Disappearance of Ohio State student Brian Shaffer to be on CNN Headline News mystery show

Bethany Bruner, The Columbus Dispatch
·2 min read
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The disappearance of an Ohio State University student more than 15 years ago will be featured next weekend on a CNN Headline News series about mysterious and unexplained police cases.

Brian Shaffer was last seen on April 1, 2006 at the Ugly Tuna Saloona near Ohio State University's campus. He would now be 42 years old.
Brian Shaffer was last seen on April 1, 2006 at the Ugly Tuna Saloona near Ohio State University's campus. He would now be 42 years old.

The Sunday episode of "Real Life Nightmare," airing at 9 p.m., will cover the case of Brian Shaffer, a 27-year-old medical student who was not seen again after a night out on March 31, 2006 into the early morning hours of April 1, 2006.

Shaffer had been planning to leave for a vacation with his girlfriend, but he never came back from the night out at the Ugly Tuna Saloona, a now closed bar in the University District.

Previous coverage: Authorities hope age-progression photo leads to answers in disappearance of Brian Shaffer

Video footage from inside the bar showed Shaffer arriving at the bar on March 31, 2006. Around 1:50 a.m. on April 1, 2006, he is seen talking to women who a friend knew, and then walking back into the bar. He is not seen leaving the bar.

Shaffer was last seen wearing jeans, a blue or green striped shirt and tennis shoes. He is 6 feet, 2 inches tall and weighs around 170 pounds. He has brown hair and hazel eyes.

Sightings of Brian Shaffer still being reported

Since his disappearance, sightings of Shaffer have been reported to Columbus police and the FBI on several occasions. The most recent, in 2020, involved a photo of a man in Mexico that was determined not to be Shaffer by the FBI. His disappearance has also resulted in podcast episodes and other forms of media.

Brian Shaffer: See the 'Real Life Nightmare' trailer for Brian Shaffer episode

The episode of "Real Life Nightmare," a docu-series which focuses on mysterious disappearances and unexplained deaths, will feature interviews with the Shaffer family's private investigator and the host of a podcast dedicated to the case. The episode will be available on-demand after its initial airing.

Anyone with information about the Shaffer case is asked to call the Columbus Division of Police at 614-645-2358.

bbruner@dispatch.com

@bethany_bruner

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: CNN Headline News series to feature case of OSU student Brian Shaffer