OH OH - Brian Shaffer, 27, Columbus, 1 April 2006 - #3

[neesaki]

If I look at these pics long enough the more I end up seeing Brian but at the same time this guy is older IMO than Brian would be now. I'd say around 45. This guys build is pretty much the same. He's tall and lanky but somewhat muscular. In one of the pics his hand is almost in the exact position that you always see Brian do but it's the left hand and Brian always used his right. I have no idea where these pics were taken unfortunately.

I think the pic you posted here could very well be a guy in the 30 year old range, haven’t seen the other one you have though. Brian would be 40 y/o now, right? Some guys gray prematurely which can make them look older. Jmo

 

[embufum]

I think the pic you posted here could very well be a guy in the 30 year old range, haven’t seen the other one you have though. Brian would be 40 y/o now, right? Some guys gray prematurely which can make them look older. Jmo

Yeah he would be 40. I look at Derek and try to get an idea how Brian might have aged but that doesn’t always mean they would both age the same. I have relatives actually a couple of cousins that went almost total grey by 40.

 

[Looking4Brian]

I’ve read discussions about this episode of The Missing elsewhere, and people touched on the new detail being something about an argument between Clint and Brian. Could that be it? I can’t watch it yet due to issues with getting the internet connected at my new place (hopefully will be fixed in just over a week now).

There was the argument with Clint, the fact that Brian’s phone was still receiving texts at 2:13 a.m., and John Hurst touches base on his opinion of Brian being alive.

 

[Kaie]

There was the argument with Clint, the fact that Brian’s phone was still receiving texts at 2:13 a.m., and John Hurst touches base on his opinion of Brian being alive.

Very interesting! And thanks for filling me in... I will listen out for those points when I do get to access the program next week.

 

[Cagle]

People are still looking for Brian Shaffer, a student from Ohio who vanished many years ago under mysterious circumstances.

Most peculiar about his vanishing is that one minute he was surrounded by people and then, before anyone could understand what had happened, he was suddenly gone. He went into a building and never left it. Everyone looked for Brian, but he was nowhere to be found. It was as if he just vanished into thin air.

Unexplained Disappearance Of Brian Shaffer Who Vanished Into Thin Air | MessageToEagle.com

 

[embufum]

So pics aside I've always thought if Brian was killed it was on his way home and it was probably due to some type of situation where Brian got into an argument and was killed probably by accident and his body was disposed of possibly in a dumpster or secluded area but not local.

The dogs supposedly caught Brian's scent in Wendy's parking lot. If that's true then Brian was heading back home and IMO was trying to avoid Clint. If he came out of the construction area he had basically two routes he could take to get back home. If he walked behind Wendy's he would have taken Pearl street down to E 8th ave and cut over to N High. If he did take Pearl then why? Maybe it was dependent on what door he came out of or maybe he saw Clint and Meredith pulling out of the parking garage and decided to take the back street.

The other possible route after coming out of the construction area is he took a right onto E 9th Ave and then a left on N High. It's doubtful that if Brian was killed it was while he was on N High, just too many people. The short walk down Pearl or onto E 8th Ave would make more sense. It's also possible but not likely for the reasons I will explain later that he could have met foul play once he turned off N High and onto King.

So we know that Brian received a text from Clint at around 2:10 am and that his phone was still active up until 2:13. This is where I think it's very telling that something bad possibly happened to Brian. So Brian started his walk out of the building at say 2 am. I think he shut his phone off to avoid Clint and he then navigates his way through the construction area and out the back door near Wendy's. Let's say this takes him about 5 minutes.

So at 2:05 am he starts the walk home. Taking into consideration a verbal altercation where Brian may have run his mouth (sound familiar?) and his phone going dead at 2:13 my guess is this would have had to happen fairly early on his walk home. There is only 8 minutes till his phone stopped receiving texts if he made it out of the building at around 2:05 am. Knowing this, there is not enough time for him to make it down to King so I'd say what ever happened was on or near Pearl and E 8th. Let's say the altercation lasts approx 5-7 minutes that brings us to roughly 2:10 to 2:12 am. At this point Brian is dead or presumed dead and taken to somewhere that the person or people thought he would never be found. They immediately shut his phone off or smash it to make sure it never works again.

I have to be honest I think this IMO is a very likely scenario, but what if as I said earlier Brian was presumed dead. What if he was unconsciousness and woke up later fairly far away with no memory of how he got there and who he was? Probably not likely but maybe this is why the CPD have hopes he still out there alive and well as they put it.

 

[embufum]

Here are a few pics of the area and route that Brian could have taken. Unfortunately the pics don't go back to 06 but some go to 07. There are not too many houses on Pearl but there are a few apartment complexes and each one has a large dumpster near there. Keep in mind that Pearl follows N High all the way down to King ave. so there are quite a few houses once you get past E 8th Ave. I'm still of the opinion if something happened it was closer to the Gateway given the time his phone went dead. The one pic is the approximate view of Wendy's that Brian would have seen if he came out the construction area. The other view is at the end of Pearl looking down the alley towards the Gateway. The last one with the dumpster is about half way down the alley facing the Gateway. I know that the dumpsters where checked but were they checked soon enough? Could Brian have made it into one of the apartments? Is it possibly he knew someone there?

 

[embufum]

I remember when Brian's Uncle mentioned that the dogs led them near a church. This Church is on E 7th Ave but Pearl runs down to the left of the building. E 7th Ave runs right over the King Ave and as I said I don't think he made it that far but who knows. I thought the Church was a bit of a coincidence. Was this the one his Uncle mentioned?

 

[itsrak]

Over 4,000 days have passed and still not a shred of evidence has materialized that Brian ever left the building.

 

[neesaki]

So pics aside I've always thought if Brian was killed it was on his way home and it was probably due to some type of situation where Brian got into an argument and was killed probably by accident and his body was disposed of possibly in a dumpster or secluded area but not local.

The dogs supposedly caught Brian's scent in Wendy's parking lot. If that's true then Brian was heading back home and IMO was trying to avoid Clint. If he came out of the construction area he had basically two routes he could take to get back home. If he walked behind Wendy's he would have taken Pearl street down to E 8th ave and cut over to N High. If he did take Pearl then why? Maybe it was dependent on what door he came out of or maybe he saw Clint and Meredith pulling out of the parking garage and decided to take the back street.

The other possible route after coming out of the construction area is he took a right onto E 9th Ave and then a left on N High. It's doubtful that if Brian was killed it was while he was on N High, just too many people. The short walk down Pearl or onto E 8th Ave would make more sense. It's also possible but not likely for the reasons I will explain later that he could have met foul play once he turned off N High and onto King.

So we know that Brian received a text from Clint at around 2:10 am and that his phone was still active up until 2:13. This is where I think it's very telling that something bad possibly happened to Brian. So Brian started his walk out of the building at say 2 am. I think he shut his phone off to avoid Clint and he then navigates his way through the construction area and out the back door near Wendy's. Let's say this takes him about 5 minutes.

So at 2:05 am he starts the walk home. Taking into consideration a verbal altercation where Brian may have run his mouth (sound familiar?) and his phone going dead at 2:13 my guess is this would have had to happen fairly early on his walk home. There is only 8 minutes till his phone stopped receiving texts if he made it out of the building at around 2:05 am. Knowing this, there is not enough time for him to make it down to King so I'd say what ever happened was on or near Pearl and E 8th. Let's say the altercation lasts approx 5-7 minutes that brings us to roughly 2:10 to 2:12 am. At this point Brian is dead or presumed dead and taken to somewhere that the person or people thought he would never be found. They immediately shut his phone off or smash it to make sure it never works again.

I have to be honest I think this IMO is a very likely scenario, but what if as I said earlier Brian was presumed dead. What if he was unconsciousness and woke up later fairly far away with no memory of how he got there and who he was? Probably not likely but maybe this is why the CPD have hopes he still out there alive and well as they put it.

You make some excellent points, embufum. I’ve also always gotten the distinct impression he was purposely avoiding Clint, thus explaining why he left on his own without telling anyone.
I have to admit the street layout totally confuses me without studying a map so I’ll happily leave all that to you.
There is only one other scenario I want to add in as a possibility.
Perhaps after Brian’s escape from Clint and Meredith, he met up with another person or persons, possibly planned, maybe not, and left in a car with them after exiting the UT. This could have happened in the Wendy’s parking lot or shortly thereafter.
Then of course we’re still left with, where he ended up afterwards is anyone’s guess.

 

[embufum]

You make some excellent points, embufum. I’ve also always gotten the distinct impression he was purposely avoiding Clint, thus explaining why he left on his own without telling anyone.
I have to admit the street layout totally confuses me without studying a map so I’ll happily leave all that to you.
There is only one other scenario I want to add in as a possibility.
Perhaps after Brian’s escape from Clint and Meredith, he met up with another person or persons, possibly planned, maybe not, and left in a car with them after exiting the UT. This could have happened in the Wendy’s parking lot or shortly thereafter.
Then of course we’re still left with, where he ended up afterwards is anyone’s guess.

Yes I definitely think that’s a possibility since one of the dogs trail seemed to have stopped around Wendy’s. Wendy’s closed at 11am so I’d imagine some of the people who didn’t want to pay for parking would have parked there. He may have gotten a text from someone asking him to meet him at Wendy’s. Even before the reveal about the argument it seemed the most likely reason to skip out the back way was to avoid Clint and Meredith. Brian didn’t like Meredith and I think it was planned all along for Clint to call her without telling Brian. Clint and Meredith left at 2am and there’s a good chance he spotted them walking toward the exit right after Brightan and Amber left and just walked out the door that led to the hallway where the elevator was located.

 

[itsrak]

Hey guys! I’ve been swamped in some crazy cases and haven’t had a chance to come here for a bit. I figured our statements on the last episode would be unpopular. We both have our theories of what happened, but we can’t release everything yet. There is a lot that takes place during these phone calls that is strictly off the record. We are trying to get some of them to go on record, if they do it will open a lot of eyes. We will have a more thorough conversation with Hurst about the construction area but trust me when I say it wasn’t what everyone envisioned. Here is what I can say about my theory without giving away some off record information. Remember this is my theory about Brians disappearance. When I began this I 100% believed Brian met foul play in that bar. I have followed Brian’s case since the very first news story and thought if he wasn’t seen on camera leaving then he is still in that bar. And I honestly felt that way until November 2017 when we began this preparing for this podcast. I no longer feel that way. One person we interviewed got stern with us and said you guys have to get past the bar, Brian did! It wasn’t the opinion of the person we interviewed it was stated as a fact. It is my opinion that the police did a wonderful job searching the bar. Not to mention, Randy hired his own dogs to come in. There weren’t just one set of dogs used. Search and Cadaver dogs were used multiple times, both by the Police and the people that Randy brought in. A band member has recently went on record talking about using the construction area that night. Think about this question if the construction area was so dangerous why would the upstairs businesses still be using it to get to the trash exit? Why was the Ugly Tuna Saloona still having the bands use that location to enter and exit the bar? I don’t see the bar or the building owners taking the risk of a potential lawsuit by allowing this area to be used. It was not a dark area. There were lights there to illuminate the area since it was in use. Just because they keep stating it was a restricted area doesn’t mean it wasn’t accessible. It was restricted to patrons, not everyone. I believe Brian got out of that bar that night, so does everyone else that investigated this case including John Hurst and Don Corbett. Brian’s family doesn’t believe he is in the building, and Randy did not believe he was in the building. Now what ever happened after that only leaves theories and speculation. I think the new information we found about his timeline makes me question a lot of things. Tell me what you guys think of the timeline information?? The theories I have right now are 1.Brian got out of the bar and met foul play that night. 2. Brian got out of the bar and met foul play later in the day on Saturday. 3. Brian got out of the bar and decided to start a new life, later that day on Saturday. If Brian decided to start a new life I don’t think he chose Friday Night/Early Saturday morning while intoxicated to do it. Sorry for the novel. I really appreciate everyone of your theories. Even though I don’t believe he is in the bar doesn’t mean I won’t continue to investigate it. Im currently speaking to several people about ground penetrating radar just for a definitive answer and I think it will eventually happen.

Any movement on the prospect of use of ground penetrating radar or other modern tech in the circa 4/2006 construction area? Doubt it - I can't see building owner OSU wanting the building searched, which could perhaps subject OSU to liability if Brian's remains are found there. And hypothetically bad press...

Shocker: Remains of long-missing OSU student discovered on OSU property
Active construction area near popular bar may have been inadequately secured​

 

[Lavinia]

Any movement on the prospect of use of ground penetrating radar or other modern tech in the circa 4/2006 construction area? Doubt it - I can't see building owner OSU wanting the building searched, which could perhaps subject OSU to liability if Brian's remains are found there. And hypothetically bad press...

Shocker: Remains of long-missing OSU student discovered on OSU property
Active construction area near popular bar may have been inadequately secured​

what????!!!

 

[itsrak]

Hanlon's Razor:

Hanlon's razor - Wikipedia

 

[Stella]

And that arm, it looks just like Brian's in the photo where he's touching his girlfriend's chin! Who is this in the photo and where did it come from?

I can see what you mean when I look at the jawline. I don’t think the nose is right though.

 

[pg66]

Thought I would share this. Personally I have never seen a photo of Brian that I thought was credible as far as one that was taken after he went missing. If Brian is alive I think he would still be playing guitar in some aspect or another. So yesterday I received an email with a photo attached. The person sent me two photos. The one I am posting is from 2009. I cropped out the right side because I did not want to show the two people in the crowd just for privacy reasons. Obviously it is someone who has a wig on and possibly doing some kind of retro or tribute band. The second picture I received is from this year and it shows a man, supposedly the same person sitting on a couch holding a guitar much like the photo of Brian that is posted all over the internet. I have not been given permission to post this photo, but I am hoping to get it. I have to say the most recent photo could pass for an older Brian. The man has a lot of grey hair but he does resemble Brian at least IMO. These two photos are probably the first and only photos that I thought could be Brian. Keep in mind I am NOT saying I think this is Brian, just that there is a resemblance IMO.

The Pearl Jam tattoo (which Brian had) on this man's shoulder, if he has one, would confirm it. Although tattoos can be (painfully) removed.

 

[pg66]

Have any of you ever heard of a guy who posts under the name MrMarco855? I don't know if he has ever posted here before. He is all over the internet claiming that he has personally solved numerous murder and missing persons cold cases. He never reveals his sources or how he came about the info. He has been told to go to the police but says he does not trust them. They might lose, misinterpret or ignore his info, he says. He refuses to divulge anything to anyone. I attempted to chat him up. Well, it is clear to me that this man is a pathological liar. He often gets mixed up in his own lies. He says that he refuses to talk to the police and then turns around and says that he has talked to the FBI and submitted all his info to them and that he is awaiting their reply. I exchanged a few emails with him. He is a lonely old man who is desperate for attention and veers towards being a pathological liar. Among others, he claims to have solved the Brian Shaffer case. When confronted and asked to spill the beans, he retreats, goes on a somewhat paranoid rant, and says, "I have all this information sitting in a drawer but no one to give it to". Do a google search for "MrMarco855" and you will quickly see a pattern to his madness. On one youtube message, he even gave out his phone number, begging people to call him. Yet, as I wrote, he refuses to divulge anything to anyone. The phone number is legitimate. It actually is his phone number and it leads to all sorts of personal info on him.

 

[pg66]

Has anyone ever noticed that is at least two pictures, Brian is doing the devil horns sign? Perhaps it is just me but I think this is something worth paying attention to, if it hasn't already on this forum. As you well know, in cases like these, even the smallest detail, no matter how crazy, might mean something. Both pictures are on the wiki page. One with his father and one with his mother.

Disappearance of Brian Shaffer - Wikipedia

 

[pg66]

After reading about theories ranging from walking away from his life to alien abduction, here is my theory. I have not read all 94 pages in this thread so please forgive me if I am writing about something that has already been written about before. Ok, here goes.

I think Brian's disappearance is a hookup gone horribly wrong. It's been said recently on this thread that Brian was struggling with his sexuality. Hurst will not give any specifics but did say that there was information made available to him to support this.

Brian decides to take a few tentative steps in exploring this and decides to meet someone (a guy). Also known, in vulgar terms, as a hookup. Since he is still in the struggling stages, he would most certainly want to do this discreetly. This can explain why he ditched his friends and snuck out by a different exit.

He makes it out of the Ugly Tuna and past the Wendy's. It's been said that dogs tracked his scent past Wendy's but lost it after that. This very likely means he got into a car. His hookup. Problem his, he hooked up with the wrong guy. He was murdered and his body disposed of. Where? Only the killer knows.

Killers often keep souvenirs of a murder. That would explain the phone-pinging incident of September 2006. The killer still had it in his possession. The fact that it pinged means that the phone still physically existed, it was not destroyed/dead, and that it was still in a workable condition. Randy Shaffer once said that he kept paying for Brian's phone just in case Brian would call one day. The phone pinged 14 miles from where Brian disappeared. That's where the killer was. Or he came back to the scene of his crime, as they sometimes do.

 

[neesaki]

Has anyone ever noticed that is at least two pictures, Brian is doing the devil horns sign? Perhaps it is just me but I think this is something worth paying attention to, if it hasn't already on this forum. As you well know, in cases like these, even the smallest detail, no matter how crazy, might mean something. Both pictures are on the wiki page. One with his father and one with his mother.

Disappearance of Brian Shaffer - Wikipedia

I think that hand sign signifies ILY for I Love You.
Top 10 Common Hand Symbols