Account
Mar 08, 2009
Jan 12, 2024
Brian
Shaffer
45
27
74 inches
160 lbs
165 lbs
White / Caucasian
Male
Brian Randall Shaffer, a 27-year-old medical student at Ohio State University, disappeared in the early morning hours of April 1, 2006, in Columbus, Ohio. The evening began as a celebration marking the start of spring break. Shaffer had dinner with his father, Randy, who noted that his son seemed exhausted from studying for exams. Despite his father's reservations, Brian later met his friend, William "Clint" Florence, to go out for the night. They started at the Ugly Tuna Saloona, a bar located in the South Campus Gateway complex. During the evening, Shaffer called his girlfriend, Alexis Waggoner, who was in Toledo visiting her family before their planned trip to Miami. Shaffer and Florence bar-hopped, eventually meeting up with a friend of Florence's, Meredith Reed, who drove them back to the Ugly Tuna Saloona for a final round of drinks. Security cameras at the Ugly Tuna Saloona captured Shaffer, Florence, and Reed ascending the escalator to the bar's entrance at approximately 1:15 a.m. The last known footage of Brian Shaffer was recorded around 1:55 a.m., showing him talking briefly with two women outside the bar's entrance before moving out of the camera's view, seemingly back toward the bar. When the bar closed at 2:00 a.m., Florence and Reed could not find Shaffer. After attempting to call him, they waited outside for a while before assuming he had gone home on his own. Shaffer's car was later found parked at his apartment, and there were no signs of anything unusual inside. Concern grew over the weekend when he remained out of contact. On Monday morning, after he missed his flight to Miami for the vacation he had planned with Waggoner, he was officially reported as a missing person. The investigation into Shaffer's disappearance was perplexing from the start, as surveillance footage from the bar's main entrance and exit did not show him leaving. Investigators explored the possibility that he could have changed his appearance or that his exit was obscured by other patrons. Another possibility was that he used a service exit that led to a construction area, though this route was considered difficult to navigate. Extensive searches of the area, including dumpsters, the sewer system, and the Olentangy River, yielded no clues. Police questioned those who were with Shaffer that night. While most, including his father and Reed, cooperated and passed polygraph tests, Florence declined to take one. The two women last seen speaking with Shaffer were identified years later and stated they were never asked to take a polygraph. The case remains unsolved, leaving family and friends with unanswered questions about what happened to Brian Shaffer after he was last seen at the Ugly Tuna Saloona.
Apr 01, 2006
Columbus
Ohio
Franklin County
20236
Columbus Division of Police
Columbus
Ohio
Franklin County
43215
120 Marconi Boulevard, Ohio
6146454545
Local
Law Enforcement
060286094
Columbus Division of Police
Brown
Hazel
Hazel
06/06/2026
