The Ohio State student who disappeared from a bar is still missing 18 years later

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Eighteen years ago, an Ohio State University student disappeared after being caught on camera entering a bar but never seen leaving. Despite the media frenzy, one of the state’s most high-profile disappearances remains a mystery.

Brian Shaffer was a 27-year-old second-year medical student at OSU when he was last seen. Lori Davis, a missing persons advocate, has been working with Brian’s family since his disappearance.

“He had already passed the White Coat Ceremony and was on his way to becoming a doctor,” Davis said. “His personality, they said that Brian was very funny, that he was very charismatic, that he was very outgoing. And I even heard that he could be a little stubborn at times.”

On Friday, March 31, 2006—the beginning of spring break for college students—Brian called his brother, asking if he would like to go to dinner with him. The brother had already arranged to meet his fiancée, so Brian ended up having dinner at a local steakhouse with his father, Randy, Davis said. Just a few weeks earlier, on March 6, Brian’s mother died.

“They had a nice time,” Davis said. “There was speculation that there might have been an argument at that same dinner about Brian’s mother, Renee’s, life insurance policy. (Randy) never told me that, so I can’t say whether that’s true or false.”

Randy and Brian left the restaurant on good terms, Randy told Davis. Later that evening, around 9 p.m., Brian went bar-hopping with his friend William “Clint” Florence. The two drank throughout the night, according to NBC News. Brian’s girlfriend, Alexis Waggoner, unexpectedly left town that weekend because of health problems with the family pet, Davis said.

“He finally called this girl,” Davis said. “I think it was around 10-10:30 that night, I left a voicemail, the voicemail was fine. He sounded good.

Another friend, Meredith Reed, met up with the couple that evening. Around 1:15 a.m., the three arrived at the Ugly Tuna Saloon, a bar they had been to earlier that evening, according to NBC News. One of the many security cameras caught Brian entering the establishment.

“Over time, it turned out that there were other medical students at the bar that night,” Davis said. “Usually they only talk about two friends, Clint and Meredith, who went out with Brian. “A number of details have since come to light that indicate there were approximately four to five other men there who also met with them.”

After entering the bar, Brian separated himself from Florence and Reed. Just after 1 a.m. Brian said he was going upstairs to see the band that was playing that night and left. While Brian’s friends have stated that they thought he went to talk to the band, Davis does not believe Brian knew the band, despite having a distant relationship (friend of a friend) with one of the members.

Brian was last recorded on tape walking outside at 1:55 a.m., talking to two young women, and then apparently re-entering the bar. These women were interviewed by the police and Brian’s father. Randy “absolutely” believed the two women had nothing to do with his disappearance, Davis said.

At 2 a.m., the bar’s closing time, Florence and Reed were ready to leave and began looking for Brian, but they couldn’t find him. They called him and left a voicemail, then left a short time later, according to Davis. Cameras captured the pair leaving the bar—in one of the most puzzling aspects of the case, Brian was never again seen on video leaving through any entrance or exit. Both exits from the bar were covered by cameras, as were the escalators leading to the street.

Davis discussed the case with a detective who had studied the video multiple times. The detective told her the video haunted him because he was 100 percent certain that every person who entered the bar was seen on the video leaving, except for Brian.

The only exit without security camera coverage would be a service exit leading to the construction site with a door that opens to the street. A Columbus police sergeant told NBC News in 2006 that the area was “heavily” under construction and would have been difficult to exit, even sober. Davis said at least one of the cameras was not stationary and rotating, so there are small windows of time when it is possible Brian could have gotten out without being seen.

The next day, Brian missed multiple calls from Wagoner and Randy. The real concerns began to set in when Monday rolled around—Brian and Wagoner were supposed to be going to Florida for spring break, but she never heard from him.

Brian’s disappearance quickly attracted national media attention and is still widely discussed online. Davis said she’s “heard it all” about the case. Theories include Brian dying in a bar and being carried away with the band’s gear, being thrown down a garbage chute, or Brian changing his clothes and leaving on his own.

Randy even traveled out of state in response to Brian’s “sightings.” Davis said the popular rumor was that Brian was homeless in Mexico, which has been ruled out. Police and his family have received countless tips, but none have led to answers.

In September 2008, Randy died, not knowing what had happened to his son. During the storm, strong winds swept across the state and a tree fell, fatally injuring him.

“There has been a lot of speculation about what happened to Brian Shaffer that day, and unfortunately, 18 years later, I don’t think we’re any closer to knowing the truth of what happened to Brian,” Davis said.

Police also appear no closer than they were in 2006 to discovering what happened to Brian. Columbus police said the case is being reviewed “periodically” but there are no new updates to provide at this time.

At the time of his disappearance, Brian was 5’10”, approximately 165 pounds, with brown hair and hazel eyes. He had a Pearl Jam tattoo on his right arm and a dot on the iris of his left eye. He was last seen wearing jeans, a blue or green striped shirt and tennis shoes.

Anyone with information regarding the disappearance of Brian Shaffer is asked to contact the Columbus Police Department at 614-645-4545 or the anonymous Central Ohio Crime Stoppers tip line at 614-461-8477.