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

[embufum]

Trying to find Brian and what the circumstances are that led to his disappearance is my goal. John Hurst confirmed that the building was searched roof to basement not only by him but multiple people. After speaking to him for quite some time I can say I’m 100% convinced Brian made it out of that building. If anyone thought that Brian was still in that building, I don’t think any of us would have wasted our time just to talk about Brian being buried in the constitution area. I can say that the CPD did and still does take every tip seriously and does their best to investigate them.

 

[itsrak]

Trying to find Brian and what the circumstances are that led to his disappearance is my goal. John Hurst confirmed that the building was searched roof to basement not only by him but multiple people. After speaking to him for quite some time I can say I’m 100% convinced Brian made it out of that building. If anyone thought that Brian was still in that building, I don’t think any of us would have wasted our time just to talk about Brian being buried in the constitution area. I can say that the CPD did and still does take every tip seriously and does their best to investigate them.

Within a few hours of first learning of this case, I concluded for a lot of reasons that I and many others have elaborated on here that there was a pretty good chance Brian never made it out of the building. Then, when I heard the lead detective on the case ...

* state that the construction area was difficult to navigate even sober
* state that the construction area was in a 'completely dug up' state
* speculate that Brian may well have entered the construction area
* suggest that Brian most likely (i.e. may not have) made it out of the construction area

... well, that upped it to a very good chance that Brian never left the building, his remains still there. Not 100% chance certainly, but a very good chance. I think his remains will, sadly, likely one day be found there. No murder, no killer, no dumped body to be found. No suicide. No drug dealing. No body in a dumpster. No evil friend. No Smiley killer. No secret life, no eloping. No crime. No conspiracy. No cover-up. Just a simple, dumb, freak accident.

 

[Looking4Brian]

Trying to find Brian and what the circumstances are that led to his disappearance is my goal. John Hurst confirmed that the building was searched roof to basement not only by him but multiple people. After speaking to him for quite some time I can say I’m 100% convinced Brian made it out of that building. If anyone thought that Brian was still in that building, I don’t think any of us would have wasted our time just to talk about Brian being buried in the constitution area. I can say that the CPD did and still does take every tip seriously and does their best to investigate them.

Me and embufum sat down for 4 hours with John Hurst last week. I’m still trying to wrap my head around everything he told us, but here are some things I’m ok with releasing at this time....

I touched on this a little while doing Comeback, but I feel Brian’s relationships and state of mind is very important. I know from my interviews that Brian’s relationship with Randy wasn’t that good. What I didn’t realize is just how bad it was. I’m not going to give details, just know that what we thought we knew about their relationship is 100% false.
They do not have any additional footage of Brian but they believe he went out the plywood doors closest to the Wendy’s. They were chained, but a man much larger than Brian could’ve made it through there. The scent dogs tracked him behind the Wendy’s and down the street to an abandoned factory. They checked this area thoroughly and found nothing. It is assumed if the dogs were accurate that he could’ve gotten into a car at this location because the dogs just stopped. Regardless of the lack of evidence CPD is convinced Brian made it out of the UTS. John actually stated, “if he was in that building we would’ve found him without a doubt.”

While speaking to Brian’s cousin on Comeback he told us about “Alone” being written on Brian’s wall behind his bed. Both Derek and John Hurst confirmed this is not true. I’m not sure why the difference in stories, but I can say it isn’t true.

Surveillance from the UTS was taken for a couple days after and was gone through thoroughly.

Brian’s Mom passed away 3 weeks before he disappeared. 2 weeks before he went missing he asked Alexis to run away with him, 1 week before his disappearance he told Alexis she should move on and find someone else. The following week he disappeared. This all sounds too odd to me. I knew these statements from Brian were rumors before, but they are now confirmed.

The last thing I’m going to say is it has been reported to me and CPD by SEVERAL people that Brian May have been struggling with his sexuality.

I will release more soon, there is just a lot that I still need to figure out in my head. I am currently working on the new podcast and will be doing so under the Crawl Space Studios umbrella. Tim and Lance from the Missing Maura Murray podcast are going to help me tell this story the proper way.

With this little bit of new information I would love to hear everyone’s thoughts.

 

[Smiley IBI]

Me and embufum sat down for 4 hours with John Hurst last week. I’m still trying to wrap my head around everything he told us, but here are some things I’m ok with releasing at this time....

I touched on this a little while doing Comeback, but I feel Brian’s relationships and state of mind is very important. I know from my interviews that Brian’s relationship with Randy wasn’t that good. What I didn’t realize is just how bad it was. I’m not going to give details, just know that what we thought we knew about their relationship is 100% false.
They do not have any additional footage of Brian but they believe he went out the plywood doors closest to the Wendy’s. They were chained, but a man much larger than Brian could’ve made it through there. The scent dogs tracked him behind the Wendy’s and down the street to an abandoned factory. They checked this area thoroughly and found nothing. It is assumed if the dogs were accurate that he could’ve gotten into a car at this location because the dogs just stopped. Regardless of the lack of evidence CPD is convinced Brian made it out of the UTS. John actually stated, “if he was in that building we would’ve found him without a doubt.”

While speaking to Brian’s cousin on Comeback he told us about “Alone” being written on Brian’s wall behind his bed. Both Derek and John Hurst confirmed this is not true. I’m not sure why the difference in stories, but I can say it isn’t true.

Surveillance from the UTS was taken for a couple days after and was gone through thoroughly.

Brian’s Mom passed away 3 weeks before he disappeared. 2 weeks before he went missing he asked Alexis to run away with him, 1 week before his disappearance he told Alexis she should move on and find someone else. The following week he disappeared. This all sounds too odd to me. I knew these statements from Brian were rumors before, but they are now confirmed.

The last thing I’m going to say is it has been reported to me and CPD by SEVERAL people that Brian May have been struggling with his sexuality.

I will release more soon, there is just a lot that I still need to figure out in my head. I am currently working on the new podcast and will be doing so under the Crawl Space Studios umbrella. Tim and Lance from the Missing Maura Murray podcast are going to help me tell this story the proper way.

With this little bit of new information I would love to hear everyone’s thoughts.

 

[Smiley IBI]

I know your head is still spinning! I have said this before and I will say this again, I think Brian is ALIVE. Is he happy? I don't know! Where is he? Well, from the in-depth research I've done, I am 110% confident that Brian is living in the vicinity of Earth. That's a bad joke but I do believe Brian could be living and breathing anywhere. Keep up the good work, keep your head held high and don't give up. Let's look at Brian for a minute, every description of Brian's character given since day 1 has been pretty inaccurate, other than "picture" Brian's cousin painted for us on Comeback. He did a great job of telling us about "who" Brian really is. Can we really look back in retrospect and know "who" Brian was 13 years ago? I think we can formulate ideas and make educated guesses but I don't think we'll ever really know who he was 13 years ago very well because I don't think Brian truly knew who he was. I think one person knew and loved Brian like nobody else, I think there was only ONE stable relationship in Brian's life, ONE person he confided in and trusted wholeheartedly, that was his mother, Renee. I look forward to what the future brings in this case. Thank you for ALL that you and Embufum do, y'all are amazing!

 

[neesaki]

Me and embufum sat down for 4 hours with John Hurst last week. I’m still trying to wrap my head around everything he told us, but here are some things I’m ok with releasing at this time....

I touched on this a little while doing Comeback, but I feel Brian’s relationships and state of mind is very important. I know from my interviews that Brian’s relationship with Randy wasn’t that good. What I didn’t realize is just how bad it was. I’m not going to give details, just know that what we thought we knew about their relationship is 100% false.
They do not have any additional footage of Brian but they believe he went out the plywood doors closest to the Wendy’s. They were chained, but a man much larger than Brian could’ve made it through there. The scent dogs tracked him behind the Wendy’s and down the street to an abandoned factory. They checked this area thoroughly and found nothing. It is assumed if the dogs were accurate that he could’ve gotten into a car at this location because the dogs just stopped. Regardless of the lack of evidence CPD is convinced Brian made it out of the UTS. John actually stated, “if he was in that building we would’ve found him without a doubt.”

While speaking to Brian’s cousin on Comeback he told us about “Alone” being written on Brian’s wall behind his bed. Both Derek and John Hurst confirmed this is not true. I’m not sure why the difference in stories, but I can say it isn’t true.

Surveillance from the UTS was taken for a couple days after and was gone through thoroughly.

Brian’s Mom passed away 3 weeks before he disappeared. 2 weeks before he went missing he asked Alexis to run away with him, 1 week before his disappearance he told Alexis she should move on and find someone else. The following week he disappeared. This all sounds too odd to me. I knew these statements from Brian were rumors before, but they are now confirmed.

The last thing I’m going to say is it has been reported to me and CPD by SEVERAL people that Brian May have been struggling with his sexuality.

I will release more soon, there is just a lot that I still need to figure out in my head. I am currently working on the new podcast and will be doing so under the Crawl Space Studios umbrella. Tim and Lance from the Missing Maura Murray podcast are going to help me tell this story the proper way.

With this little bit of new information I would love to hear everyone’s thoughts.

Wow, thank you LFB, this is some amazing information! It's so good to finally get some confirmation on some of what has been considered rumor for so long. I now believe more than ever before that it's highly possible he met up with someone that night, perhaps to leave and start a new life somewhere else.

I very, very much hope and pray he didn't fall victim to foul play and is alive and well.

Thank you for all the great work, and for sharing it so generously with us here on the thread. And thank you also to embufum !

 

[itsrak]

The notion that Brian Shaffer is alive may make for good podcast content, but any rational analysis strongly suggests he was almost certainly deceased on 4/1/06 and has thus been dead for over 13 long years. I look forward to hearing in Hurst's own words his purported/supposed alteration/revision of his prior recorded recent (2018) stated views on this case, including that the difficult to navigate and inadequately secured active construction area just yards from where Brian was last seen alive had been in a 'completely dug up' state and that Brian may (most likely) and thus may not have (most likely means not definitely and is in any case only a matter of opinion) gotten exited out of the construction area.

 

[jtfolden]

Me and embufum sat down for 4 hours with John Hurst last week. I’m still trying to wrap my head around everything he told us, but here are some things I’m ok with releasing at this time....

Thanks for continuing to dig at this case!

They do not have any additional footage of Brian but they believe he went out the plywood doors closest to the Wendy’s. They were chained, but a man much larger than Brian could’ve made it through there. The scent dogs tracked him behind the Wendy’s and down the street to an abandoned factory. They checked this area thoroughly and found nothing. It is assumed if the dogs were accurate that he could’ve gotten into a car at this location because the dogs just stopped. Regardless of the lack of evidence CPD is convinced Brian made it out of the UTS. John actually stated, “if he was in that building we would’ve found him without a doubt.”

That's the first I've heard of tracking his scent beyond the Wendy's parking lot. Were there no other cameras along that route? I know it was said the Wendy's cameras were not pointed in the correct direction to catch him. What does Hurts think of this hit? He's sounded "iffy" in past statements.

Did you receive any clarification on the layout of that back area in the UTS building? Were the plywood doors on the exterior of the building? I always thought those were what separated the construction area from the back, first floor hall... if not, what type of door *did* separate the back hall from the construction area?

Anyway, glad to hear more from Hurst on how confident he is Brian made it out of the building. It truly seems like if he is ever to be found, we have to get away from that finite, incredibly well searched location.

The last thing I’m going to say is it has been reported to me and CPD by SEVERAL people that Brian May have been struggling with his sexuality.

I've hard this rumor for a while now but is there anything tangible to base it on?

Anyway, thanks for your continued efforts! I very much look forward to the new podcast!!

 

[Smiley IBI]

I have a feeling that some of us in this group may have known Brian personally and some may have known him very well. If any of you did, please share your thoughts and theories with the rest of us on this case and how knowing Brian personally has influenced your ideas. Thank you.

 

[Smiley IBI]

The notion that Brian Shaffer is alive may make for good podcast content, but any rational analysis strongly suggests he was almost certainly deceased on 4/1/06 and has thus been dead for over 13 long years. I look forward to hearing in Hurst's own words his purported/supposed alteration/revision of his prior recorded recent (2018) stated views on this case, including that the difficult to navigate and inadequately secured active construction area just yards from where Brian was last seen alive had been in a 'completely dug up' state and that Brian may (most likely) and thus may not have (most likely means not definitely and is in any case only a matter of opinion) gotten exited out of the construction area.

I don't think she is looking for "good podcast content", I truly feel L4B is looking for the truth about what happened to Brian, no matter what that truth may be. I want to say once again that I truly admire your way of thinking, it is very level-headed and rational.

 

[Looking4Brian]

The notion that Brian Shaffer is alive may make for good podcast content, but any rational analysis strongly suggests he was almost certainly deceased on 4/1/06 and has thus been dead for over 13 long years. I look forward to hearing in Hurst's own words his purported/supposed alteration/revision of his prior recorded recent (2018) stated views on this case, including that the difficult to navigate and inadequately secured active construction area just yards from where Brian was last seen alive had been in a 'completely dug up' state and that Brian may (most likely) and thus may not have (most likely means not definitely and is in any case only a matter of opinion) gotten exited out of the construction area.

You will most definitely hear Hurst’s words soon and see that my words are truthful. One thing that most fail to realize is that the CPD 100% believes Brian got out of that building. Hurst gave me a very detailed description of many things inside that building, and stands behind what I have been reporting. Maybe Brian did meet foul play on 4/01/06, but it wasn’t at UTS. I have made it clear numerous times that either Brian met foul play at the hands of someone he knows, or he walked away from his life. I am taking Hurst’s advice and letting the facts lead me. There’s is NO evidence of him being deceased, but lots that suggests he is alive. This has nothing to do with content for a successful podcast. If I wanted to do that, I would release everything I have whether it has been proven or not. You are entitled to your opinion and I appreciate you following Brian’s disappearance.

 

[itsrak]

You will most definitely hear Hurst’s words soon and see that my words are truthful. One thing that most fail to realize is that the CPD 100% believes Brian got out of that building. Hurst gave me a very detailed description of many things inside that building, and stands behind what I have been reporting. Maybe Brian did meet foul play on 4/01/06, but it wasn’t at UTS. I have made it clear numerous times that either Brian met foul play at the hands of someone he knows, or he walked away from his life. I am taking Hurst’s advice and letting the facts lead me. There’s is NO evidence of him being deceased, but lots that suggests he is alive. This has nothing to do with content for a successful podcast. If I wanted to do that, I would release everything I have whether it has been proven or not. You are entitled to your opinion and I appreciate you following Brian’s disappearance.

Hurst said 'most likely', which at 0-49.9% is far from 100%, so I look forward to hearing your new recorded material for his updated take. Do appreciate your efforts, kudos to you for trying. You say 'it wasn't at UTS' - pretty much no one contends that it was. But the active and completely dug up nearby construction area is a whole different situation. You state "I have made it clear numerous times that either Brian met foul play at the hands of someone he knows, or he walked away from his life" as if it is fact, when of course it is simply opinion, nothing wrong with that. You state "There’s is NO evidence of him being deceased" - there is far more evidence of that than evidence the he is alive. Radio silence for 13+ years alone combined with ZERO legit sign of life from 2am 4/1/2006 is, sad to say, overwhelmingly compelling.

 

[Looking4Brian]

Thanks for continuing to dig at this case!




That's the first I've heard of tracking his scent beyond the Wendy's parking lot. Were there no other cameras along that route? I know it was said the Wendy's cameras were not pointed in the correct direction to catch him. What does Hurts think of this hit? He's sounded "iffy" in past statements.

Did you receive any clarification on the layout of that back area in the UTS building? Were the plywood doors on the exterior of the building? I always thought those were what separated the construction area from the back, first floor hall... if not, what type of door *did* separate the back hall from the construction area?

Anyway, glad to hear more from Hurst on how confident he is Brian made it out of the building. It truly seems like if he is ever to be found, we have to get away from that finite, incredibly well searched location.




I've hard this rumor for a while now but is there anything tangible to base it on?

Anyway, thanks for your continued efforts! I very much look forward to the new podcast!!

This is the first time the dogs following a scent has been released. I had no idea either. From what I understand they set a 5 block radius searching for surveillance footage and only came back with a few recordings. A lot of cameras were not working or were only for appearance sake at that time. I can’t speak for John, but based on our other conversations I would say he thinks there is validity to the dogs.
I did speak to him about the building. He said if Brian was there they would’ve found him. The plywood doors were exterior doors that came out beside Wendy’s. Those doors are now 2 metal doors.
As for the struggling with his sexuality...yes there is tangible evidence. I’m not going to say what that is, but there is reason why this is believed.

 

[Looking4Brian]

Hurst said 'most likely', which at 0-49.9% is far from 100%, so I look forward to hearing your new recorded material for his updated take. Do appreciate your efforts, kudos to you for trying. You say 'it wasn't at UTS' - pretty much no one contends that it was. But the active and completely dug up nearby construction area is a whole different situation. You state "I have made it clear numerous times that either Brian met foul play at the hands of someone he knows, or he walked away from his life" as if it is fact, when of course it is simply opinion, nothing wrong with that. You state "There’s is NO evidence of him being deceased" - there is far more evidence of that than evidence the he is alive. Radio silence for 13+ years alone combined with ZERO legit sign of life from 2am 4/1/2006 is, sad to say, overwhelmingly compelling.

Radio silence isn’t evidence, and just because some things aren’t released doesn’t mean there are no signs of life. Likely means a 50% probability, MOST likely means it falls on the higher spectrum of being likely.

 

[george14]

You state "I have made it clear numerous times that either Brian met foul play at the hands of someone he knows, or he walked away from his life" as if it is fact, when of course it is simply opinion, nothing wrong with that. You state "There’s is NO evidence of him being deceased" - there is far more evidence of that than evidence the he is alive. Radio silence for 13+ years alone combined with ZERO legit sign of life from 2am 4/1/2006 is, sad to say, overwhelmingly compelling.

I have to agree with this. The fact he has not been heard from in 13 years means he is likely dead. Obviously that is not 100%, maybe he is alive. But that in itself is evidence he is probably dead.

I've posted on here before, if he truly did flee I will always wonder if this is him: The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

The reconstruction does not look like him, but it's a reconstruction. Being 6'2" and 170 lbs. is a pretty rare build. This body was found in Detroit (where I'm from) in 2007. He could have gotten a cab ride somewhere then taken a bus maybe. This could be nothing but like I said, that is a rare build and the age also matches Brian (even though it's broad).

 

[Looking4Brian]

I have to agree with this. The fact he has not been heard from in 13 years means he is likely dead. Obviously that is not 100%, maybe he is alive. But that in itself is evidence he is probably dead.

I've posted on here before, if he truly did flee I will always wonder if this is him: The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

The reconstruction does not look like him, but it's a reconstruction. Being 6'2" and 170 lbs. is a pretty rare build. This body was found in Detroit (where I'm from) in 2007. He could have gotten a cab ride somewhere then taken a bus maybe. This could be nothing but like I said, that is a rare build and the age also matches Brian (even though it's broad).

Hello. I had wondered about Brian being compared to many John Doe’s that have been found. I’m friends with Todd Matthews from NamUs and close to someone at Ohio B.C.I.. when I cane across a couple of John Doe’s that I thought needed to be checked I reached out to them. They ran Brian’s DNA through their database and didn’t receive any matches for DNA with any John Doe on file.

 

[george14]

Hello. I had wondered about Brian being compared to many John Doe’s that have been found. I’m friends with Todd Matthews from NamUs and close to someone at Ohio B.C.I.. when I cane across a couple of John Doe’s that I thought needed to be checked I reached out to them. They ran Brian’s DNA through their database and didn’t receive any matches for DNA with any John Doe on file.

Interesting. The link I sent has been one I've seen floated around for years. But never confirmed. I guess that settles that.

The only other one I can remember is Missing Americans in Mexico posted a homeless man in Mexico that resembled Brian a lot. But this was within the last few years and it looked like he hadn't aged at all. This man looked around Brian's age when he vanished.

 

[Looking4Brian]

Interesting. The link I sent has been one I've seen floated around for years. But never confirmed. I guess that settles that.

The only other one I can remember is Missing Americans in Mexico posted a homeless man in Mexico that resembled Brian a lot. But this was within the last few years and it looked like he hadn't aged at all. This man looked around Brian's age when he vanished.

George14 I just confirmed Brian didn’t match any John Doe’s a couple of months ago. I submitted this one and one from PA personally. That’s when it was explained to me that it would run Brian against everyone in their system not just the ones I submitted. I had a sense of bittersweet hope with the PA John Doe. Due to circumstances with the remains Brian could not be excluded based on dental, so they had to verify it with DNA. That is how he was ultimately excluded from being the PA John Doe. I have never seen the Mexico homeless man, but if you have a link for it please share it here, or email me at wheresbrianshaffer@gmail.com I have been sent multiple photos but none that resemble Brian, I’m curious to look at it.

 

[itsrak]

Radio silence isn’t evidence, and just because some things aren’t released doesn’t mean there are no signs of life. Likely means a 50% probability, MOST likely means it falls on the higher spectrum of being likely.

Right, most likely means > 50%, meaning Hurst with his statement put the odds of Brian not making it out of the construction area at 0-49.9% - very real probability. So Hurst thinks Brian may not have made it out, which would mean his remains may still be there. Lots of talk about Hurst changing his tune on that, but nothing produced, at least not yet. Just talk.

 

[neesaki]

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