Disappeared into thin air? A victim of foul play? Could the Smiley Face Killer really be
connected? The biggest theories about what really happened to Brian Shaffer are pretty shocking.
The last time anyone saw Brian Shaffer alive was a few minutes before 2 a.m. on Saturday,
April 1, 2006. Shaffer was outside the Ugly Tuna Saloona bar, where he was talking to
two women before he seemingly re-entered the establishment through the front door.
According to Columbus Monthly, the 27-year-old Ohio State University
medical student had spent the night of March 31 bar-hopping with a friend
named William "Clint" Florence. They reportedly started out at the Ugly Tuna
and returned there at around 1:15 a.m. with Florence's friend Meredith Reed.
At closing time, Florence and Reed realized that Shaffer was missing,
but assumed he'd made his way home. It wasn't until April 3,
when Shaffer missed a planned flight to Miami with his girlfriend, that anyone realized the
medical student was missing. The theories about his disappearance started quickly from there.
"I was very brokenhearted and just very scared."
According to Talk Murder With Me, the Ugly Tuna Saloona had what many referred to as
an emergency exit. Notably, this exit had not intended to be used by patrons,
and it apparently led to a construction site. Some theorize that Brian Shaffer
might have wanted to take the shortcut home by using the emergency exit,
only to fall into a hole while navigating the construction site. But it seems unlikely that
construction workers would not have noticed a man inside a hole before pouring cement into it.
“A lot of people believe that Brian could still be
buried in the bar in the walls or in the construction area."
It's also worth noting that Shaffer was never seen on security cameras leaving the
Ugly Tuna. As a result, some theorists believe that Shaffer might have died accidentally
inside the bar and that staff covertly disposed of his body at the construction
site to avoid potential lawsuits. Again, there is seemingly no evidence of this.
A third theory suggests that Shaffer might have died by suicide. Shaffer's cell phone
pinged in Hilliard, a city 14 miles northwest of Columbus, three months after his disappearance.
One Redditor suggested that this ping might have been triggered by
Shaffer turning his phone on one last time before killing himself. However,
there's no evidence to suggest that Shaffer was suicidal at the time of his disappearance.
Another theory connected to the bar's emergency exit suggests that Shaffer had become friendly
with the band that played at the Ugly Tuna. It's thought that, at the end of the night,
he might have left through the emergency exit with the band and the venue's staff.
As the bar was located in a dangerous part of Columbus,
it's possible that Shaffer met with foul play after opting to walk home by himself from the
emergency exit. While this might be the most plausible explanation, it's impossible to
know if this is what actually happened, and there is seemingly no evidence to back it up.
As for the foul play theory, some have wondered if Shaffer might have
been targeted by the Smiley Face Killer, which was the name given to a suspect who
went after college-educated young white men while they were out drinking with friends.
The victims were typically found lifeless, usually after being drowned,
their bodies left near graffiti of smiley faces. As an intoxicated medical student
in his early twenties, Shaffer would certainly fit the profile of
the typical Smiley Face Killer victim, but that's as far as this theory goes.
When Brian Shaffer vanished, he was still grieving the loss of his mother,
who had died of cancer three weeks prior. It's also been suggested that he was stifled
by his future medical career, and actually wanted to be a musician. Some believe that
Shaffer might have simply decided to leave and start a new life following his mother's death.
However, according to True Crime Times, the idea that Shaffer left to start a new life apparently
isn't all that plausible. At the time of his disappearance, Shaffer was doing well in school,
and was supposedly planning to propose to his girlfriend. His life seemed to be going well,
so the idea that he abruptly left without telling anyone seems unlikely.
Clint Florence was one of the last people to see Brian Shaffer alive. He is also the only
person familiar with the case who has refused to take a polygraph test, per The Lantern.
"We did find out that Clint and Brian had a verbal altercation inside the bar."
As reported by the publication, Florence's lawyer, Neil Rosenberg,
even appeared to blame Shaffer, writing in an email in September 2008,
"If Brian is alive, which is what I'm led to believe after speaking
with the detective involved, then it is Brian, and not Clint who is causing
his family pain and hardship. Brian should come forward and end this."
Rosenberg also suggested that he considered the case closed and would not be providing any
further comment. Given how cagey both Florence and his lawyer have been regarding the matter,
some have wondered if Shaffer's friend could have been involved in the disappearance. However,
there's been no evidence to back up this theory as of yet.
As is often the case with missing persons, there had been multiple alleged sightings of
Brian Shaffer in the years since he vanished. The most recent one came in early 2020, when an
image of a supposedly homeless American man who resembled Shaffer started circulating online.
According to 614Now, Columbus detectives looked into the poster,
which showed a bearded man on a Tijuana sidewalk, along with the suggestion that
the same man had possibly been seen in San Diego. As reported by 614Now, local
authorities worked with the FBI and requested a facial recognition analysis on the poster.
"But to see if it was him, I contact, you know, the FBI who assist us in a lot of our cases."
Unfortunately, the FBI informed Columbus detectives that the man on the image was,
in all likelihood, not Shaffer after all. Although disappointed by the outcome,
Columbus detective Blanch Tucker told local television station 10TV that she
wanted to re-interview certain people involved with the case,
believing someone might know more about Shaffer's disappearance than they've previously revealed.
"I do." "You do.
But you can't say who?" "I can't say who."
Although March 2020's sighting didn't provide any new leads, in March 2021,
investigators released an age-progression photo showing how Shaffer might look like as
a 42-year-old man. For now, Shaffer's disappearance remains a mystery.
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please dial or text 988 to speak with
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. You can also seek help by visiting 988lifeline.org