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

[ALS89]

Question, I’ve seen several mentions of Brian being the type of guy that would have talked to the band and even a few where his friends suggested he talk to them that night. Has anyone questioned the band members, or does anyone know the name of the band that played? It makes sense that they would have been lugging equipment out the employee entrance around closing time so pehaps they saw something?

Also, I can’t seem to piece together the layout of the exits at the bar other than the front exit. Is there an exit in the kitchen and another emergency exit? If so, where do they lead to? Do you still have to use the escalators if you went out those exits?

 

[dotr]

"Rock House" band that is believed to have played that night,imo, speculation.
Hope this link is fine to post..
FWIW. @ 7:45 Brian S segment.

Also this book discusses Brian S and references the above video...
The Encyclopedia of Unsolved Crimes

 

[Kaie]

Question, I’ve seen several mentions of Brian being the type of guy that would have talked to the band and even a few where his friends suggested he talk to them that night. Has anyone questioned the band members, or does anyone know the name of the band that played? It makes sense that they would have been lugging equipment out the employee entrance around closing time so pehaps they saw something?

Also, I can’t seem to piece together the layout of the exits at the bar other than the front exit. Is there an exit in the kitchen and another emergency exit? If so, where do they lead to? Do you still have to use the escalators if you went out those exits?

LE definitely spoke to the band. There wouldn't be any known person who could have come into contact with Brian that night (or any time leading up to it), with whom LE neglected to speak. From memory, a ball park figure of the number of people interviewed by investigators was given in one of the Comeback podcast episodes, and it was a high number. (If anyone can remember which episode it was, please jump in here... it's late at night where I am, so I won't try and source the specifics myself right now).

The only result I have ever heard about the interviewing of the band, was that they were unable to provide any helpful information to investigators. The exact same thing gets said about the questioning of bar staff. It's a bit of a vague answer really. I mean what I understand and accept from that response, is that the band didn't see him leave, didn't see anything suspicious, and didn't have anything to do with Brian's disappearance. But I'm always wondering whether he ever spoke to the band at all. Did Brian tell Clint he was going to talk to the band, when he really had no intention of it? Did he intend to talk to the band, but something untoward happened on his way over to them? Did he speak to the band like nothing was wrong and then disappear after that? Or was Clint not even speaking in fact when he said that Brian went to talk to the band?

You know, that could even be one of the things that put Clint under the microscope. Him saying that Brian last said that he was going to talk to the band, and then the band saying that no one fitting Brian's description approached them at the end of the night at all.

Even though no official statement from LE seems to confirm or deny whether the band remembers Brian... I think we actually would know about he did talk to them at the end of the night. LE can't openly discuss this case, but exactly where a missing person was last seen is important information for the public appeal for information and tips. If the band were last to speak to him, surely that would have to be incorporated into the info released for that appeal.

 

[Ozoner]

I still think that he attempted to follow the band but got lost while attempting to take the service elevator downstairs and ended up in the construction area, where he ultimately became entombed. That simple solution fits the evidence far better than any other theory that's been offered.

 

[Kaie]

I still think that he attempted to follow the band but got lost while attempting to take the service elevator downstairs and ended up in the construction area, where he ultimately became entombed. That simple solution fits the evidence far better than any other theory that's been offered.

Yes, his desire to speak to the band could explain why he ended up in the wrong area (and a dangerous one). That's if the band were already out the door, and not still in the stage area.
Although, usually bands are pretty much the last people out the door, only just ahead of the last of the staff. Packing up all that gear and every cord that goes with it etc... takes a fair bit of time (I actually have quite a lot of experience with this). The band doesn't normally beat the party goers out the door. There can always be an exception of course.

 

[ALS89]

Thanks for the reply. Yes I was thinking that if he did go out the service entrance one of the band members would have seen him probably. From your post it sounds like if you leave the service entrance you must use an elevator? Is that right? If so and Brian used that elevator I’m surprised that the dogs didn’t get a hit in it, or that no one saw him. Once you get off the elevator where does it lead?

 

[itsrak]

Is this the same Rockhouse?:

There is some footage of inside of UTS in this vid:

Here's 2008 vid that shows about what it was probably like inside UTS the night Brian went missing:

Here's UTS vid from 10/2007: ugly tuna

 

[Kaie]

Here's 2008 vid that shows about what it was probably like inside UTS the night Brian went missing

I guess that crowd is about the size that if you were one of the people in it, you wouldn't remember all of the other faces there if asked about it later. Especially true in Brian's case, since he was there earlier in the night, bar hopped and then came back at the end, so wasn't part of the UTS crowd for the full night out. He was in pretty inconspicuous clothing that night, not one of the people in the bright red OSU jerseys that stand out in the crowd. And I can see how a person could slip out an exit and no one notice in amongst all of the noise and movement in there. The crowd might have dispersed a bit by the end of the night, which is the time we're talking about, but it was the beginning of spring break... a lot of students would have been determined to go out and not leave til the bar closes.

There were probably a lot of people out that night who, if shown a picture of Brian, were able to say "Oh yeah, I saw him... he was there"... and that would have been everything that they knew.

 

[embufum]

Just some FYI

Clint was not a medical student he got his PHD at OSU in Immunology/Infectious Disease/Microbiology
Clint was house sitting for the professor who was out of town.
Clint was also a TA at the time
I'm pretty sure Brian had not started his clinicals yet so I don't think there would be a possibility that he was stealing drugs from a hospital.
Brian was last seen going off camera at 1:55 am. According to one of the girls they chatted off camera for a few minutes in the little hallway under the camera and then the two left saying goodbye to Brian.
There is no proof that Brian ever went back into the bar.
Clint and Meredeth left going down the escalator at 2 am.
At 2:01 Meredeth called Brian and left a message on his VM asking "where the hell are you?"
At 2:09 They were seen exiting the parking garage.
Clint was the one who called Meredeth to meet them at one of the bars him and Brian were at and she drove them back to the Tuna.

So there is less than 5 minutes possibly as little as 1 or 2 that Brian was last seen and Clint and Meredeth left at 2:01 am. At this point Brian was already gone and his phone was turned off. I personally think it extremely unlikely that the two policemen didn't notice which way Brian left. In the video the two policemen were looking right at Brian and the other people that where standing there. at one point Brian turns his head and glances at them right before walking off camera.

There is a lot of info that isn't being released and I think it's about time that at least some of it is for the simple reason that someone might be able to piece this info together to maybe help find Brian. I have spoken to Don on 2 or 3 different occasions and some of the stuff he told me was confidential but one of the things he did tell me that he said was no secret. Brian had expressed his concerns about not wanting to get married the night he went missing. This alone shows what his state of mind was and if he was expected to propose in Miami would be IMO reason enough not to go.

 

[embufum]

Is this the same Rockhouse?:

I am pretty sure this is not the same band.

 

[Kaie]

I'm pretty sure Brian had not started his clinicals yet so I don't think there would be a possibility that he was stealing drugs from a hospital.

I've always found the notion that this has something to do with 2nd year med' students stealing hospital drugs, to be out of the question.

Brian was last seen going off camera at 1:55 am. According to one of the girls they chatted off camera for a few minutes in the little hallway under the camera and then the two left saying goodbye to Brian.
There is no proof that Brian ever went back into the bar.
Clint and Meredeth left going down the escalator at 2 am.
At 2:01 Meredeth called Brian and left a message on his VM asking "where the hell are you?"

That window of time is so tiny. That's one of the things that draws people in with this case. He was right there, and then he wasn't. For those of us who entertain the idea (and for those who feel sure of it), that Brian came to grief in the construction site... would he even have had enough minutes to go out of the relevant exit, use a service elevator, and wind up under enough dirt or debris for the phone to stop working before Meredith tried to call it? Part of that theory is that the phone was under enough dirt to cut signal by then. It sounds like the adjusted timeframe that he would have had to get out there (after you consider a few minutes of Brian's whereabouts off camera being accounted for) would be only 2 or 3 minutes. When I think about it like that, I get pulled back to the possibility that Brian made a conscious decision to turn off his phone.

There is a lot of info that isn't being released and I think it's about time that at least some of it is for the simple reason that someone might be able to piece this info together to maybe help find Brian.

I can't in any way understand the secrecy at this stage. It makes sense up until a point, but this many years down the track they have to try something else. Surely investigators have some discretion when it comes to how many details they can divulge in the interests of generating tips from the public. I think it's time for them to lay the full story out on the table in a public way (eg. full length episode of one of the more trustworthy current affairs shows) and then see how much information pours back to them.

If they want new tips, they're now going to have to generate new interest. Saying that they have three theories but can't say what they are, won't do it. The period of time where it might have been fruitful for them to hold their cards close to their chests, is long gone.

 

[Kaie]

Thanks for the reply. Yes I was thinking that if he did go out the service entrance one of the band members would have seen him probably. From your post it sounds like if you leave the service entrance you must use an elevator? Is that right? If so and Brian used that elevator I’m surprised that the dogs didn’t get a hit in it, or that no one saw him. Once you get off the elevator where does it lead?

I've tried to get as familiar with the building as I can from pictures and descriptions, but I have never been in it... so I can't give precise answers about the building. There's others on here who might be able to. I got the impression the elevator was a Buckhoist or similar.

 

[pittsburghgirl]

If Brian had wanted to postpone the wedding or end the engagement, the death of his mother would have provided a reasonable explanation. People break engagements all the time. They don't disappear off the face of the earth as a result.

 

[embufum]

If Brian had wanted to postpone the wedding or end the engagement, the death of his mother would have provided a reasonable explanation. People break engagements all the time. They don't disappear off the face of the earth as a result.

I agree. I think that if Brian did run away it wasn't because he somehow couldn't break it off with Alexis. He actually tried to break it off with her not long before he went missing. What I do think is that his frame of mind was such that leaving would be a lot easier because he wasn't too keen on getting married.

 

[Owutatangledweb]

If you folks have already discussed this, scroll and roll. I haven't been following this thread closely lately. I watched a documentary a couple weeks ago about the smiley face killer. There was a victim in that case that had some kind of altercation with the band. I Can't recall the name of the band. A dog hit on the band's van but this was pretty much ignored by LE. This group in the documentary believed that the victims head had been stomped on by a boot. There was a boot seen in the back of the band's van. They tried to match it up. The boot didn't match the stomp print. While watching this, I immediately thought of Bryan. I didn't note the name of the victim because I was only half paying attention to the TV. It was the "band" thing that got my attention.

 

[Kaie]

If Brian had wanted to postpone the wedding or end the engagement, the death of his mother would have provided a reasonable explanation. People break engagements all the time. They don't disappear off the face of the earth as a result.

It's true... people don't usually disappear for reasons like that. There wasn't even any engagement to break at that point, they were girlfriend and boyfriend. And really, you don't have to dig too deep to find an excuse to not get down on one knee and turn your girlfriend into your fiancée on a spring break trip, when your mother passed away three weeks ago, and you still have over two years of medical school to complete. But when I look at the things that were said in interviews after his disappearance, I can almost feel the pressure myself. Why, under all the difficult circumstances that existed for Brian at that time, were people close to him still saying that he was going to pop the question on that trip... when he was going through bereavement, and hadn't even bought a ring?

If Brian did decide to disappear (and then pulled off one of the greatest disappearing acts of all time, as well as a Houdini style exit from the bar)... then all that relationship pressure, that sounds like it was coming from all sides, wouldn't have been the reason. But in the straw that broke the camel's back, it would have been another straw (amongst many others).

 

[neesaki]

OT:
Asking for prayers for our fellow sleuther,GregjRichards. He’s very ill, he’s a good man and a good friend here on WS, and could use all the prayers and well wishes , blessings, he can get.
Thank you so much dear friends.

https://www.websleuths.com/forums/threads/urgent-prayers-needed-for-gregjrichards.427212/

 

[Lavinia]

I've always found the notion that this has something to do with 2nd year med' students stealing hospital drugs, to be out of the question.



That window of time is so tiny. That's one of the things that draws people in with this case. He was right there, and then he wasn't. For those of us who entertain the idea (and for those who feel sure of it), that Brian came to grief in the construction site... would he even have had enough minutes to go out of the relevant exit, use a service elevator, and wind up under enough dirt or debris for the phone to stop working before Meredith tried to call it? Part of that theory is that the phone was under enough dirt to cut signal by then. It sounds like the adjusted timeframe that he would have had to get out there (after you consider a few minutes of Brian's whereabouts off camera being accounted for) would be only 2 or 3 minutes. When I think about it like that, I get pulled back to the possibility that Brian made a conscious decision to turn off his phone.



I can't in any way understand the secrecy at this stage. It makes sense up until a point, but this many years down the track they have to try something else. Surely investigators have some discretion when it comes to how many details they can divulge in the interests of generating tips from the public. I think it's time for them to lay the full story out on the table in a public way (eg. full length episode of one of the more trustworthy current affairs shows) and then see how much information pours back to them.

If they want new tips, they're now going to have to generate new interest. Saying that they have three theories but can't say what they are, won't do it. The period of time where it might have been fruitful for them to hold their cards close to their chests, is long gone.

This statement reminds me of the Jennifer Kesse case. Her family is in the middle of a legal process to attain Jennifer's records from Orlando PD as it has been 13 years without even a suspect being named.

 

[Lavinia]

It's true... people don't usually disappear for reasons like that. There wasn't even any engagement to break at that point, they were girlfriend and boyfriend. And really, you don't have to dig too deep to find an excuse to not get down on one knee and turn your girlfriend into your fiancée on a spring break trip, when your mother passed away three weeks ago, and you still have over two years of medical school to complete. But when I look at the things that were said in interviews after his disappearance, I can almost feel the pressure myself. Why, under all the difficult circumstances that existed for Brian at that time, were people close to him still saying that he was going to pop the question on that trip... when he was going through bereavement, and hadn't even bought a ring?

If Brian did decide to disappear (and then pulled off one of the greatest disappearing acts of all time, as well as a Houdini style exit from the bar)... then all that relationship pressure, that sounds like it was coming from all sides, wouldn't have been the reason. But in the straw that broke the camel's back, it would have been another straw (amongst many others).

I'm glad you brought up the topic of his possible engagement as this is something that is a bit of a gray area to some. NO evidence has ever been released that Brian had in fact bought a ring and/or was set to propose to Alexis. If he had bought a ring, this case would be looked at differently and would lean more towards an accident/homicide because he clearly had future plans.

 

[Lavinia]

I'm glad you brought up the topic of his possible engagement as this is something that is a bit of a gray area to some. NO evidence has ever been released that Brian had in fact bought a ring and/or was set to propose to Alexis. If he had bought a ring, this case would be looked at differently and would lean more towards an accident/homicide because he clearly had future plans.

To clarify on my previous statement, I do not think Brian attempted to begin a new life somewhere else nor do I think he took his own life. I do believe he died within several hours of his last confirmed sighting. To erase any doubt of false sightings, let's set that time at 1:55am, the last time he was captured on video. I believe Brian met his fate either by accident (via construction site) or foul play (walking home at night or an altercation in the bar). I have to lean more towards the construction site because no body has ever been found.