Brian Randall Shaffer was born on February 11, 1979 and grew up in Pickerington, Ohio. In 2006, he was a 27 year old second year medical student at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. Friends and family said he had been deeply affected by the recent death of his mother, Renee, who died in March 2006. At the time, he was dating fellow medical student Alexis Waggoner, and the two had plans to travel to Miami for spring break.
On the evening of March 31, 2006, Brian had dinner with his father before going out with friends to celebrate the start of spring break. He spent part of the night bar hopping with his former roommate William Clint Florence and another friend. Eventually, they arrived at the Ugly Tuna Saloona, a bar located in the South Campus Gateway complex near Ohio State University.
At around 1:15 am on April 1, surveillance footage showed Brian and his friends entering the building and heading up to the bar. Later, between about 1:55 and 2:00 am, Brian was seen near the entrance area talking briefly with two women outside the bar. After that, he walked out of camera view. That was the last confirmed sighting of him.
What made the case especially strange was that investigators could not find clear footage of Brian leaving through the main exit or escalator. Detectives reviewed the surveillance footage extensively and examined the possibility that he may have left through a service exit or changed his appearance before leaving, but no evidence was found to confirm either scenario.
Police and family members began searching immediately. Hospitals, shelters, dumpsters, construction areas, nearby riverbanks, and locations around campus were checked. His car was later found parked near his apartment, and nothing in his home suggested that he had planned to disappear.