In the name of the father
Randy Shaffer died in a freak accident last year before he could unravel the mystery that had consumed his life for nearly three years—the disappearance of his son. Now, a Columbus detective and loyal friends are carrying on the quest.
by April Johnston
The only other surviving family member, Brian’s younger brother, Derek, has fallen mostly silent since Randy’s death. Friends say he needs a break from the pain and the overwhelming, and increasingly hopeless, task of finding Brian.
But those who watched Randy fight—friends, detectives, volunteers and even sympathetic strangers—have a renewed fervor for the case. They want to find the answers for the father who never got them. They want an ending to this story, even if it’s not a happy one. Only, without Randy, they’re not quite sure what to do or where to begin.
“It’s overwhelming,” says Lori Davis, who never knew Brian but felt drawn to the case and to Randy after seeing him interviewed on television. Three years after Brian’s disappearance and six months after Randy’s death, she still wears a Where is Brian Shaffer? button on her jacket and scours the Internet for clues most every evening. “I want to respect the family’s wishes [for privacy], but then I ask myself if Randy would want me to continue searching, and I know he would. I think we’re all kind of lost right now.”
http://www.columbusmonthly.com/article1.html
http://www.findbrianshaffer.com/
