some kind of crevice--possibly even a gap between sections of the building--and died of positional asphyxia. If that's the case, then his body may be above ground in the Gateway portion of the building, possibly near the kitchen.

This seems like a very plausible possibility, have come across a number of cases where people have become lodged in crevices of one sort or another, imo.