BRIAN RANDAL SHAFFER
AKA:
Missing Since: 4/1/2006
Sex Male Race White
Age 27 DOB 02/25/1979
Hgt 6Ft2In Wgt 170
Hair Brown Eye Hazel
$15,000 REWARD LAST SEEN AT "UGLY TUNA SALOONA" OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY CAMPUS AT 0130 (1:30 AM), WEARING JEANS AND STRIPED SHIRT, HAS TATOO ON RT. ARM "PEARL JAM". CALL COLS.POLICE, RICK THOMPSON OR JOHN HURST 614-645-4670 OR 614-645-4545
Contact: RICK THOMPSON / JOHN HURST
Leave a tip about this Missing Person.
http://www.stopcrime.org/missing.asp Missing Student's Father Takes Polygraph, Tapes Commercial
Commercial To Air On Local Cable TV
POSTED: 5:54 pm EDT June 7, 2006
UPDATED: 6:59 pm EDT June 7, 2006
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The father of a missing Ohio State University medical student said he is taking several bold steps to find his son, including taking a lie-detector test for police.
Randy Shaffer said he is getting uncomfortable because OSU medical students and undergraduate students are nearing the end of the term. Shaffer said he doesn't want them to leave the area and forget that his son, Brian, is still missing, NBC 4's Holly Hollingsworth reported.
Police said that Randy Shaffer was among a group of people who took a polygraph exam last week as a fact-finding tool.
"I don't have anything to hide. Why wouldn't I want to do one anyway?" Randy Shaffer said.
That's the same approach that Randy Shaffer is taking with a new endeavor -- taping a TV commercial.
Randy Shaffer went to a studio to tape a plea for more information. That plea will be carried out on local cable TV. The airtime will be paid for out of funds donated to help search for Brian, Hollingsworth reported.
"I mean it was donated for the cause ... to promote and further (the efforts of) finding Brian. That's what it's all about," he said.
In the midst of the developments, Brian Shaffer's fellow students marked their advancement into the clinical studies of their third year with a special ceremony at OSU. Randy Shaffer attended the ceremony in his son's absence.
Randy Shaffer said the bittersweet moment was tempered by the help of strangers, including a new Web site that was created by a woman out of state to assist in the 9-week-old search.
Brian Shaffer, 27, was last seen in front of the Ugly Tuna Saloona on North High Street in the South Campus Gateway area early on April 2.
Police said Shaffer was out with friends who were celebrating the start of spring break.
The men headed to the Ugly Tuna at about 9:15 p.m. At about 10:30 p.m., Shaffer spoke to his girlfriend over the phone, a friend said.
About 30 minutes later, the men walked to the Short North Tavern, where they had a few drinks.
At 11:40 p.m., they walked to another bar. Then, at about 1:15 a.m., they returned to the Ugly Tuna.
Brian Shaffer was last seen on surveillance cameras at about 2 a.m., NBC 4 reported.
Police said that none of Brian's bank or credit cards have been used since he disappeared.
Brian Shaffer is 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighs between 160 and 165 pounds. He has hazel eyes and has a tattoo of the Pearl Jam symbol on his upper right arm.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at 614-645-8477 or 877-645-8477. Callers will remain anonymous.
Stay with NBC 4 and nbc4i.com for continuing coverage.
http://www.nbc4i.com/news/9337457/detail.html Three Missing Persons Cases Have A Lot In Common
May 15 2006 5:32PM
Reported by Eric James
Strange, coincidental and weird are the three words people are using to describe the unusual circumstances surrounding three of central Ohios most high-profile missing cases.
In all three cases, the comparisons date back to their high schools years.
Hiroshi Hayashi and Brian Shaffer were classmates at Pickerington Central High School. They graduated in 1997. Twenty-year-old Julie Popovich, whose body was found near Hoover Reservoir, was also a graduate of Pickerington Central.
The unusual coincidence doesn't stop there. All three were OSU students and all three were last seen near OSU campus.
Popovich and Shaffer were last seen at bars only blocks away from each other and all three had no known enemies.
A strange twist is that neither the Shaffer or Hayashi families can deny is more than a little just eerie.
Jun Hayashi, Hiroshis brother, says, "In the back of my mind I get a sinking feeling that it's just way too coincidental that all three are [from] Pickerington."
Randy Shaffer, Brian's father, says, "Here's two guys from Pickerington High School; he's a got a brother who's missing and Brian's also missing, [and] that they're both from Ohio State."
10TV also tried to contact the Popovich family but the calls we not returned.
Unlike the Popovich case, where foul play was suspected, Schaffer and Hayashi have vanished with no clues.
Police say any coincidences are just a coincidence and none of the cases appear linked.
http://www.10tv.com/?sec=search&story=10tv...1879129057.html nbc4i.com
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Video: Missing Student
Reward Offered In Disappearance Of Ohio State Student
Shaffer Last Seen At Campus-Area Bar
POSTED: 6:22 pm EDT April 3, 2006
UPDATED: 4:03 pm EDT April 4, 2006
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- An Ohio State University medical student vanished over the weekend. Now authorities are offering a reward in hopes they can to bring him home safely.
A total of $7,000 is available for information about the disappearance. Central Ohio Crime Stoppers is offering $2,000, and another $5,000 is from The Ohio State University College of Medicine & Public Health.
Brian Shaffer, 27, who is in his second year at OSU, was supposed to leave early Monday morning for spring break with his girlfriend. But when he didn't show up for the trip to Miami, his girlfriend got worried.
"I just want him to come home safe," said Alexis Waggoner, Shaffer's girlfriend. "I'm hoping that maybe he just was overwhelmed by things and maybe had to be by himself for a few days. I don't know. Maybe he didn't think about how worried we'd be and he'll just show back up at his door."
Shaffer was last seen at about 1:30 a.m. at the Ugly Tuna Saloona near campus wearing jeans and a striped shirt.
SLIDESHOW: Images From Case
Waggoner and Shaffer's family spent hours on Monday posting fliers around campus.
Police are also investigating the disappearance.
"Everything was set for these two to take this trip to Florida. That's what makes this unusual," said Sgt. Mike Woods, of Columbus police.
Shaffer lives near the bar, and his car was still parked at his apartment.
Shaffer's friends said this sort of behavior is uncharacteristic for him. They said his mother passed away a few weeks ago, and although he was upset, those who knew him best said he has a lot to live for.
"He means so much to me. I lost my wife. I don't want to lose my son, too. Please help me find him," said Randy Shaffer, the man's father.
Anyone with information is asked to call police at (614) 645-4670.
Watch NBC 4 and refresh nbc4i.com for additional information.
Copyright 2006 by nbc4i.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Video: Psychic Called
Psychics Search Apartment Of Missing OSU Student
Surveillance Video Clue Leads To Dead End
UPDATED: 9:48 am EDT April 5, 2006
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The family of a missing Ohio State University medical student called in psychics to search his apartment.
Randy Shaffer, the father of missing OSU student Brian Shaffer, 27, said he would do anything to find his son.
SLIDESHOW: Images Of Brian Shaffer/Case
"I want to do whatever I can to find him. I'm far from being done. I want to find my son and I want to find him now," Shaffer said.
Psychics searched Brian Shaffer's apartment on Tuesday evening.
"When I saw his picture (Monday) night, I immediately tuned into him and felt that he'd been drinking too much over the weekend. He's gone through a recent tragedy. His mother's passed away. I think he was just a little too drunk to really make it home safely," psychic Bill Mitchell said.
Psychics said they had visions inside the apartment.
"I feel positive that he's alive, but I feel there has been injury. I keep feeling impact in my abdomen," psychic Marc Moody said.
Columbus police thought they might have had a break in the case with a surveillance video taken early Saturday morning outside of the Ugly Tuna Saloona, where Brian Shaffer was last seen. They thought a man seen on the video getting onto an escalator outside of the bar, followed by two men in black shirts, was Brian Shaffer.
Late Tuesday, however, police determined that the man was not Brian Shaffer after blowing up the video and showing it to family and friends.
Meredith Reed, a friend who was with him that night in the bar, was one of the last friends to talk to Brian Shaffer.
"Clint and Brian were talking about something, and Brian mentioned he was going to go up, like toward the stage area," Reed said.
After that, he apparently left, and has not been seen since.
Watch NBC 4 and refresh nbc4i.com for additional information.
Previous Stories:
April 4, 2006: Reward Offered In Disappearance Of Ohio State Student
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Brian Shaffer
Efforts Increased In Search For Missing Man
Reward Offered For Information
POSTED: 4:54 pm EDT April 5, 2006
UPDATED: 8:52 pm EDT April 5, 2006
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Police are increasing their efforts in the search for a missing Ohio State University medical student.
Officers searched door to door for Brian Shaffer, who was last seen Saturday morning at the Ugly Tuna Saloona shortly before 2 a.m., NBC 4's Marshall McPeek reported.
SLIDESHOW: Images Of Brian Shaffer/Case
Shaffer's father brought dogs with him in his search Wednesday. Those dogs, who had a few hits on Tuesday, found nothing in the new search.
Shaffer's friends and family said they aren't giving up hope yet.
"I just can't piece that together, that he would just take off and not call anybody," said Randy Shaffer, the man's father.
Officials said they will also continue to investigate.
"So far, the leads we've had really haven't taken us too far. We have a few leads that we're still working on that we haven't fully developed," said Columbus police Sgt. John Hurst. "Once those develop, hopefully they'll give us some directions."
Fliers were also distributed in the area near campus, surrounding the bar and Shaffer's apartment.
A total of $7,000 is available for information about the disappearance. Central Ohio Crime Stoppers is offering $2,000, and another $5,000 is from The Ohio State University College of Medicine & Public Health.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (514) 645-TIPS.
Watch NBC 4 and refresh nbc4i.com for additional information.
Previous Stories:
April 5, 2006: Psychics Search Apartment Of Missing OSU Student
April 4, 2006: Reward Offered In Disappearance Of Ohio State Student
Copyright 2006 by nbc4i.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
http://www.nbc4i.com/news/8490275/detail.html Family, Friends Of Missing Man Refuse To Give Up
Family Uses Psychic Services
POSTED: 4:12 pm EDT April 6, 2006
UPDATED: 5:22 pm EDT April 6, 2006
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COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Search dogs were back to work Thursday, looking for a missing Ohio State University medical student.
Surveillance cameras show 27-year-old Brian Shaffer at the Ugly Tuna Saloona just before 2 a.m. Saturday.
SLIDESHOW: Images Of Brian Shaffer/Case
Shaffer's friends and family members have been searching for clues, including using the services of a psychic.
Shaffer's father is still hoping his son is alive.
"They've been all through campus as far as up and down Eighth and Ninth (avenues) several times (with) a ton of people walking all over the place with fliers. (It's) just unbelievable and I just don't know what else, as far as covering the area, how much better they can do," said Randy Shaffer, the man's father.
Shaffer is now hoping to increase the reward amount from $7,000 to $10,000.
Watch NBC 4 and refresh nbc4i.com for additional information.
Previous Stories:
April 5, 2006: Efforts Increased In Search For Missing Man
April 5, 2006: Psychics Search Apartment Of Missing OSU Student
April 4, 2006: Reward Offered In Disappearance Of Ohio State Student
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Brian Shaffer
Reward For Info On Missing OSU Student Now $13,000
Man Has Been Missing For Seven Days
POSTED: 9:32 am EDT April 9, 2006
UPDATED: 10:02 am EDT April 9, 2006
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COLUMBUS -- The reward for information in the case of a missing Ohio State University medical student has increased to $13,000.
NBC 4's Beth Dal reported that Brian Shaffer has been missing for seven days. He was last seen at the Ugly Tuna Saloona on High Street.
SLIDESHOW: Images Of Brian Shaffer/Case
Just before Shaffer disappeared, his girlfriend, Alexis Waggoner, said he called her.
"(He said) that he was out because it was his chance to talk about me with his friends. That he loved me and he'd see me when I got back to school," Waggoner said.
The couple was supposed to spend this week -- their spring break -- in Florida together. Instead, Waggoner said she's spent her time searching for Shaffer.
"All of us searching through Dumpsters, walking the river, following search and rescue dogs," Waggoner said. "If, God forbid, he doesn't come home ... Everything I do, I did with him."
Police said that none of Shaffer's bank or credit cards have been used since his disappearance.
Shaffer's family planned to hold a vigil on the OSU campus on Sunday.
Anyone with information should call Crime Stoppers at (514) 645-TIPS.
Watch NBC 4 and refresh nbc4i.com for additional information.
Previous Stories:
April 6, 2006: Family, Friends Of Missing Man Refuse To Give Up
April 5, 2006: Efforts Increased In Search For Missing Man
April 5, 2006: Psychics Search Apartment Of Missing OSU Student
April 4, 2006: Reward Offered In Disappearance Of Ohio State Student
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Video: Possible Tip
Student's Friend Talks About The Night He Disappeared
Brian Shaffer Last Seen April 2
UPDATED: 5:33 pm EDT April 10, 2006
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COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Detectives said that they were investigating a tip that a missing Ohio State University medical student was seen at a north Columbus convenience store almost four days after he disappeared.
Police said the tip came from a homeless man and they believe the tip could be credible, NBC 4's Duarte Geraldino reported.
SLIDESHOW: Images Of Brian Shaffer/Case
Brian Shaffer was last seen in front of the Ugly Tuna Saloona, on North High Street in the South Campus Gateway area early on April 2.
According to police, the tipster said that Shaffer was behind a United Dairy Farmers store, located at High Street and 12th Avenue.
"The individual indicated that the man that he had seen was eating a sandwich," said Columbus police detective John Hurst. "He believes it was bought from one of the local restaurants."
Detectives said the homeless man attempted to talk with the man he believed was Shaffer, but the person walked off into the alley.
"(The homeless man) said that he said, 'Hey, people are looking for you,' and the individual really didn't have much of a reaction," Hurst said.
Shaffer's mother died shortly before he disappeared, Geraldino reported. His father, Randy Shaffer, believes that stress might have been too much for the second-year medical student.
"It hasn't been totally checked out yet, but I am going with that positive thought," Randy Shaffer said. "It lifts me up a little bit."
Detectives said that they were working to obtain surveillance footage from the UDF store. They hope that if a tipster saw Brian Shaffer that the cameras did, too.
Clint Florence is the last person to see Brian Shaffer. The two used to live together and were out celebrating the beginning of spring break. Florence described Shaffer as popular, but a bit of a loner.
"Brian likes to either see somebody that he knows or wants to talk to the band. He is known to walk off. He just liked to walk off and do his own thing," Florence said.
Florence described the timeline of the night Brian Shaffer disappeared.
The men headed to the Ugly Tuna at about 9:15 p.m. At about 10:30 p.m., Brian Shaffer spoke to his girlfriend over the phone, Florence said.
About 30 minutes later, the men walked to the Short North Tavern, where they had a few drinks. At 11:40 p.m., they walked to another bar.
Then, at about 1:15 a.m., they returned to the Ugly Tuna. Florence said while he was drinking, Brian Shaffer periodically walked away to talk with some people he knew.
"Brian got up with them. I am assuming he got up with them, walked out with them to talk with them on the foyer before going on the escalator," Florence said.
Shaffer was last seen on surveillance cameras at about 2 a.m.
"I called him that night and it went straight to voicemail. It was about 2 a.m. and (there was) no answer," Florence said.
Florence said he doesn't think Shaffer had a nervous break down.
"I am afraid that Brian might have left the bar and ran his mouth a little bit. He has been known to do that," Florence said.
At closing time, after looking for Shaffer, Florence said he went home with another friend.
"Of course, I regret now leaving, but I didn't think anything of it. I didn't think Brian -- that anything happened to him because he is known to walk away," Florence said.
Brian Shaffer and his girlfriend were scheduled to take a spring break trip to Florida last week, NBC 4 reported. Police said that none of Shaffer's bank or credit cards have been used since he disappeared.
The reward for information about Brian Shaffer's whereabouts is now up to $13,000. Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at (614) 645-8477 or (877) 645-8477.
Watch NBC 4 and refresh nbc4i.com for continuing coverage.
http://www.nbc4i.com/news/8592335/detail.html Photo Released Of Tattoo On Missing Medical Student
$13,000 Reward Offerred
UPDATED: 11:11 am EDT April 17, 2006
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COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Central Ohio Crime Stoppers on Thursday released a photo of a tattoo on a missing Ohio State medical student's right arm.
The tattoo is the logo for the band Pearl Jam, NBC 4 reported.
SLIDESHOW: Images Of Brian Shaffer/Case
MORE: View/Print Brian Shaffer Missing Poster
Police said they hope by releasing the photo of Brian Shaffer's arm, it will give people one more clue to help recognize him.
Shaffer, 27, was last seen in front of the Ugly Tuna Saloona, on North High Street in the South Campus Gateway area early on April 2.
Police said Shaffer was out with friends who were celebrating the start of spring break.
The men headed to the Ugly Tuna at about 9:15 p.m. At about 10:30 p.m., Brian Shaffer spoke to his girlfriend over the phone, a friend said.
About 30 minutes later, the men walked to the Short North Tavern, where they had a few drinks. At 11:40 p.m., they walked to another bar.
Then, at about 1:15 a.m., they returned to the Ugly Tuna.
Brian Shaffer
He was last seen on surveillance cameras at about 2 a.m., NBC 4 reported.
Shaffer and his girlfriend were scheduled to take a spring break trip to Florida last week, NBC 4 reported. Police said that none of Shaffer's bank or credit cards were used since he disappeared.
The reward for information about Shaffer's whereabouts is now up to $13,000. Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at (614) 645-8477 or (877) 645-8477.
http://www.nbc4i.com/news/8699216/detail.htmlWatch NBC 4 and refresh nbc4i.com for continuing coverage
BRIAN RANDAL SHAFFER
AKA:
Missing Since: 4/1/2006
Sex Male Race White
Age 27 Age 27
(At time missing)
(Current)
Hgt 6Ft2In Wgt 170
Hair Brown Eye Hazel
$15,000 REWARD LAST SEEN AT "UGLY TUNA SALOONA" OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY CAMPUS AT 0130 (1:30 AM), WEARING JEANS AND STRIPED SHIRT, HAS TATOO ON RT. ARM "PEARL JAM". CALL COLS.POLICE, RICK THOMPSON OR JOHN HURST 614-645-4670 OR 614-645-4545
Law Enforcement Agency: COLUMBUS POLICE
Report Number:
Reward:
Contact: RICK THOMPSON / JOHN HURST
Leave a tip about this Missing Person.
http://www.columbusdispatch.com/news-story...1001-A1-01.htmlWaiting for Brian
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Kristy Eckert
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
During early-morning rounds at Ohio State University Medical Center, third-year student Alexis Waggoner takes notes over the shoulder of Dr. Wing Yeen. With them are fellow medical student Sean McCarthy center and nurse practitioner Tom Lawson.
"He’s brilliant. He’s handsome. He’s sweet, loyal and caring." ALEXIS WAGGONER describing her boyfriend on Dateline NBC
CHRIS RUSSELL DISPATCH
A photo of Brian that Alexis has stored on her cell phone, along with a stuffed animal he bought her in Puerto Rico (the message: "I love you")
One day, Alexis Waggoner was anticipating a vacation with her boyfriend; the next day, he was gone. Like the loved ones of the 1,000 other Ohio adults who are missing, Alexis is left to wait and wonder. Today, the OSU medical student marks six months without him.
CHRIS RUSSELL
DISPATCH
A window in Alexis Waggoner’s apartment bears a reminder of her search for her boyfriend.
She hides her hope in daily calls to a cell phone that doesn’t ring. Only a momentary silence precedes the recorded voice of the man Alexis Waggoner loves.
"Hi, this is Brian. I am unable to come to the phone right now. Leave me a message. I’ll get back to you quickly ..."
Brian, she thinks to herself, this is not quickly.
Brian Shaffer, a 27-year-old Ohio State University medical student, disappeared six months ago today.
Since that Saturday in April, his 24-year-old girlfriend has found herself trapped — the prisoner of a bewildering unknown.
"It is this feeling of absolute desperation, like every cell in your body is trying to figure out some way to scream out," Alexis says. "And, at the same time, it’s like a big, gigantic hole."
Brian’s family and friends have their theories about his fate.
Some believe he is dead. Others speculate that his mother’s death in March and the stress of medical school pushed him to run away.
Alexis clings to a less-devastating, if unlikely, possibility: Perhaps he fell victim to stress-induced amnesia and wandered off. Somewhere, she imagines, he is confused but OK; someday, she prays, he will return.
"When you have somebody who goes missing, what do you do?" she asks.
Alexis handles the monthly bill for the Cingular wireless phone that vanished with Brian, and she calls.
She calls to hear his voice.
She calls to see whether the phone will ring.
She calls because, after the "missing" posters become weatherbeaten, the TV cameras move on and the investigators run out of leads, this is still her life, her loss. And if she is calling, she has not abandoned hope.
So Alexis calls a number that nobody answers.
April : searching desperately
At 4 a.m. on March 28, a studyweary Brian slid into bed at his campus-area apartment and wrapped his tired arms around his girlfriend.
The month had been emotionally exhausting, largely because of the death of his mother. One of his closest confidants, Renee Shaffer lost her fight against cancer on March 6.
Now, on the final Tuesday of the month, exams loomed.
"Skip class tomorrow," Brian joked with Alexis. "Let’s go get married."
Alexis suspected that he would officially ask for her hand when they were in Miami the next week, on a trip Brian arranged as a Christmas gift.
Before the vacation, though, she had planned to drive to Toledo to see her family’s dog, Ellie, who was dying. After her test that Friday, she left Columbus with her brother Ryan, who is her roommate at a place near Brian’s, and an OSU student.
At 6:21 p.m., before heading out with friends the same evening, Brian messaged Alexis on her MySpace.com Web page.
I can’t wait to go to Miami Miami!!!! You going topless? A man can dream, can’t he . ...
She called his cell about 10 p.m. Friday to tell him that Ellie was still alive.
"I’m out with the guys," Brian said above bar noise. "It’s my chance to talk about you."
He told her to enjoy her family and her couple of days at home.
"And, Alexis," he said, "I love you."
The next afternoon, when Brian’s phone transferred immediately to voice mail, Alexis assumed that he was sleeping off a late night.
When the phone didn’t ring at midnight, she started to worry.
At 2 a.m., with still no answer, she sat alone in her parents’ den and cried.
"I was overwhelmed by this horrible feeling that something had happened," she recalled. "Then I was just like, ‘Calm down — you worry way too much.’ "
When Brian didn’t pick up by Sunday, though, she began looking for him.
A friend Brian was with told Alexis that he hadn’t spoken to him since leaving the Ugly Tuna Saloona, a campus-area bar where they had gone.
Randy Shaffer, Brian’s father, said his son hadn’t shown up Saturday for a planned visit home to Baltimore, in Fairfield County.
Area hospitals listed no unidentified patients. Brian wasn’t in jail. His bank accounts hadn’t been touched or his credit card used. Their plane tickets to Miami hadn’t been changed.
His Honda Accord sat outside his apartment. Inside, his phone charger was plugged into an outlet by the couch, and his glasses rested on a nearby bookshelf.
After police visited to take a report, Alexis sat in Brian’s living room and watched the door, her thoughts repeating themselves through the night.
Please come in. Please come in. Please come in.
The next morning, April 3, their flight left without them.
Alexis then teamed with Brian’s family and hers. They canvassed the campus area, posted fliers, dug through Dumpsters.
"It’s as if God reached down and grabbed him by the nape of the neck," said her father, Tom Waggoner.
Along with Columbus police detectives, Alexis reviewed surveillance video that appears to show Brian walking into the Ugly Tuna Saloona at 1:55 a.m. April 1. The tape never shows him leaving.
Baffled, she spent the next couple of weeks talking to news reporters, messaging Brian’s MySpace page and distributing buttons bearing his photo.
Central Ohioans responded with notes of sympathy and encouragement.
Grateful for the interest, Alexis started an online journal to provide updates.
She talked to psychics. She met with a counselor. She prayed nightly.
Hours turned into days. Days stretched into weeks.
She visited Brian’s apartment daily, walking slowly around a corner each time, hoping to see him in bed. Then, one day, she lay on the mattress herself and sobbed.
"There’s not one aspect of my life that’s not 100 percent changed," she said. "There’s no way I can get away from it."
May : sharing her pain
At 3 a.m. on May 11, a ringing phone startled Alexis awake.
She rolled over to look at the number: Columbus police. Her hands shook as she answered the cell.
Brian’s apartment had been burglarized. The police wanted her to make the short trip through the alley to detail what had been stolen.
Isn’t it enough that Brian is missing? Alexis thought to herself. Now this?
The one-bedroom apartment had been ransacked, and some electronic equipment was missing.
Perhaps, with recent national news coverage of Brian’s disappearance, his place seemed an easy target.
The previous weekend, Dateline NBC had aired a segment about the case, one in a string of prime-time news shows that would feature Alexis. Poised and articulate, she told America how much she loved her boyfriend.
"He’s brilliant. He’s handsome," she said. "He’s sweet, loyal and caring."
The exposure left the public hungry for more.
Hundreds, if not thousands, of sympathizers from as far away as Australia discovered her MySpace page.
Though I don’t know you or Brian, I have thought of you every day since I heard the story, wrote a woman from Boston named Melissa. My thoughts and prayers are with you, your family and Brian’s family . . . and, of course, with Brian. In your interview and in this blog, you show such courage and such love for Brian, I admire you.
The outpouring overwhelmed Alexis, who expressed her gratitude in a May 9 entry.
At the same time I’ve been living through this nightmare, each day I have been reminded that the world is a good place, and people really care for each other. So, thank you.
Exposing such private thoughts would have seemed unfathomable to Alexis before this, but the steadfast support of strangers and her desire to keep Brian in the public consciousness compelled her to continue writing.
She blogged about Brian having bought tickets for them to see Pearl Jam, his favorite band. Reluctant to see the concert without him, she auctioned the tickets on eBay to raise money for his reward fund.
Someday, I promise I will see them, but I think I would be more likely to cry through the whole thing.
June : still feeling the angst
On the first day of June, Alexis shopped for a bridesmaid dress with a longtime friend in Toledo who will be married in December.
The fun-filled afternoon ended tearfully, though, when she broke down in her mother’s arms.
Alexis had figured she’d be planning her own wedding.
"I wish there was something I could do to help her, and there’s nothing," Melanie Ludlow-Waggoner said of her daughter. "How can someone who loves someone so much deal with that? It’s just beyond my ability to understand."
That night, near the end of a school break she spent hiding in Toledo, Alexis sat at her parents’ computer and typed her first blog entry in almost two weeks.
Brian is still missing, my heart is still broken, and life is still forcing me to go on.
Her struggle wouldn’t ease throughout June, which brought the start of her third year of medical school and the day that she and Brian should have celebrated one year together.
The stress peaked when private investigators, hired by Brian’s father, questioned the intimacy of their relationship.
How often did she and Brian have sex?
Could he have wanted it more?
Is there any possibility that he is gay?
She knew they were only exploring all possibilities, but the nature of the queries forced her to re-examine a bond that months earlier gave her no doubts.
With her mind still racing later that day, she came across an index card listing Brian’s passwords for online accounts. She had used the codes to check for any activity but hadn’t noticed the small, meticulously inked letters on the back of the card.
At just the right moment, it seemed, she found the reassurance she needed in his e-mail password: AlexisLoveMarry.
July : moving out , but not on
Turning the corner to Brian’s apartment the morning of July 1, Alexis spotted the moving truck and melted down.
Her father and a detective wrapped their arms around her and told her that she didn’t have to do this.
Yes, she said, she did.
To the reporters hovering outside, Alexis played down the significance of the day, assuring them that she had not given up, that the move simply meant Brian was unavailable to renew his lease.
Later, in her blog, she suggested otherwise.
I would by lying . . . to say that it wasn’t a sad, sad day that had the feeling of a funeral hanging over it for myself and Brian’s dad and brother. Now we don’t have any place to go to "be" with Brian.
At their parents’ insistence, Alexis and her brother had recently moved, too. The family was worried about her safety and her emotional state, and even she realized that a change would do her good.
It was terribly hard to look out my back door to Brian’s apartment.
Yet Alexis still needed pieces of him nearby.
She hung his wooden cross on her wall, dangled his buckeye necklace from her mirror and stacked his neatly folded shirts in her closet.
Two days after the move, with Brian conspicuously absent, she and her classmates marked a milestone in their budding careers when they began making rounds at OSU Medical Center.
Mentally and physically exhausting, the 12-hour shifts forced Alexis to keep her thoughts on her work, not her loss.
The more time that passed without news about Brian, however, the more difficult her life became.
"It’s just like being in limbo," she said.
Despite the notable void, she was proving to herself that she could focus — that she was well-suited to medical work and, more important, was enjoying it.
When word came on July 12 that she had passed her first medicalboard exam, she celebrated the occasion in her blog.
It was the first time in months that I had a hard time not smiling for a while. It was just such a relief!
August : re - entering the spotlight
Some days, Alexis felt that time was mending, or at least numbing, her severed heart.
With her busy hospital schedule, the weeks seemed to be passing more quickly. And her frequent nightmares about Brian had subsided.
"I think it’s my body’s way of saying, ‘You need a break,’ " she said.
Her brother sensed subtle changes, too.
He hated seeing Alexis so upset, and worried that she would never be able to let go of Brian.
"I was scared that it would color the rest of her life and impair her in some way," said Ryan, now a firstyear law student at OSU.
By early August, though, he was sure she’d eventually rebound.
Her latest blog entries underscored a growing excitement about her hospital work and, in time, yielded a soft plea for closure.
It would just be nice to find out something and have an idea about what happened. Brian’s family especially deserves some peace after the last year.
The case re-emerged in the spotlight Aug. 18, when police made public their desire to talk to a man seen in the Ugly Tuna surveillance video from the morning Brian went missing. Officers had noticed the man repeatedly riding the escalator.
The video was a topic of conversation that weekend at a Crime Stoppers benefit co-hosted by Brian’s father.
At Flannagan’s Dublin bar, Alexis sat with some of Brian’s relatives and friends and listened politely as they floated new, if far-fetched, theories about his fate.
Among the discussion: Maybe a one-time girlfriend now living in Texas is hiding him.
At home later, Alexis broke down. She understood the need for others to believe that Brian is alive, but the notion that he willingly left terrified her.
"For me, it’s almost as scary as if something bad has happened," she said, then quickly clarified her point. "While that hurts like crazy, I love him, and I want him to be OK."
Although she had conditioned herself to hope for the best and expect the worst, Alexis didn’t anticipate her degree of frustration after learning that the surveillance video produced no breaks in the case.
The man had contacted police, explaining that he was merely looking for his ride home that night. He knew nothing about Brian.
I must admit, I was disappointed, Alexis wrote in her blog. Another kick in the stomach.
That same day, a simple question during a friendly conversation with a patient reinforced the uncertainty of her personal life.
"Do you have a boyfriend?" the patient asked.
Alexis paused.
"I did. I still might. I don’t know."
September : wondering , waiting
The night before Ohio State played its rematch against Texas, much of Columbus seemed to be celebrating while Alexis fought memories of watching last year’s game with Brian.
She sobbed while showering, crawled into bed and picked up her cell phone. Pressing the buttons her fingers know so well, she waited for the familiar voice mail.
First, silence. And then ... a ring.
Her heart pounded. Her hands trembled.
What if he answers the phone? she wondered. What in the h**l am I going to say?
She dialed the number several more times; each time, it rang.
She called Brian’s father and police, then curled back under the covers.
She remembered the night that she’d let a psychic lead her and police on a fruitless expedition that left her devastated.
It’s no big deal. It’s no big deal. It’s no big deal.
She strove to be realistic, yet for the briefest of moments granted herself the luxury of imagining her arms around Brian.
Her hope simmered for a couple of weeks — until Cingular told police that Brian’s phone had never actually rung, that it was an equipment glitch on the company’s end.
"I knew that was going to happen," Alexis said. "It’s so frustrating. It tires me out."
In tears, she added: "I just really miss him."
October : Looking ahead
The case of Brian Shaffer remains open; police have no suspects.
Sgt. John Hurst, of the Columbus Police Division’s special-victims unit, says officers have asked the friend who was with Brian the night he disappeared to answer questions and take a polygraph.
Through an attorney, Hurst says, the friend has declined to do both.
To date, Alexis’ blog has been read more than 20,000 times.
Hurst suspects the ongoing public interest has much to do with Alexis, whose devotion he admires.
"She’s a bright young lady. I think she’s sincere. Her feelings toward Brian are true."
Brian’s father, still struggling with his wife’s death, appreciates Alexis’ commitment to his son.
"I feel for her greatly," Mr. Shaffer said. "She’s a very beautiful girl. She’s very intelligent. I know Brian really cared for her."
Alexis’ parents ache for their daughter.
The lack of closure haunts Mr. Waggoner, who believes someone killed Brian.
"I don’t want her to have what’s been such a painful experience carry on," he said. "You can’t tiptoe around the gorilla in the room . ... You’ve got to live your life. And it’s going to be there."
But Alexis can’t yet imagine opening her heart to another man.
"Am I going to spend the next 10 years of my life waiting for him and being miserable?" she wonders.
She wants a husband and children someday, but the thought of dating triggers so many questions. How will I find someone like — or even close to — Brian? Will another man want to date me, knowing I love someone else? How long do I wait? "It’s just a big change that I’m eventually going to have to face," she said. "I certainly don’t know the answers now." Until then, she practices tying suture knots with strings she attached to her purse. She dotes over patients. She talks to her counselor about bracing for the worst. And Alexis calls a number that nobody answers.
keckert@dispatch.com
One Year Later, Prayer Vigil Held For Missing Student
Monday, Apr 02, 2007 - 11:18 AM
Denise Yost
Managing Editor, nbc4i.com
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Monday marked the one-year anniversary of the day Ohio State University medical student Brian Shaffer disappeared.
Surveillance video caught Shaffer leaving the Ugly Tuna Saloona, but he never made it home, NBC 4 reported.
Shaffer's father, Randy, held a prayer vigil on Sunday, where more than 100 people gathered.
Columbus police, OSU and other supporters are offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to Shaffer's whereabouts.
Watch NBC 4 and refresh nbc4i.com for additional information
http://www.nbc4i.com/midwest/cmh/news.apx....04-02-0010.html http://www.findbrianshaffer.com/