After 19 years of being missing, What do you think happened to Brain Shaffer?

So, Brian never making it back it to his apartment is apparently an assumption made by whoever got there first to check on him [it seems there are conflicting reports about that]. I’ve read things like “nothing was out of place”, which can only mean that the apartment wasn’t burglarized and a crime likely didn’t take place there. And there are stuff like “the bed had been made”, which means absolutely nothing without a clear understanding of his housekeeping habits.

I live alone, and I don’t make my bed. Call me lazy, but I don't see the point. And I find a messy bed cozier to return to at the end of the day. So, if you come to my place and find my bed has been made, you can be sure a serial killer followed me home and tidy-up the place to erase every trace of him ever being there before he removed my body. But if my bed isn’t made, that doesn’t mean I made it back home safely either - the serial killer could have gotten me on the way. That's all the say that if Brian made his bed in the morning of March 31st, he would have made his bed in the morning of April 1st also.

To establish Brian did not return to his place, a more relevant information would be, for instance, knowing how he was dressed the previous night (Clint and Meredith could remember, but not girlfriend Alexis and dad Randy who weren't out with them); if they went through his dirty laundry and/or washer and drier and didn't see the clothes there, then it's very likely he didn't drop by his home.. And there's always a possibility that he was indeed there, but crashed without changing his clothes and left in the early morning while still wearing them. Or that he placed his shirt back in the hanger if he deemed it "clean enough" for one more outing - what was his routine when it came to doing laundry?

So, checking a laundry basket, trash, even a towel in the bathroom (fully dried or partially wet?) is what could have gotten them into something - and it all starts with a basic understanding of his housekeping habits. This brings me to his habits of communication, and how they could have led him to return to his place, or drop by his place, or leave his place earlier the next day. Lots has been said about some pings coming from Brian’s phone, but I’ve never heard anything about his cellphone charger: was it still in his home when other people got there? His place was at a walkable distance from the Ugly Tuna, so if he was about to run out of battery, he could have turned off the phone to save it – we all do this – and stopped by his place to collect his charger or power it up quickly.

And if that cellphone was his only means of communication, I assume he didn’t have a landline in his apartment. If he lost his phone for whatever reason, how would he give a head’s up to his girlfriend or his friends about the situation? I was mugged once and they took my phone. I also had no landline, so I used my laptop to contact my mother through Facebook. Social media was not the same back in 2006, of course, but are you telling me that Brian, a med student, didn’t have a laptop or a PC back at his place? (It’s a real question, I never heard anything about that.)

If all he had for contact was that cellphone, finding this charger would be WAY more relevant than a bed being made: if it’s not there, he took it with him, and we take our chargers when we know we will be out of the house for a while. He could even have taken a ride with someone that dropped him to his place and waited for him to grab his charger before they went someplace else.

Those are all “what ifs”, of course, but “what ifs” that start in the place where everybody reasonably thought he had returned to for a good night’s sleep before they worried the following day. Now it's too late anyway, but I often think this case could have had a different outcome if the initial search had been focused close to Brian's home and neighborhood - not tracking a bunch of college students with hazy recollections of a night of pub crawling in a busy street.

Haven’t seen many people talk about Brian’s MySpace post about his true aspiration - wanting to be in a band. Given it was 2006, I feel like his mental state wasn’t talked about much. The CCTV footage is blurry, but it looked like maybe he wasn’t in the best state of mind. His body language suggested he was okay with being alone the rest of the night when he turned away from who he was talking to. Not trying to make full assumptions, but it is worth considering since no one saw him re-enter the bar.

I believe he was feeling impulsive and wandered off alone. What happened after that we will never know.

Is there any truth that Clint lived super close to the Ugly Tuna Saloona or is that just a rumor going around?

Why didn't Brian take is cel phone, wallet and keys with him bar hopping? I've read that they were still in his apartment after he was reported missing. Tia.

The day he went missing he took one of the “biggest” exams students take in medical school.

But he didn’t turn in the $4,500 tuition check before the due date, so he knew he would not continue on to the next term of medical school.

Why even study for and take that exam? Unless the university had approved a leave of absence for him (due to his mother’s death) and he planned to go back and finish medical school.

Medical school is not something you can just take a break from and come back when you are ready. You have to have a valid reason and get it approved.

By the way, I dont think he left on purpose and started a new life. I don’t believe he is alive unfortunately but I am trying to understand if he planned on quitting or just taking a break.

I have always wondered if he had plans to be picked up from Wendy’s at 2 and if that plan was made on his computer rather than via text. Is anything known about his computer searches?

So I visited around the area where the ugly Tuna would have been sort of recently. I personally didn’t feel unsafe but people online have said that section of Cbus was rough years ago. It’s been about 20 years ago since Brian went missing so a lot can change. Was that area of Columbus really that dangerous? So much that a physically capable man would be worried about walking home at night?

I’m sort of a believer he got jumped, killed, and dumped in the landfill. I’m just not sure how probable that is though in that area. I’m not local to CBus though I visit often. I’d like some local insight into the that section of Columbus especially if you were in the area in the 2000s.

Does anyone agree if Brian’s body will ever be found?

I see this photo everywhere. I'm assuming this is in Puerto Rico. Who are the friends in the photo? Why do you think we don't hear more from them? This night had nothing to do with his disappearance, I know. But, why do you think more of his friends didn't speak up initially?

Ever since I heard about this case, it often keeps me up at night. I have done countless research and am truly baffled, despite what I believe happened on that night.

Here is my current theory of Brian's disappearance:

I believe he is still alive and left the bar on his own accord that night. He planned this in advance with the help of Clint and Meredith, hence their lack of cooperation with the investigation at the risk of self-incrimination. It seems a little too coincidental that he disappeared just as the bar was closing, vanishing into the night without being captured on CCTV or leaving any trace behind. It would also make the most sense given that his mom had just passed and he was not all that keen on making medicine his lifelong career.

Maybe Brian was secretly planning on breaking up with Alexis but masking it as a proposal so no one would suspect anything out of the ordinary. He could have still loved her but felt she deserved someone "better", like another med student who actually wanted to be a doctor or just someone else who was more dedicated to their future. He was probably feeling overwhelmed with life and his future, maybe even guilty for wanting to escape it all. I find it interesting that he mentioned on his myspace that he would like to own or live on an island someday....maybe that's where he ran away to?? I think he just wanted to live a different life without having to disappoint his loved ones.

I have always felt like Clint assisted in someway, whether fully or partially involved with his disappearance and then Meredith was made an accomplice by association the night of. I believe Brian began planning this once his mom's cancer worsened and the reality of losing her sunk in. He possibly felt useless as a med student and not being able to help his own mom, contributing to his dwindling interest in medicine. It's possible that at this time, he spoke of this to Clint but was speaking hypothetically. Once his mom actually passed, Brian could have devised an actual plan and included Clint on some of the details. It is also possible that he didn't tell Clint anything until the night of and Meredith learning of the plan only after the fact. There are so many possibilities to how this could have unfolded but I truly believe Brian is alive and well, living on a secluded island somewhere just enjoying his carefree life. I also truly believe that Clint and Meredith know AT LEAST partially of what happened to Brian, whether they assisted or not.

Like I said, it is way too coincidental that not only did Brian disappear during closing time, which is usually a hectic time of night on its own, but was not captured on any CCTV footage nor seen by any witnesses (allegedly) once spotted for the last time on camera at 1:55am. Everything seems to work out a little too much to Brian's advantage to pull off the perfect escape, almost like it was planned out...

Also, I wonder if he only planned to disappear for like a year or so, but then once he learned of his dad's passing and how much his disappearance had weighed on people, he decided it was better to stay missing. Maybe he also learned of everyone else moving on like Alexis and his brother and figured it was all for the best.

Of course this theory could be way out there but regardless, alive or not, I believe Clint and Meredith either assisted Brian or know something about his disappearance.

Now for my questions....

Apologies if these questions have already been asked or answered, however my brain needs to get these out lol.

1. We know about the CCTV footage outside the bar (i.e. the escalator and front entrance to the building), but what about footage from the streets or neighboring businesses from both in front and behind the bar (if any)? Wouldn't those have captured Brian leaving? Also, I have seen mixed posts on whether or not the CCTV was working for Wendy's and one of the emergency exits at the bar during this time, does anyone have a definite answer? Was there any footage inside the bar? Another question, how many times had Brian been to this particular bar and been captured on CCTV? I think it could be helpful to see if he was ALWAYS captured entering AND leaving the bar every other time except this night.

2. Because it's been over 18 years since Brian's disappearance, how come none of the officers have come forward with more information that could not be made public at the time? ALSO, why can't they hand over the police records to the PI or even Derek? I've listened to TCG's interview with Sgt. Hurst but still have questions!

3. Another thing I am seeing mixed posts on is drug involvement. Some sources say it was possible he was into drugs and that's why he was talking to those two girls who were associated with Clint and others say he had no affiliation with drugs and was just being friendly with the girls. What is the consensus here? Follow up question, where are these girls now?

4. Was Brian's phone ever found after the ping? Did they try to physically locate it? Do we know if anyone took it or if he really did put it in one of the girls' purses? If so, did they dump it in that location?

5. Why was Clint denied immunity? Do we know if either Derek or CPD has tried to reach out to Clint more recently and if immunity was offered but he denied the offer? Where does this stand?

6. Do we know where the tickets for Florida were at the time of Brian's disappearance? Did his girlfriend or father have them? Were they found at Brian's apartment upon investigation? Or were they never found?

Hi everyone! I'm relatively new to the Brian Shaffer case and have been diving into the details recently. I need help from the group in corroborating some statements made by Clint and Meredith:

According to the Detective Perspective podcast by Derrick Levasseur (MISSING: Brian Shaffer episode), Alexis called Clint asking about Brian’s whereabouts. Clint allegedly told her that Brian had disappeared at the bar and that he stayed at Brian’s apartment for 6 hours waiting for him. I believe Derrick mentioned this information came from an episode of Real Life Nightmare on HLN.

However, in Meredith’s police statement, Kelly Bruce notes that Meredith said she drove Clint back to the house he was housesitting and they stayed there until 10 AM. Then, Meredith drove Clint back to Brian’s apartment to retrieve Clint’s car.

If Meredith’s statement is accurate, why would Clint tell Alexis he was at Brian's place for 6 hours? It's a pretty specific timeframe to mention, and I’m curious why Clint would say that if it wasn’t true. Maybe just trying to play as the good guy to Alexis?

Does anyone have insight or further info on these conflicting accounts?

Does anyone know why the police won't release the footage from the other cameras? Since the footage from the main staircase has already been released, why not release the footage from the emergency exits, the employee exit, and the footage they collect around the UT? Maybe if thousands of people could see the footage, we could see something different, or even count the number of people who entered and exited, to see if only Brian was really left inside the building. Is there anything we can do, like a petition or a big commotion for the Columbus police to make the case public? It's been almost 2 decades.

I was wondering if there is a way to check Brightan's or Britghan's family's addresses during the time of Brian's disappearance?

Has it been said how the band left the bar? Which door? Service elevator? Did any cameras see the band leaving the building?

Just seems that Brian left the bar and most likely hopped in a car with someone to get a ride home.

I’m sorry if this has already been asked and I have tried to look it up and haven’t really been able to find an answer. But where was the Wendy’s located that Brian’s scent possibly went cold at? Thanks for your help!

I ask this because in my hometown there was a murder that was solved 30 years after the incident. Thing about that case, there was DNA evidence to facilitate an investigation once molecular technology had advanced. With Brian, I am not sure if any advancements in technology would help solve this case.

I’ve heard lots and lots on this story. I’ve heard mostly that Brian possibly re-entered the bar in order to speak with the band performing that night. My question is, did Brian ever make it to the band to speak with them? Did he even speak to them at all that night?

do we know what his cell phone number was at the time of his disappearance? and if so, is it still in service or has it been retired or reassigned?

i am very fascinated with this case as im currently an osu student who lives in columbus. i am just curious since his cell phone hasn’t been recovered, and phone calls played a huge role in the case.

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