What Really Happened to Brian Shaffer? Here's What Internet Sleuths Believe

It’s been nearly 19 years since Ohio State medical student Brian Shaffer vanished without a trace after a night of bar-hopping that began on March 31, 2006, at the Ugly Tuna Saloona in Columbus, Ohio. Brian disappeared in the early morning hours of April 1, 2006, and has never been seen or heard from since.

Despite years of searching, no significant clues have surfaced, leaving both locals and internet sleuths baffled.

Surveillance footage captured Brian at 1:55 a.m. outside the bar, speaking with two women before heading back inside. It is believed he had told his friends he was going to talk with the band. After that, he was never seen again.

His case was revisited in 2025, reigniting online discussions as people attempted to piece together what might have happened. Here’s a look at his story and the theories surrounding his disappearance.

Brian Shaffer's disappearance remains a mystery. No leads have emerged, nor have any connections been made to explain what happened. Simply put, officials still don’t know what became of Brian after he was last seen outside the Ugly Tuna, chatting with some women.

Some believe Brian may have slipped away to start a new life, but that theory seems unlikely. He was on track for a successful medical career, remained close with his family and was in a serious relationship with fellow Ohio State student Alexis. However, he had recently suffered the abrupt loss of his mother, Renee Shaffer, to a rare form of cancer, per Columbus Monthly, making for an emotionally difficult time. Still, this theory doesn’t hold much weight.

Some believe Brian may have gotten trapped inside the building where the Ugly Tuna was located, as the back of it was under construction at the time of his disappearance. The theory suggests that after an argument with his friend Clint, Brian may have wandered to the back of the building. Given how much he had been drinking, caution wasn’t at the top of his list of priorities.

Retired officer John Hurst, who worked on the case, spoke with missing persons advocate Kelly Bruce and described the construction area behind the building. He noted that there was an open elevator shaft, essentially a large hole, and that the area was easily accessible. If Brian had gone back there, he could have easily gotten hurt.

However, Hurst said officials thoroughly searched the premises, even removing screwed-in utility doors to check for any sign of Brian. While some have compared his case to that of a grocery store employee who was missing for 10 years before being discovered behind a store’s cooler, officials insist they conducted an extensive search and found nothing.

Another possibility is that Brian wandered to the construction site but managed to exit through the wooden doors undetected. Since no surveillance cameras covered that area at the time, he could have slipped out unnoticed, and from there, anything could have happened.

Some believe Brian left the building undetected because his phone received multiple pings after his disappearance. According to Hurst, Brian’s phone appeared to have been turned off and then turned back on, as it briefly communicated with cell towers in various locations. However, Hurst noted that all of these leads turned out to be dead ends when officials checked them out.

Given the limitations of technology at the time, Hurst admitted it’s difficult to rely on the pings for definitive answers. Could Brian have been lured away from the bar and harmed, with someone else tampering with his phone? Possibly. Could the two women seen on surveillance footage have played a role in his disappearance? Many seem to think so.

For now, though, Brian’s case remains an unsolved mystery.