A Handsome Guy Walks Into A Bar 18 Years Ago, Never To Be Seen Again: Where Is Brian Shaffer?
Columbus, Ohio. Back in 2006, Brian Shaffer was 27-years-old, and two years into medical school at Ohio State University’s College of Medicine.
Brian was passionate about playing guitar in his free time, and he dreamed of one day getting to start his own band while also being a doctor.
He was dating a young woman that his loved ones were positive he was planning on proposing to that same year, and the couple was headed to Miami to celebrate their time off from school for spring break.
Perhaps Brian was going to use their getaway to pop the question to the woman he loved, but he never got the opportunity to do that.
18 years ago, Brian walked into a bar, never to be seen again.
Facebook; pictured above is a photo of Brian shortly before his disappearance
It was March 31st, 2006, and to celebrate the fact that spring break was about to start, Brian got together with his friends for a night out on the town.
The young men made their way to the Ugly Tuna Saloona, which was located in Columbus at 1546 N. High Street.
This bar was located quite close to the campus of Ohio State University, so it wasn’t hard for them to get to.
“At 9:56 pm, Brian called his girlfriend and told her he loved her and that he would see her when she came back to Columbus; the two had planned on taking a vacation to Miami and were scheduled to leave for Florida on Monday, April 3rd,” a website created to help find Brian explains.
“Shortly after talking to her, Brian and his friend walked down to the Arena District in Columbus, OH; they stopped at the North Short Tavern and then went to Brother’s, where they met with other friends. One of the friends drove them back to the Ugly Tuna Saloona, where they are seen in the surveillance tape at 1:15 am.”
“The next time Brian is seen on cameras, he was outside of the Ugly Tuna, at the top of the escalator, talking with two girls; he appears to say ‘bye’ and turns towards the bar, he then disappears from the camera’s view and has not been seen since.”
Here’s where this gets downright weird; the bar’s security cameras never witnessed Brian leaving in those early morning hours of April 1st.
The thing is, Brian really couldn’t have left the bar at all without being picked up on camera. The only other way Brian could have left the bar at all was through a back service door that wasn’t open to the public.
When Brian went missing, this back exit overlooked a construction area that wasn’t a path he could have easily taken to leave the vicinity, and given that he had a few drinks that evening, it would make it even more impossible for Brian to have gone that way under the influence of alcohol.
Now, there were other businesses located next to the bar that had security cameras, and though authorities looked through all of that footage, there still was no sign of Brian.
He seemingly vanished into thin air, and he has not been seen since then.
In the aftermath of Brian’s disappearance, authorities also questioned the girls he was seen chatting with on the security cameras, but they didn’t have anything to say to get closer to where Brian went. Additionally, that construction area behind the Ugly Tuna Saloona was extensively searched, but nothing pointing to Brian was discovered.
Facebook; pictured above Brian smiles
Nobody really knows what happened to Brian, or if it’s possible he is still out there somewhere.
Authorities have not been able to rule out that Brian may have been met with some kind of foul play, but some people have speculated that he just up and left his life behind.
Brian’s mom sadly passed away right before he vanished after battling cancer. Brian’s dad mentioned he was facing down some stressful exams at that point in his life too…but is that all really a reason to walk away from your loved ones?
Facebook; pictured above is another photo of Brian
Early in 2021, the Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Columbus Division of Police released an age-progressed photo of Brian to the public.
“Take a close look at this image: a single tip can reignite a cold case and bring a family closer to reunification with a loved one,” Attorney General Dave Yost said in a press release.
“Hope doesn’t have an expiration date – every missing person counts.”
Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation; pictured above is an age-progressed photo of Brian and what he would look like today
A victim’s advocate named Lori currently runs a Facebook page to help generate awareness for Brian’s case.
“I urge each of you to continue to bring awareness to Brian’s case and never give up hope that someone will have the courage to share what they know with the proper people and Brian will be found,” Lori wrote in a Facebook post.
“Dale Carnegie once said: “Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.” It’s been over 15 years since Brian was last seen, so many people have spent thousands of hours searching for him and for information that will lead to him.”
“Don’t give up on Brian, don’t give up hope, and when you get discouraged and feel like giving up, remember why you held on for so long in the first place.”
Brian is 6’2″ and weighs around 160 to 165 pounds. He has a very unique Pearl Jam tattoo on the upper portion of his right arm. Another identifying feature Brian has is a significant dot on the iris of his left eye.
Facebook; pictured above is Brian’s tattoo
He has brown hair and hazel-colored eyes. Right now, Brian would be 42-years-old.
If you have any information related to Brian’s disappearance, please call the Columbus Police Department at 614.645.2358.
FBI; pictured above is a flyer for Brian
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