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Brian Shaffer: The Ultimate Disappearance
On this blog, I frequently use the word “vanished.” I write about a lot of missing person cases, but in just about every case, there is at least some idea of where the person disappeared to. Bare minimum, there is an idea of what happened to the person, be it suicide, murder, or simply walking away from life.
“Vanished” is really the only word to describe what happened to Brian Shaffer. He was there, and then he wasn’t. He might as well have been a ghost who walked through a wall and disappeared.
While many cases are famous for being tragic (and the disappearance of Brian Shaffer certainly is tragic), this case, more than anything, is well-known for its high strangeness.
Vanished
2006 was a tough year for Brian Shaffer. In March, Brian’s mother, Renee, lost a battle with cancer. [1]
Grappling with grief, the 27-year-old decided to enjoy a night out on the town with his former roommate, Clint Florence, on April 1. But before he hit the bar with his friend, Brian went out to dinner with his father, Randy, and his younger brother, Derek. [2]
The two men opted to spend the evening at South Campus Gateway’s Ugly Tuna Saloona bar, located in the Arena District of Columbus, Ohio, arriving around 9 p.m. It was the beginning of spring break. [1]
Just before 10 p.m., Brian briefly spoke with his girlfriend, Alexis Waggoner, a second-year medical student at Ohio State, who was visiting with her parents in Toledo. At the end of the call, Brian told Alexis he loved her, and it was the last time she ever heard his voice.
Brian and Clint decided to do a bit of bar-hopping and the two traveled to the Short North where they met up with Clint’s friend, Meredith Reed. After doing several…
