OH OH - Brian Shaffer, 27, Columbus, 1 April 2006 - #4

[juan1]

Sometimes the best route to a solution is process of elimination. If the search comes back negative, we could focus more time and energy on other theories.

 

[dotr]

A little surprised to see Brian's father's obituary pop up in a recent news google search.. now i know where Brian inherited his love for music. imo.
Randall Shaffer Obituary - OH | The Columbus Dispatch
''SHAFFER Randall A. Shaffer, loving son, brother, husband, father, uncle and friend, passed away suddenly and tragically from a accident at his home Sunday, September 14th, 2008. Randy was a very special person in many people's lives. He graduated from Lancaster High School with the Class of 1971. Randy excelled with his love of music while obtaining his B.A. Degree from Capital University in Music Education. Randy was also a 30 year member of the IBEW-L.U.683. Randy worked for Mid City Electric in Columbus, Ohio. There was never a stranger in Randy's life. He made such beautiful music with his saxophone that friends requested he entertain at many area churches, bringing peace and tranquility at solemn moments and entertaining at many other gatherings. He was always willing when asked for his time to play. He will be a great addition to the Heaven's orchestra. Randy's family was one of the most important parts of his being. He loved to try and beat his sister, brother and father on the tennis court and always has great stories of his victories whether he won or not. He also was an avid bike rider and tried to keep a riding date with his brother when time allowed. Randy was always there to help a friend, neighbor or relative with any electrical task at hand no matter how large or small. If he didn't solve the problem at first he wouldn't stop until it was completed. After the passing of Randy's beloved wife Renee in 2006 and the disappearance of his son Brian, Randy was relentless in his search for Brian and never gave up hope. He made hundreds of friends and helped many other families in search for their loved ones while being involved with the Crimestoppers Organization for the return of missing persons. He will be sadly missed by all the people whose lives he touched.''
''Published in The Columbus Dispatch from Sep. 17 to Sep. 18, 2008.''

 

[Warwick1991]

The camera footage apparently shows a Brian going back into the bar shortly before it closed, with no footage of him leaving. One possibility I thought of over time is that the bar had one or more aggressive bouncers, who beat an inebriated Brian and put him inside some construction site void, whether it was a wall, a large duct or some other convenient disposal area. So, he could have been a victim of foul play in the bar, with his remains somewhere in the building.

The lack of cooperation from the building owner is notable, and the CPD less interested than they should have been. From my visits to Columbus, I never felt very safe there. I just had a feeling that there was a certain indifference or lack of interest in having a safe city.

 

[pittsburghgirl]

I have read the entire thread and one of the older threads on Shaffer and one thing i did not see discussed or explained in much length (although @itsrak has noted it a few times over the last dozen pages) which is the issue of complete radio silence since he disappeared. How do the people who believe he ran away to start a new life address the fact that absolutely nothing has been heard of him since? There has been literally zero sign that he is alive. He disappeared on the cusp of the social media age and even had an active Myspace page. His case is kind of well known as far as missing persons go too. If you Google "people who vanished" "people who disappeared into thin air" Brian is always listed in the top 5 or top 3 going back years and some of these articles about him have thousands of views and hundreds of comments. There are Youtube podcasts and videos of his case that have wracked up hundreds of thousands of views and comments. For me it's unfeasible that someone somewhere would not have given even a hint of him being alive or that Shaffer himself would not have made a mistake, an error, used numbers or details that gets something traced back to his real identity, etc in over 14 years. We live in the most monitored and surveilled society of all time. There isn't much privacy these days at all. Unless he moved to some island in the middle of the pacific or had thousands worth of plastic surgery or something i just don't see how he can just vanish and be living a regular life. I think the phone pings shortly after his disappearance are a red herring but aside from that, what do we have that indicates he's still alive?

Not to mention it would be a very cold thing to ignore the death of his father, which essentially left his brother with no family. I think some people do "walk away," but as you rightly say, it's not that easy today and it's very hard to maintain any kind of life without identification and income. Unless you steal someone's identify and get fake documents, you have to make do with very menial, low-wage work, not the sort of thing someone in med school (Brian) or with a legal degree and distinguished career (Ray Gricar) would do.

 

[?unknown?]

The camera footage apparently shows a Brian going back into the bar shortly before it closed, with no footage of him leaving. One possibility I thought of over time is that the bar had one or more aggressive bouncers, who beat an inebriated Brian and put him inside some construction site void, whether it was a wall, a large duct or some other convenient disposal area. So, he could have been a victim of foul play in the bar, with his remains somewhere in the building.

The lack of cooperation from the building owner is notable, and the CPD less interested than they should have been. From my visits to Columbus, I never felt very safe there. I just had a feeling that there was a certain indifference or lack of interest in having a safe city.

The problem i have with him being harmed by someone in the building and buried is that it seems to call for too many leaps of faith. A bouncer would have to leave his station outside the bar entrance, get into an altercation with Brian inside and beat him severely enough or incapacitate him, then have a void located within easy distance to haul a big grown mans body in. All in a small time frame and all the while people are still hanging around, coming in and out, putting away equipment, etc, and nobody notices the bouncer is missing at the most hectic time of the night when everyone is getting ready to pile out. It's why I've never believed that he was harmed by a band member who stuffed him inside an instrument case and hauled him off never to be seen again.

And the other thing is that if there was more than one person involved i feel like someone would have talked by now either out of guilt, or for leeway in another criminal case (some have claimed he was killed by drug dealers in the street and stuffed in a trash can). These things would most likely involve more than one or a couple of people. Another semi-popular theory is the construction crew covering up his body for fear of liability, but again, how many people would this involve? Casually concealing a body at the drop of a hat no questions asked is not something that would be too common for regular working citizens let alone several normal men all being in on it and all keeping their lips tightly sealed for over 14 years. People talk, hints would be given, tips phoned in, anonymous comments would appear online, "inside info" posted to facebook, etc. We don't see anything like this in Brian's case. Not a single person who knew a "strange side" to Clint, worked in the bar at the time and noticed something off, had suspicions about the creepy patron or thuggish bouncer, an ex of a band member, or whatever. We don't have even a hint of anything that posed a threat or places Brian in any immediate danger that night.

 

[Warwick1991]

The problem i have with him being harmed by someone in the building and buried is that it seems to call for too many leaps of faith. A bouncer would have to leave his station outside the bar entrance, get into an altercation with Brian inside and beat him severely enough or incapacitate him, then have a void located within easy distance to haul a big grown mans body in. All in a small time frame and all the while people are still hanging around, coming in and out, putting away equipment, etc, and nobody notices the bouncer is missing at the most hectic time of the night when everyone is getting ready to pile out. It's why I've never believed that he was harmed by a band member who stuffed him inside an instrument case and hauled him off never to be seen again.

And the other thing is that if there was more than one person involved i feel like someone would have talked by now either out of guilt, or for leeway in another criminal case (some have claimed he was killed by drug dealers in the street and stuffed in a trash can). These things would most likely involve more than one or a couple of people. Another semi-popular theory is the construction crew covering up his body for fear of liability, but again, how many people would this involve? Casually concealing a body at the drop of a hat no questions asked is not something that would be too common for regular working citizens let alone several normal men all being in on it and all keeping their lips tightly sealed for over 14 years. People talk, hints would be given, tips phoned in, anonymous comments would appear online, "inside info" posted to facebook, etc. We don't see anything like this in Brian's case. Not a single person who knew a "strange side" to Clint, worked in the bar at the time and noticed something off, had suspicions about the creepy patron or thuggish bouncer, an ex of a band member, or whatever. We don't have even a hint of anything that posed a threat or places Brian in any immediate danger that night.

I think an accident in the construction area is the most likely scenario, but there is also some possibility of foul play. It is one of the most unusual missing person cases I’ve ever read about. I wonder whether the Columbus PD has withheld anything that would push us in one direction or another..

 

[juan1]

I think an accident in the construction area is the most likely scenario, but there is also some possibility of foul play. It is one of the most unusual missing person cases I’ve ever read about. I wonder whether the Columbus PD has withheld anything that would push us in one direction or another..

I assume that CPD has withheld some significant information. They would be hard-pressed to limit their investigation to three scenarios based only on what the public knows.
If only they would tell us what their theories are...

 

[itsrak]

The camera footage apparently shows a Brian going back into the bar shortly before it closed, with no footage of him leaving.

My understanding is that there was no camera covering the bar entrance or inside of bar, so there is thus no footage showing that Brian returned to the bar after chatting up Brightan and Amber. There was a cam near the bar entrance, but it was trained on the escalator (and that cam showed Brian going up the escalator) and not on the bar entrance. Brian was near the entrance to the bar and the entrance to the construction area when last seen. It seems pretty likely that since he was not seen in the bar by his friends who were looking for him, and since he did not exit the building by conventional means, he may have passed through the door through which the construction area could be accessed.

Interesting isn't it that in addition to the vid we've all see of Brian, Clint and Meredith riding up the escalator on Brian and Clint's second visit to UTS that evening, there is presumably video footage of Brian and Clint riding up the escalator on their first visit to UTS that evening? And then going back down. And then Clint and Meredith going down w/o Brian....

 

[itsrak]

I assume that CPD has withheld some significant information. They would be hard-pressed to limit their investigation to three scenarios based only on what the public knows.
If only they would tell us what their theories are...

I doubt their 3 theories are well-developed based on facts unknown to the public. Rather, I'd bet they simply have 3 generic theories - suicide, homicide, he ran off. They'd probably leave off accidental death in the building as a theory because it wouldn't reflect well on them.

 

[Jimm]

So this case is new to me. I'm confused about a few things related to Clint. Did he ask the police for immunity?

 

[itsrak]

So this case is new to me. I'm confused about a few things related to Clint. Did he ask the police for immunity?

If I recall correctly, the lead investigator with the CPD, Sgt. Hurst, not long ago in a podcast interview was asked that question and stated that there was no immunity. Immunity is a promise not to prosecute for a crime in exchange for information or testimony in a criminal matter, granted by the prosecutors, a judge, a grand jury. I don't think Clint faced criminal action, so nothing to be immunized against.

 

[Falkner77]

So this case is new to me. I'm confused about a few things related to Clint. Did he ask the police for immunity?

Any serious probe into this case starts and ends with the (legally sound or not) maneuvering of Clint.

Did Clint’s lawyer red flag a piece of the truth he heard in discussions with his client.... and deemed it possibly, maybe, potentially incriminating towards him so he shut any cooperation down?

If you’ve got nothing to hide, why hide at all?

 

[juan1]

If you’ve got nothing to hide, why hide at all?

Can see both sides of this.

On the one hand, it is possible that he knows something and was told by his lawyer to stay quiet.

Equally likely or more likely, though, is that he was just looking out for his best interests. He was a student preparing to start a career. He probably didn't want his name dragged into things. I would've done the same.

 

[george14]

The camera footage apparently shows a Brian going back into the bar shortly before it closed, with no footage of him leaving. One possibility I thought of over time is that the bar had one or more aggressive bouncers, who beat an inebriated Brian and put him inside some construction site void, whether it was a wall, a large duct or some other convenient disposal area. So, he could have been a victim of foul play in the bar, with his remains somewhere in the building.

The lack of cooperation from the building owner is notable, and the CPD less interested than they should have been. From my visits to Columbus, I never felt very safe there. I just had a feeling that there was a certain indifference or lack of interest in having a safe city.

This is actually a great theory and the first time I have seen it. Bouncers getting violent is not uncommon at all. Especially in a college town where it's a bunch of younger college kids thinking they can mouth off without consequence. I'm from Detroit and the bouncers in Greektown do not play around. There was actually a man from my hometown who was nearly beaten to death by bouncers at a strip club.

I also want to add, 99.999% of the time, the police know way more than the public. I understand we like to act like experts, but evidence is always withheld from the public for a variety of reasons. So when people ask "I wonder if the police are holding back evidence", the answer is always yes.

 

[Warwick1991]

This is actually a great theory and the first time I have seen it. Bouncers getting violent is not uncommon at all. Especially in a college town where it's a bunch of younger college kids thinking they can mouth off without consequence. I'm from Detroit and the bouncers in Greektown do not play around. There was actually a man from my hometown who was nearly beaten to death by bouncers at a strip club.

I also want to add, 99.999% of the time, the police know way more than the public. I understand we like to act like experts, but evidence is always withheld from the public for a variety of reasons. So when people ask "I wonder if the police are holding back evidence", the answer is always yes.

Bouncers aren’t necessarily just at the entrance to a bar. Some are inside, watching for trouble. Depending on the size of the bar and number of patrons, they could have more than one bouncer. Some bouncers can indeed get out of control and brutalize a patron.

Years ago, the son of a friend was killed by a bouncer in the lounge area of a casino in Las Vegas. He was brutally punched, and his limp body was left on the sidewalk outside. He died of a brain hemorrhage, after being left on the sidewalk unconscious for several hours.

There are violent people who are attracted to employment as bouncers, because they can use violence with relative impunity.

It is possible that Brian was assaulted inside the bar by a bouncer, and perhaps music or the location of a scuffle - such as a bathroom - would not have drawn attention from potential witnesses. The bar owner would have an interest in concealment if this happened.

It isn’t easy for us to figure out....

 

[dotr]

Feb 11 2020
''WBNS 10TV
It's one of the biggest mysteries in central Ohio: what happened to Brian Shaffer? The night of April 1, 2006, security cameras from a now-closed bar and restaurant near Ohio State University's campus showed Shaffer, then 27, going up an escalator with friends. There is no footage showing Shaffer leaving the area that night and the former Ohio State medical student hasn't been seen or heard from since.''

 

[Tman2004]

What’s the status of the podcast

 

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[dotr]

May 11 2020 by Edward Anderson
Ohio Man Goes Into A Bar And Is Never Seen Again

Photo From WSYX
“I think that the ideal space must contain elements of magic, serenity, sorcery, and mystery,” Luis Barragan has been quoted.

Given that context, the disappearance of Brian Shaffer is one of the greatest unsolved mysteries around. He went into a local bar one night with his friends, and seemingly never came out. Shaffer literally vanished into thin air.

No Foolin’
Almost any article that is written about Brian Shaffer has a play on April Fool’s Day because that is the day the man went missing. He was out celebrating with his friends and they went into a bar right off of Ohio State’s campus called The Ugly Tuna Saloona. Among the friends that Shaffer was partying with was his best friend, William Florence (aka Clint, for some reason). They walked into the bar, ready to have a good time. When it came to closing time, Florence and another friend waited for Shaffer. After a few minutes, they checked the bathroom to see if he was in there. Nothing says friendship like checking for a bro in the men’s room. After discovering he wasn’t, they figured he had left without saying goodbye to them and went home.''

''One of Shaffer’s favorite songs was “Alive” by Pearl Jam. He loved the song so much that he had a tattoo of it on his right bicep. On May 6, 2010, Eddie Vader stopped a concert in Columbus and dedicated the song to Brian. Nothing new came of it.

How does a person go missing without a trace? Especially one that was seen walking into a bar with friends. That’s really the question at the center of Brian Shaffer’s disappearance.''

 

[ShamelessObserver]

No further updates on this case?? I genuinely think he made it out of the building that night. Before reading the fantastic content and info on this forum, I was convinced he never did....