When an Ohio medical student disappears into thin air during a night out, a massive investigation fails to uncover any trace of him. One of the Midwest’s most baffling mysteries is explored in this episode of Last Seen Alive.
Brian Shaffer, 27, was in his second year of medical school whenever he disappeared on April 1, 2006.
Brian, pictured here holding a guitar, also had a passion for music.
Brian disappeared just days before he was supposed to embark on a tropical vacation with his girlfriend. The trip was a final gift from his late mother, with whom he’d been close.
These stills from the last known security footage of Brian were taken just minutes before he disappeared. In them, he talks with two women by the escalator that leads to the Ugly Tuna Saloona, a second story bar.
A street view of the Ugly Tuna Saloona shows its second story position, and the other bars that surround it. It’s unknown how Brian disappeared from the bar without being caught on security footage from any of the businesses pictured.
The Ugly Tuna Saloona was a bar popular with students of Ohio State University, where Brian attended school. Although he was caught on security footage entering the bar, there’s no footage of him leaving.
A photo from the interior of the Ugly Tuna Saloona helps illustrate how small the business was.
The Ugly Tuna Saloona was surrounded by other bars, such as Mad Mex. One of the enduring questions in Brian’s case is how he managed to leave the Ugly Tuna without being captured on its security cameras, or the cameras of any surrounding businesses. Photo by D Rust.
The Ugly Tuna Saloona was located in South Campus Gateway, a commercial area on High St just outside of Ohio State University Campus.
Sources used to research / write this episode:
The Missing: Brian Shaffer (ID Channel)
A Guy Walks Into a Bar … And Is Never Seen Again (MEL Magazine / Kirk Pepi)
Unsolved Mystery: 10 Years Later, Brian Still Missing (Dispatch.com / Mike Wagner)
Into Thin Air (NBC News / Rob Stafford)
Dateline NBC’s Brian Shaffer Story (Video)
From the Archives: What Happened to Brian Shaffer? (Columbus Dispatch)
See also:
FindBrianShaffer.com (Family-Created Informational Site)
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