At 1:55 a.m. on April 1, 2006, a surveillance camera inside Columbus’ South Campus Gateway complex recorded 27-year-old medical student Brian Shaffer standing outside the entrance of the Ugly Tuna Saloona. He was smiling, talking with a woman, and then casually walked out of frame.
That was the last confirmed sighting of him.
When the bar closed minutes later, Brian’s friends waited for him outside. He never appeared. No camera captured him leaving, and no witness saw where he went. His car remained parked near his apartment. His wallet, credit cards, and phone showed no further activity.
By Monday morning, he missed a scheduled flight to Miami a trip where he was expected to propose to his girlfriend.
Nearly two decades later, Brian’s disappearance remains one of Ohio’s most baffling mysteries. Despite extensive searches, hundreds of tips, and national media attention, no trace of him has ever been found.
A Promising Life Interrupted
Brian Shaffer was born on February 25, 1979, in Pickerington, Ohio, to Randy and Renee Shaffer. He grew up with his younger brother, Derek.
He excelled in academics and sports, but his real passion was music. He loved Pearl Jam, Jimmy Buffett, and the dream of someday owning a beach bar where he could play guitar and drink margaritas with friends.
By 2006, Brian was in his second year at Ohio State University’s College of Medicine. He was well-liked by classmates and professors, known for his intelligence, easygoing personality, and sense of humor.
His personal life seemed equally promising. Brian had been dating Alexis Waggoner, a fellow medical student, for more than a year. The relationship was serious. Alexis spent holidays with the Shaffer family, and Renee who quickly grew close to her often encouraged Brian to propose. She even gave the couple a spring break trip to Miami, scheduled for April 3, 2006.
But the family had also been carrying a heavy burden. In 2005, Renee was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome, a rare form of blood cancer. Brian took the news hard. He often told friends that his mother was the most important person in his life. Her illness consumed much of his focus during his first year of medical school.
On March 6, 2006 less than a month before Brian vanished Renee died from complications of her illness. Brian was devastated. Friends said he struggled to cope with the loss. At one point, he told Alexis she should “find someone else” because he was in a dark place, though she refused to leave his side.
Despite the grief, Brian pressed forward with his studies, determined to finish his exams before the Miami trip. His father, Randy, later recalled how proud he was of his son for handling the pressure. On March 31, after Brian completed his last exam, the two went out for a celebratory dinner a final ordinary moment before the mystery began.
The Night Brian Vanished
After finishing his final exam of the quarter, Brian had dinner with his father, Randy, at a local steakhouse. Randy later said his son seemed tired but in good spirits. They talked about the upcoming Miami trip, where Brian was expected to propose to Alexis.
Later that evening, Brian called his younger brother, Derek, inviting him and his girlfriend to join him for drinks at a campus bar called the Ugly Tuna Saloona. Derek declined the couple had just returned from a show and were heading home for the night. It was the last time the brothers spoke.
Around 9 p.m., Brian met up with his friend William “Clint” Florence. The plan was to do a bar crawl along Columbus’ University District. They started at the Ugly Tuna, a popular bar on the second floor of the South Campus Gateway complex. From there, the two made their way through several bars in the Short North area, taking shots at each stop.
At about 10 p.m., Brian took a call from Alexis. She was visiting her parents in Toledo before their trip, and the two confirmed plans for Monday’s flight. Brian ended the call with “I love you,” which would be the last time Alexis ever heard his voice.
Around midnight, Clint called another friend, Meredith Reed, to join them. Meredith met the two men at a bar downtown and gave them a ride back to the Ugly Tuna for one last round. Surveillance footage shows the three riding the escalator up to the bar’s entrance at 1:15 a.m.
Inside, Brian mingled and spoke with other patrons. At 1:55 a.m., cameras captured him just outside the bar entrance talking with woman. He appeared relaxed, smiling, and at ease. Moments later, he walked out of the camera’s frame and was never seen again.
Clint later told police that Brian had returned inside the bar after speaking with the woman, but he eventually lost track of him. By 2 a.m., closing time, Clint and Meredith looked for Brian. They checked the bathrooms, scanned the crowd, and waited outside by the escalator. When Brian never appeared, they assumed he had walked home. His apartment was just six blocks away.
But Brian never made it home. His phone went silent after 2 a.m., and all attempts to reach him went unanswered.
An Investigation Without Answers
When Brian failed to answer calls on Saturday, friends assumed he was recovering from a late night out. By Sunday, worry set in. Alexis called repeatedly with no response. His father Randy also tried, leaving voicemails that went unanswered.
On Monday morning, April 3, Alexis arrived at the airport for their flight to Miami. Brian never showed. His phone was still off. That same day, Randy filed a missing persons report with the Columbus Division of Police.
Detective John Hurst was assigned to lead the investigation. Within days, nearly 50 officers were searching for Brian. They canvassed the area around the Ugly Tuna, interviewed bar staff, and reviewed hours of surveillance footage.
The footage confirmed Brian entering the bar at 1:15 a.m. and speaking with woman outside around 1:55 a.m. What it did not show was him leaving. The main camera at the escalator caught everyone else coming and going, but not Brian. A second camera at a nearby emergency exit also failed to record him leaving.
Police expanded their search. Cadaver dogs were brought in to check dumpsters, alleys, and the nearby Olentangy River. Businesses in the South Campus Gateway complex were searched from top to bottom. Nothing was found.
Detectives then turned their attention to Brian’s personal life. His car was still parked at his apartment. Inside, everything was in order his bed made, textbooks neatly stacked, guitar resting in the corner. Nothing suggested he had left voluntarily.
Interviews with friends gave little clarity. Clint Florence claimed he last saw Brian re-enter the bar before losing track of him. Meredith Reed, who gave them a ride that night, agreed to take a polygraph. Clint refused, hired an attorney, and cut off contact with police.
Authorities also looked at nearby surveillance cameras from bars such as Sloppy Donkey, Mad Mex, and Lucky’s Stout House. None showed Brian leaving the area. Columbus had more cameras than any other Ohio city at the time yet Brian appeared on none of them after 1:55 a.m.
With no phone activity, no bank withdrawals, and no sightings, investigators were left with a puzzle how could someone disappear from one of the most heavily monitored areas in Columbus without a trace?
A Family Left Searching
From the first days of the investigation, Brian’s family threw themselves into the search. His father, Randy, organized poster campaigns, created a website, and worked closely with police. He also followed up on every tip that came in, no matter how unlikely.
Alexis called Brian’s phone daily, hoping for it to ring. In September 2006, months after his disappearance, it finally did. Her call connected, rang three times, and then went to voicemail. Investigators traced the signal to a cell tower in Hilliard, about 14 miles from Columbus. For a moment, hope surged. But the phone company later explained it was most likely a system glitch.
Brian’s younger brother, Derek, tried to stay grounded as rumors spread. He admitted frustration at Clint’s refusal to cooperate further with police but kept his focus on finding answers.
The case drew steady media attention, and Crime Stoppers offered a $25,000 reward for information. Leads poured in from across the country and even overseas. Some claimed Brian had been spotted in Atlanta. Others said Sweden. None were verified.
As months turned into years, the Shaffer family suffered more loss. In September 2008, just two years after Brian vanished, tragedy struck again. Randy was walking to his car after a windstorm when a falling tree branch killed him instantly. He was found the next morning.
The sudden death left Derek as the only surviving member of the immediate family. Days later, an obituary for Randy appeared online. Among the condolences was a startling message “Dad, I love you. Love, Brian (U.S. Virgin Islands).” Police quickly traced it to a public computer in Franklin County. It was a hoax.
Despite the setbacks, Alexis and Derek continued to keep Brian’s memory alive. Alexis eventually moved forward with her life, but she has said she still thinks about Brian often. Derek, meanwhile, has stated publicly that he believes his brother is no longer alive.
By the late 2000s, the reward had increased to $100,000. Posters remained taped to poles around Columbus. Brian’s face became one of the most recognized in Ohio’s missing persons cases but recognition never brought resolution.
Leads That Went Nowhere
The first year of the investigation produced a series of puzzling events that deepened the mystery instead of solving it.
In September 2006, five months after Brian vanished, Alexis’ call to his phone connected and rang three times before going to voicemail. The cell tower ping placed the signal in Hilliard, northwest of Columbus. Police and family rushed to investigate, but Brian was not there. His carrier, Cingular Wireless, later told investigators it was most likely a routing glitch common at the time.
In May of that same year, Brian’s apartment was burglarized. Investigators determined the break-in was unrelated to his disappearance, but it fueled speculation online about whether someone was trying to cover tracks.
Attention also fell on his friend Clint Florence, the last person known to see him. While Meredith Reed cooperated fully and passed a polygraph, Clint refused to take one. He hired an attorney and stopped responding to police questions.
Detective John Hurst later commented that Clint “could clear a lot up if he wanted to.” Clint, however, maintained his silence, insisting through his lawyer that he had told police everything he knew.
Meanwhile, theories began circulating.
Voluntary disappearance: Some believed Brian walked away from his life, devastated by his mother’s death and overwhelmed by medical school. Supporters of this theory noted his earlier suggestion to Alexis about “running away.” But skeptics pointed out he left behind his car, keys, credit cards, and all personal belongings.
Suicide: Another possibility was that Brian took his own life. But his family and friends dismissed this, describing him as future-oriented. Detective Hurst later added that most people who die by suicide leave behind remains or clues Brian left none.
Accident: Some speculated he slipped out through a nearby construction site and suffered a fatal fall. Yet police and cadaver dogs scoured the area with no results.
Foul play: Columbus’ Gateway district had a history of crime. One theory held that Brian left undetected and was attacked walking home. The timing would have coincided with trash collection, meaning any remains might have been removed before police began searching.
Smiley Face Killer: A more sensational theory tied Brian’s case to an alleged network of drownings across U.S. cities. However, authorities found no evidence to support the connection.
Media attention and public tips continued, but none provided evidence that explained what happened to Brian.
Images That Kept the Case Alive
As the years passed, Brian Shaffer’s disappearance remained one of the most baffling unsolved cases in Ohio. Investigators continued to follow leads, but each ended in disappointment.
In 2018, the Ugly Tuna Saloona the last place Brian was seen alive closed its doors. For many in Columbus, the bar had become synonymous with the mystery.
In 2020, a photo circulated online showing a homeless man in Tijuana, Mexico, who bore a resemblance to Brian. The tip was sent to Detective Blanche Tucker of the Columbus Police Missing Persons Unit, who forwarded it to the FBI.
Using facial recognition software, the FBI compared the image to Brian’s known photos. The result was conclusive the man was not Brian Shaffer.
The following year, in 2021, the Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Columbus Division of Police released an age-progressed image showing what Brian might look like at age 42.
Attorney General Dave Yost emphasized that the photo was intended to keep public attention on the case, stating “As we age, our appearance changes. This image is a tool to help generate new leads in hopes of finding answers.”
Around the same time, Interim Columbus Police Chief Michael Woods reiterated that the case remained active. He noted that tips continued to come in and assured the public that detectives reviewed each one carefully.
Despite these efforts, no confirmed sightings, evidence, or breakthroughs have emerged. The reward for information leading to Brian’s whereabouts, offered through Central Ohio Crime Stoppers, now stands at $100,000.
