Full Transcript for The STRANGE and UNSOLVED Disappearance of Brian Schaffer

that direction, her Christmas gift to Brian 36 00:01:57.920 --> 00:02:00.000 and Alexis included a trip for two to My Head 37 00:02:01.959 --> 00:02:04.599 in Lexis were to leave on Monday, April third for 38 00:02:04.680 --> 00:02:08.639 a week long trip. They were never to live that experience, however. 39 00:02:10.800 --> 00:02:14.599 On Friday, March thirty first, Brian officially started his break 40 00:02:14.680 --> 00:02:17.800 by having dinner at the Outback Steakhouse. In Rentalsburg, Ohio, 41 00:02:17.879 --> 00:02:22.039 with his father, Randy. Brian's friends wanted him to join 42 00:02:22.080 --> 00:02:24.520 them for drinks earlier in the evening, but Brian insisted 43 00:02:24.520 --> 00:02:27.439 he spend some time with his father. They were both 44 00:02:27.479 --> 00:02:29.759 in the midst of grief over losing the mattriarch of 45 00:02:29.759 --> 00:02:34.159 the family. Brian's father reported that he seemed mainly concerned 46 00:02:34.159 --> 00:02:38.280 about his father's well being. Brian was a bit tired, 47 00:02:38.319 --> 00:02:42.520 but otherwise well. Such fatigue would be unsurprising, of course, 48 00:02:42.639 --> 00:02:46.039 given everything he had endured that month. He needed ress, 49 00:02:46.039 --> 00:02:50.039 but he deserved a night to forget all his troubles. 50 00:02:52.000 --> 00:02:54.879 After dinner with his father, Brian returned to his apartment 51 00:02:54.919 --> 00:02:58.240 to prepare for a night of revelry. Around nine pm, 52 00:02:58.479 --> 00:03:01.520 he joined his friend Clint Lawrence with the intention of 53 00:03:01.520 --> 00:03:06.080 bar hopping. They met up at the Ugly Tuna Saluna, 54 00:03:06.319 --> 00:03:09.280 a bar that has since been closed. The Ugly Tuna 55 00:03:09.360 --> 00:03:11.599 was within a few blocks of Brian's apartment, so it 56 00:03:11.639 --> 00:03:14.960 made sense to begin the evening there. Within the hour, 57 00:03:15.400 --> 00:03:17.319 Brian took a moment to speak on the phone to 58 00:03:17.360 --> 00:03:20.680 his girlfriend Alexis. She had driven up to Toledo for 59 00:03:20.719 --> 00:03:24.240 the weekend. She wished to spend a few days with 60 00:03:24.280 --> 00:03:27.199 her parents before she and Brian jetted off to Miami together. 61 00:03:28.599 --> 00:03:31.280 Friends and family had suggested to the couple that perhaps 62 00:03:31.280 --> 00:03:35.840 Miami would be the perfect location for a proposal. Alexis, 63 00:03:35.960 --> 00:03:38.199 certain that Brian was the love of her life, was 64 00:03:38.280 --> 00:03:41.159 eager to take such a trip with him. Their call 65 00:03:41.240 --> 00:03:43.759 was brief, and he made sure to emphasize his love 66 00:03:43.800 --> 00:03:48.680 for her before saying goodbye. Unfortunately, this was the last 67 00:03:48.680 --> 00:03:53.479 time that Alexis heard Brian's voice. Brian and Clinton decided 68 00:03:53.520 --> 00:03:55.680 to continue their evening by moving on to several other 69 00:03:55.759 --> 00:03:57.960 bars before they met up with a young woman named 70 00:03:58.000 --> 00:04:01.439 a Meredith Read. She was a friend of Clint's, and, 71 00:04:01.639 --> 00:04:05.360 given their condition, offered to give them a ride. They accepted, 72 00:04:05.599 --> 00:04:07.840 and together the three of them returned to the Ugly 73 00:04:07.879 --> 00:04:12.039 Tuna Saluna. Brian and his friends arrived at the bar 74 00:04:12.080 --> 00:04:16.680 around one fifteen am on Saturday, April first surveillance camera's 75 00:04:16.720 --> 00:04:19.600 timestamped the trio's arrival as they ascended the escalator to 76 00:04:19.639 --> 00:04:24.720 the second story bar. Forty minutes later, Brian was seen 77 00:04:24.759 --> 00:04:27.759 again on surveillance standing near the top of the escalator 78 00:04:27.879 --> 00:04:32.079 speaking with two young women. After a few moments, Brian 79 00:04:32.120 --> 00:04:34.680 says goodbye and appears to re enter the Ugly Tuna. 80 00:04:35.240 --> 00:04:40.079 He is never seen on camera again. Clint and Meredith 81 00:04:40.160 --> 00:04:43.439 left around two am, unable to find Brian in person 82 00:04:43.519 --> 00:04:46.319 or able to get him to answer her cell phone. 83 00:04:46.360 --> 00:04:49.279 Sunday evening, a few hours prior to their scheduled flight 84 00:04:49.319 --> 00:04:52.959 to Miami, Alexis was more than concerned. She had not 85 00:04:53.040 --> 00:04:55.399 been able to contact her boyfriend over the weekend and 86 00:04:55.480 --> 00:04:59.480 she knew something was wrong. Out of an abundant of caution, 87 00:05:00.120 --> 00:05:02.680 she contacted Brian's father and brother to let them know 88 00:05:02.720 --> 00:05:06.360 of her worries. They met her that evening at Brian's apartment. 89 00:05:07.279 --> 00:05:09.680 He was nowhere to be found, so they began searching 90 00:05:09.680 --> 00:05:13.240 the immediate area. By the time the police were informed 91 00:05:13.279 --> 00:05:17.519 of the situation, nearly two days had passed. Surveillance footage 92 00:05:17.560 --> 00:05:19.680 was reviewed from the Ugly Tuna as well as other 93 00:05:19.759 --> 00:05:23.360 local areas that were on his route that evening. After 94 00:05:23.399 --> 00:05:26.199 his last appearance at one fifty five am, he is 95 00:05:26.279 --> 00:05:30.040 never seen again on camera. All possible exits from the 96 00:05:30.079 --> 00:05:32.800 bar were covered by cameras, so it is unknown how 97 00:05:32.839 --> 00:05:36.120 he left without being caught on video. There was only 98 00:05:36.160 --> 00:05:38.199 one exit out of the building that was not actively 99 00:05:38.240 --> 00:05:41.399 being monitored, but it was on the first floor. It 100 00:05:41.480 --> 00:05:43.680 was also a service exit that led directly to a 101 00:05:43.720 --> 00:05:47.800 construction site. According to Sergeant John Hurst, who was the 102 00:05:47.879 --> 00:05:50.600 lead supervisor of the Missing Persons

Department at the time, 103 00:05:51.000 --> 00:05:53.839 leaving through the service exit would have been extremely difficult. 104 00:05:54.759 --> 00:05:56.759 He said that there would be no reason for anyone 105 00:05:56.800 --> 00:05:59.160 to want to leave that way. It would have been 106 00:05:59.199 --> 00:06:02.519 a difficult towns even sober, and Brian had been drinking 107 00:06:02.519 --> 00:06:06.480 heavily that evening. When it became clear that something was 108 00:06:06.480 --> 00:06:11.279 truly amiss, word of Brian's disappearance spread rapidly. His picture 109 00:06:11.319 --> 00:06:14.399 and description were widely circulated across the OSU campus and 110 00:06:14.439 --> 00:06:18.040 the surrounding areas, as well as on various social media platforms. 111 00:06:20.000 --> 00:06:23.800 Brian is athletic in appearance. He's a Caucasian male, standing 112 00:06:23.839 --> 00:06:26.120 six foot two inches and weighing between one hundred and 113 00:06:26.120 --> 00:06:29.519 sixteen one hundred and seventy pounds. He has brown hair 114 00:06:29.519 --> 00:06:33.560 and hazel eyes. His left iris has a distinctive black 115 00:06:33.639 --> 00:06:36.319 dot on it. He has a tattoo on his upper 116 00:06:36.399 --> 00:06:39.399 right bicep is of the stickman logo that was on 117 00:06:39.439 --> 00:06:43.079 the cover art of Pearl Jam's single alive. He was 118 00:06:43.160 --> 00:06:45.839 last seen wearing an olive colored short sleeve shirt with 119 00:06:45.879 --> 00:06:49.800 a white long sleeved shirt underneath. He was wearing blue jeans, 120 00:06:49.959 --> 00:06:55.600 a yellow Cancer Wareness bracelet, and Adidas tennis shoes. Brian 121 00:06:55.639 --> 00:06:58.279 had a dream of someday becoming a rock star, as 122 00:06:58.319 --> 00:07:02.000 evidenced by his stickman tattoo. Brian greatly admired the band 123 00:07:02.040 --> 00:07:06.759 Pearl Jam. When Brian vanished, news spread quickly across the 124 00:07:06.759 --> 00:07:10.199 band's fan message boards, with a thread being created titled 125 00:07:10.439 --> 00:07:15.399 Columbus Area Pearl Jam Fan Gone Missing. The community rallied 126 00:07:15.399 --> 00:07:18.560 around the family, as did the band themselves, with Pearl 127 00:07:18.600 --> 00:07:22.639 Jam frontman Eddie Vedder speaking multiple times about Brian's disappearance. 128 00:07:24.319 --> 00:07:26.879 On June twenty fourth, two thousand and six, during a 129 00:07:26.959 --> 00:07:30.279 concert in Cincinnati, Eddie took a moment to ask for 130 00:07:30.319 --> 00:07:34.199 any information about Brian, declaring that Brian is one of 131 00:07:34.279 --> 00:07:37.399 us and we miss him here tonight. Hopefully we can 132 00:07:37.439 --> 00:07:41.720 have a happy ending to this. Eddie then stated we're 133 00:07:41.720 --> 00:07:44.759 going to play this one for Brian before heading into 134 00:07:44.839 --> 00:07:49.160 wish list, altering the lyrics and places begging Brian to 135 00:07:49.360 --> 00:07:54.800 come on home. There is love waiting at home. Brian's 136 00:07:54.800 --> 00:07:57.279 story has not been forgotten by the band over the years. 137 00:07:58.079 --> 00:08:01.120 In twenty ten, Eddie reminded the out in Columbus about 138 00:08:01.120 --> 00:08:04.959 Brian's disappearance before dedicating the song Come Back to Brian. 139 00:08:07.279 --> 00:08:10.600 Since his disappearance, there have been glimmers of hope, albeit 140 00:08:10.720 --> 00:08:14.519 just a few and only briefly. For example, Brian's apartment 141 00:08:14.600 --> 00:08:17.560 was broken into a few weeks after his disappearance. This 142 00:08:17.600 --> 00:08:19.480 could have been a major step forward in the case, 143 00:08:19.560 --> 00:08:21.959 but police determined it was simply a random crime and 144 00:08:22.040 --> 00:08:26.839 nothing more. A few months later, Alexis called Brian's phone, 145 00:08:27.000 --> 00:08:29.279 just as she had done every night since she last 146 00:08:29.319 --> 00:08:33.080 heard his voice. Day after day of only getting his voicemail. 147 00:08:33.600 --> 00:08:38.120 In September, his phone finally rang. No one answered, but 148 00:08:38.200 --> 00:08:41.919 they were able to ping the phone's location to Hillyhard, Ohio. This, 149 00:08:42.080 --> 00:08:44.519 according to the cell phone company, was nothing more than 150 00:08:44.519 --> 00:08:48.559 a glitch. Brian's phone was never turned on again, and 151 00:08:48.600 --> 00:08:53.120 its credit cards whenever used. Theories have abounded as to 152 00:08:53.159 --> 00:08:56.080 what happened to Brian that night. Perhaps he was too 153 00:08:56.159 --> 00:08:58.519 overwhelmed with the state of his life and simply left. 154 00:08:59.480 --> 00:09:02.679 Maybe he was attacked on his walk home. He was 155 00:09:02.799 --> 00:09:05.440 inebriated after all, and that location of town was known 156 00:09:05.480 --> 00:09:08.679 for its crime. Maybe his body is still within the 157 00:09:08.679 --> 00:09:11.720 building somewhere, or maybe it was in the construction area 158 00:09:11.840 --> 00:09:16.039 later covered with concrete. Some have suggested that Clinton knows 159 00:09:16.120 --> 00:09:19.440 exactly what happened, as he refused to undergo a polygraph test, 160 00:09:20.240 --> 00:09:23.559 and according to Brian's younger brother Derek, the two didn't 161 00:09:23.600 --> 00:09:26.799 always get a law. Clint had stated he told the 162 00:09:26.799 --> 00:09:30.080 police all he knew. Therefore, he claimed there was no 163 00:09:30.159 --> 00:09:34.039 need to undergo any sort of light detective test. Police 164 00:09:34.080 --> 00:09:35.919 have not been able to rule out much of anything 165 00:09:36.000 --> 00:09:40.279 with such a lack of evidence. In this case, Brian's father, Randy, 166 00:09:40.480 --> 00:09:43.559 and his girlfriend Alexis did everything they could to keep 167 00:09:43.600 --> 00:09:46.840 Brian's name and image in the media. Randy exhausted all 168 00:09:46.879 --> 00:09:49.799 means of searching, including scouring the Old Tangy River at 169 00:09:49.799 --> 00:09:54.279 the suggestion of a psychic. Brandy dedicated the remainder of 170 00:09:54.279 --> 00:09:56.679 his life to finding his son and helping other families 171 00:09:56.679 --> 00:10:01.159 who were missing loved ones. Randy, unfortunate died wh instruck 172 00:10:01.200 --> 00:10:03.200 by a falling limb during a storm in two thousand 173 00:10:03.200 --> 00:10:06.480 and eight. He never found any successful leads on the 174 00:10:06.480 --> 00:10:11.120 whereabouts of Zelda's son. The sole remaining immediate family member 175 00:10:11.159 --> 00:10:14.799 of Brian's is his younger brother Derek. Alexis has begun 176 00:10:14.840 --> 00:10:18.200 a new life Clinton Florence has moved out of state. 177 00:10:19.240 --> 00:10:21.399 Lori Davis, a friend of the families who took up 178 00:10:21.440 --> 00:10:25.080 particular interest in Brian's case, has dedicated countless hours of 179 00:10:25.080 --> 00:10:28.000 her life to finding not only Brian but also every 180 00:10:28.039 --> 00:10:33.600 other missing person in Ohio. Life moves on, but Brian, 181 00:10:33.720 --> 00:10:38.960 of course, will never be forgotten. Unfortunately, despite tips still 182 00:10:38.960 --> 00:10:41.879 being sent in fairly regularly throughout the years, we are 183 00:10:41.919 --> 00:10:46.000 no closer to answering the question what happened to Brian Shaeffer. 184 00:10:47.799 --> 00:10:51.399 If you, or anyone you know has any information about 185 00:10:51.440 --> 00:10:55.840 the disappearance of Brian Schaeffer born February eleventh, nineteen seventy nine, 186 00:10:56.440 --> 00:10:59.879 please call one eight seven seven six four five tips 187 00:11:00.519 --> 00:11:03.639 or eight seven seven six four five eight four seven seven. 188 00:11:04.039 --> 00:11:09.120 You can remain anonymous if you wish well. Friends, thank 189 00:11:09.200 --> 00:11:11.559 you for tuning in to episode three of our Land 190 00:11:11.600 --> 00:11:15.200 of the Lost series. Please remember that we're asking everyone 191 00:11:15.200 --> 00:11:17.759 who watches this video to please share it on social 192 00:11:17.799 --> 00:11:21.399 media and with friends and family. Brian is still missing 193 00:11:21.840 --> 00:11:24.279 and you just might know the person who holds the 194 00:11:24.360 --> 00:11:28.240 key to solving this case. Until we meet again, take 195 00:11:28.279 --> 00:11:31.519 care of yourselves and each other. I'm Steve Stockton and 196 00:11:31.559 --> 00:11:32.840 I'll talk to you next time.