The Brian Shaffer Mystery
25 June 2025
Deep Dive
On the 1st April 2006, medical student Brian Shaffer was enjoying a night out with friends in his university city of Columbus, Ohio. Just before 2am, he appeared to re-enter the bar he had been drinking at…and was never seen again. This mystery has baffled police and internet sleuths alike for almost two decades, so today Chyaz explores the question: what on earth happened to Brian Shaffer?
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Themes
- Unexplained disappearance and investigation
- Grief and interrupted plans
- Public fascination and online sleuthing
Questions Explored
Who was Brian Shaffer? + −
Brian Shaffer was a 27-year-old second year medical student at Ohio State University who had recently lost his mother and was planning a trip to Florida with his girlfriend Alexis Waggoner; he was last seen on CCTV returning to the Ugly Tuna Saloona at 1.55am on 1 April 2006. Chyaz Samuel lays out Brian’s background in Things Are About To Get Weird, Episode 70: The Brian Shaffer Mystery.
Where and when did Brian Shaffer disappear? + −
Brian was last captured on security cameras outside and then re-entering the Ugly Tuna Saloona, a second-floor bar in the university district of Columbus, Ohio, at about 1.55am on 1 April 2006, and he was not seen leaving after that. Chyaz Samuel goes into the detail in Things Are About To Get Weird, Episode 70: The Brian Shaffer Mystery.
Why is Brian Shaffer’s disappearance considered so strange? + −
The case is unusual because CCTV shows Brian returning to the bar but not leaving, exhaustive searches of the premises found no trace, his bank account was untouched, and his mobile later produced disputed pings; together these gaps leave almost no concrete leads. Chyaz Samuel covers this mystery in Things Are About To Get Weird, Episode 70: The Brian Shaffer Mystery.
What did police discover from the CCTV, witnesses and searches? + −
Detectives reviewed footage showing Brian speaking to two women outside the bar then walking back in, they searched the entire building and nearby areas including riverbanks and sewers, questioned witnesses and administered polygraphs to many people, but they found no evidence that Brian left the premises or was seen again. Chyaz Samuel walks through the investigation in Things Are About To Get Weird, Episode 70: The Brian Shaffer Mystery.
What theory explanations does the episode outline without revealing a resolution? + −
The episode outlines several possibilities raised over the years: voluntary disappearance, an accident while exiting via the site construction at the back of the building, homicide inside or after leaving the bar, and links suggested by internet sleuths to drownings like the Smiley Face theory; none of these have been proven. Chyaz Samuel goes into those theories in Things Are About To Get Weird, Episode 70: The Brian Shaffer Mystery.
Why does the Brian Shaffer case still attract attention today? + −
The case remains active in public memory because of persistent unanswered questions: disputed cellphone pings, ongoing online forums, reward offers, high media coverage and the lack of any conclusive evidence or confirmed sightings since 2006; these factors keep investigators and communities engaged. Chyaz Samuel covers the continuing interest in Things Are About To Get Weird, Episode 70: The Brian Shaffer Mystery.