Brian Shaffer
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Voices for Justice is a podcast that uses adult language and discusses sensitive and potentially triggering topics including violence, abuse, and murder. This podcast may not be appropriate for younger audiences. All parties are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Some names have been changed or omitted per their request or for safety purposes. Listener discretion is advised. My name is Sarah Turney and this is Voices for Justice.

Today I'm discussing the disappearance of Brian Schaefer. On March 31st, 2006, 27-year-old Brian Schaefer went out with his friend, Clint, for a night of bar hopping in Columbus, Ohio. At about 1:55 AM on now April 1st, Brian was seen talking to two women outside the Ugly Tuna Saloon, a local bar that a lot of college kids frequented.

Two minutes later, he walked back towards the entrance of the bar. Now, according to Clint and another friend named Meredith, they last saw Brian when he said that he wanted to talk to the band that was playing that night. But they say that they couldn't find him after this. They tried calling his phone, but it went straight to voicemail. And eventually, they just went home.

Now, Brian had plans. The next day, he was supposed to be at his dad's house to help him clean, and then after that, he was supposed to be on a plane to Miami with his girlfriend Alexis. But I think what happened next is why his case is so puzzling. When police go to review all the surveillance footage from the bar, they see Brian leave, speak to those two girls, and go back inside the bar. But there is no video of Brian leaving that bar ever again.

To this day, police still don't know what happened to Brian that night. There are countless theories, but almost no answers. This is the case of Brian Schaefer.

On March 31st, 2006, 27-year-old Brian Schaefer completed his midterms at Ohio State University, where he was a second-year medical student. That night, he had dinner with his father Randy at Outback Steakhouse. Now, this particular time in Brian's life was a really hard one, because his mom Renee had passed away from a rare type of cancer just three weeks earlier. I

And Outback was a place where Randy and Renee used to enjoy going together. And of course, this made Randy emotional. When he started to kind of well up, Brian reassured his dad that everything was going to be okay. And he said that he'd spend as much time with him as he could. Randy later talked about this dinner with the Missing Pieces show. He said that Brian was putting in really long hours studying for his midterms, and that he just seemed really tired at dinner. But also that Brian seemed excited for spring break.

He and his girlfriend Alexis, who was also a medical student at OSU, planned to go to Miami on April 3rd. And this was a really special trip for Brian. It was actually a Christmas gift from his mom before she passed, and he spent weeks trying to make sure it would be the perfect vacation for him and Alexis. Before they left dinner, Brian told his dad that he would come over to his house the next day and help him clean up.

From there, Brian talks to his friend and former roommate, William Clint Florence, and they make plans to go bar hopping in Columbus. Brian also invited his brother Derek and his girlfriend, but they said that they were too tired to go out. So, at around 9.30pm, Clint drove to Brian's apartment. From here, they walk a few blocks to the Ugly Tuna Saloon, which seems to just be like a really popular bar for college students in the area due to the proximity to the OSU campus.

According to Clint, once they got there, they opened a tab and took some shots. Just before 10pm, Brian called Alexis. She was out of town visiting her parents in Toledo, and they basically just talked about their upcoming trip to Miami. Alexis would later say that Brian sounded totally normal to her. He said I love you, and they hung up.

After the call, Brian and Clint walked to the Short North Tavern, which is about a mile south of the Ugly Tuna Saloon. They got there around 10.30pm and just kept drinking, according to Clint. About an hour later, at 11.40pm, they walked half a mile south to Brothers Bar and Grill. Here they met with Clint's friend, Meredith Reed.

After this, they decided to go back to the Ugly Tuna Saloon, but it was a long walk back, so Meredith offered to give them a ride. Meredith, Brian, and Clint parked in the South Campus Gateway parking garage right by the Ugly Tuna Saloon. At 1.15am, surveillance video caught them all going up the escalator to the entrance on the second floor.

Forty minutes later, at 1.55 a.m., Brian went back outside near the escalators and talked to two women who were apparently friends of Clint's. And this only lasted about two minutes. Then Brian went back inside the bar.

According to Clint, Brian met him and Meredith inside the bar, and then said he was going to the stage area to talk to the band. This is the last time they say they saw Brian, and at this point, the ugly tuna saloon was about to close, so Clint and Meredith say that they began searching the bar for Brian. And of course, when the bar closed, Clint and Meredith had to leave. Meredith does call Brian at 2.01am, but it goes straight to voicemail.

They do wait outside the bar for a while to see if Brian shows up, but after he doesn't come out, they figure that he probably just went home and they leave. Now, like I mentioned earlier, Brian had plans. He was supposed to go to his dad Randy's house to help him clean, but he didn't show.

At this time, Randy really wasn't too worried. He figured Brian maybe just forgot or got busy doing something else. According to the Ohio Center for Missing Persons, Clint said that he went to Brian's apartment that day and waited for him for six hours, but it's unclear if this actually happened.

Meanwhile, Alexis was trying to call Brian, but she also couldn't get a hold of him, and she was concerned. She went right back to Columbus and went to Brian's apartment. HLN reported that his car was in the parking lot, and his apartment appeared tidy as usual. His glasses were still there, and his bed had not been slept in. It really didn't look like there were any signs of a struggle, or even any indication that Brian made it back home that night.

From here, Alexis actually stayed in the apartment, waiting for Brian to come home. But of course, he didn't. Around the evening of April 2nd, Alexis spoke with Randy, and told him that she didn't know where Brian was. This is when Randy reached out to the Columbus Police Department to file a missing person report.

And unfortunately, it was one of those situations where the police tell Randy that they can't do much for 48 hours. They basically tell Randy to see if Brian shows up for his flight to Miami the next day. And it's definitely worth mentioning that Randy pushed for immediate action, and they just didn't listen. But Alexis, Randy, and Brian's brother Derek get to work putting up flyers and searching for Brian. According to Randy, Clint did also join in at one point.

Randy also took the precaution of canceling Brian's credit and debit cards, just in case they were stolen. Then April 3rd comes, the day where Brian and Alexis were supposed to fly to Miami, but Brian never showed up. So Randy goes back to the police and urges them to investigate, and it does seem like they listen at this point. Detectives meet with Randy, Alexis, and Derek at Brian's apartment. An official missing persons report was filed.

and detectives started what would become one of the largest investigations in Columbus police history.

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This episode of Voices for Justice is sponsored by June's Journey. June's Journey is a hidden object mystery game, and you step into the role of June Parker and search for hidden clues to uncover the mystery of her sister's murder. Basically, you engage your observation skills to quickly uncover key pieces of information that lead to chapters of mystery, danger, and romance.

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The police begin their investigation at the ugly Tuna Saloon, where Brian was last seen. Dozens of officers canvassed a 6-10 block area, but no one reported seeing Brian after he went missing.

Detectives also speak to Meredith and Clint, and they tell police what I told you. They saw Brian just before the bar closed. He said he was going to talk to the band, and they didn't see him again after that. Detectives also spoke to the bar staff and the band who was playing that night, but they apparently couldn't provide any useful information.

So detectives focus on the surveillance footage from the bar. A camera near the escalator showed Brian, Clint, and Meredith going up to the bar at 1.15 a.m. In the video, Brian seemed happy and was just talking to his friends. Afterward, they enter the bar, which was out of the camera's view.

At 1.55am, Brian went outside the front of the bar near the escalators and talked to those two women, and in the video, two Columbus police officers were actually standing nearby, likely providing security. HLN reported that Brian appeared to give his number to one of these women, but after about two minutes of conversation, Brian says goodbye and heads back towards the bar. This is where he disappears from the camera's view, and was never captured on any other cameras either.

At 2am, Clint and Meredith were seen leaving the bar via the escalator. Brian was not with them. So there's footage of Brian entering that bar area, stepping out to speak with the two women, and footage of Clint and Meredith leaving the bar. But after scouring hours of footage, the police weren't able to find any video of Brian leaving the bar.

So how does this happen? There were only a few ways Brian could have left without being seen by the cameras, and to police, none of these options seemed likely. So let's break it down. The way the bar was set up, besides those main doors near the escalators where Brian was seen entering, there was another way in and out through a back door for employees, but there were no cameras on that door.

Now, this employee back door had an elevator leading to a construction area on the ground, and this area was considered to be dark and hazardous, especially for someone who had been drinking like Brian. Now, apparently there was some type of chain on this door to prevent people who were not employees from using it, but it was kind of loose, so people could still kind of open it and squeeze through, so it is possible that Brian did exactly that.

There was also a third exit leading to the alley behind the bar. But this was an emergency exit, and there was a camera that would automatically focus on anyone using it. So since Brian was not seen using this exit, it wasn't triggered, it wasn't captured on camera, police pretty much ruled this out.

In the end, it seems that the only other ways Brian could have gotten out of the bar without being seen by a camera was jumping over a second-story balcony or going through a trash chute. But police also quickly rule out these options, because there were no reports of Brian being seen jumping off the balcony or jumping into a trash chute or coming out the other end for that matter.

Now, according to Mel Magazine, Columbus had more security cameras than Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Toledo combined. So detectives start going to nearby businesses to see if they could see anything, see if they could see Brian walking away from the bar, going to another bar, anything. But there was no footage of Brian. Not entering the construction area, not using the emergency exit, or anything else. It's like he just vanished. Or didn't walk out of that bar.

Now, after going through all the footage, detectives go to the women that Brian had been chatting with. Both of them say that they didn't know where Brian went after they stopped talking to him. They had never even met him before that night. But they did say that Brian didn't seem to be very drunk when they were talking to him.

Detectives also investigated a few other people seen in the video footage. They noticed a man who seemed to be following two other men in black shirts. At first, they thought that maybe this man could be following Brian. But upon closer inspection and confirming with Brian's family, it was not Brian.

They then turned their attention to a man in an orange sweater who kept going in and out of the bar and riding the escalators. The last time he was seen on camera, he was actually behind Clint and Meredith as they left around 2am. Detectives thought that maybe he just had information, so they spoke to him. But it turns out that he was just a taxi driver looking for riders, and he was eventually ruled out. Detectives

Detectives scoured this footage. They managed to account for every single person captured on camera except for Brian. And this did a few things, right? One, they were able to talk to some of these people to see if they saw anything. And two, it rolled out the idea that maybe Brian left in disguise for some reason. But in the end, one detective said, quote, "'I can say with 100% certainty that Brian Schaefer did not go back down that escalator.'"

And here's another huge, puzzling part of this case. When detectives spoke to the people who were inside the bar that night, no one could remember seeing Brian leave. But they did remember Brian. And they do remember seeing Brian and Clint get into what has been described as a, quote, little bit of a heated argument. But when detectives try to look into this, no one could say what it was about.

And like those two women Brian was seen speaking with, these witnesses echo their statement that Brian wasn't really that drunk. So at this point, detectives begin to scour every nook and cranny of the ugly tuna saloon. They even bring in canine units and trained cadaver dogs. But they come up with nothing.

They also extend their search to that construction area on the bottom floor. And apparently here, the dog shows some type of quote indication, but nothing was found or really concluded. After this, the investigation really heats up. Dozens of officers scour the area surrounding the bar.

Columbus Monthly reported that they searched city-owned dumpsters, landfills, and riverbanks. Shelters and hospitals were contacted, and detectives even convinced the city to inspect the sewer lines. But there was no trace of Brian anywhere.

However, I do think it's worth noting that there was one place the police did not look. Private-owned dumpsters. These had apparently already been emptied early on April 3rd prior to the start of their search, and those contents were already in a landfill in Tennessee.

While all these physical searches were being conducted, Brian's father Randy was getting desperate. At this point, he turns to psychics for help, and they give him conflicting information. One said Brian was alive, another said he was dead, and another claimed that he was involved in some backroom poker game gone wrong. Detectives do rule out that third theory about the poker game, but they still don't know what happened to Brian.

And on April 4th, Crime Stoppers and Ohio State University offered a combined $7,000 reward for information about Brian's disappearance. At this point, after doing a preliminary investigation, detectives do have a couple theories about what may have happened to Brian.

One possibility was that he left the bar without being seen on camera somehow, and tried to walk back to his apartment. It was only a 10-minute walk with well-lit streets and sidewalks, so it's not totally out of the question. But one detective did tell Dateline that this route could have been risky. They say that there was a lot of crime in the area, and added that Brian would have been an, quote, easy target. Another theory is that Brian left town to just cope with his mother Renee's recent death.

Brian admired his mom. She was a nurse, and the source of inspiration for his dream of becoming a doctor. Brian's friends have said that he was doing okay coping with her death, but he was obviously still struggling.

But Randy and most of Brian's loved ones just didn't believe this theory that Brian up and left his life. When speaking with the Missing Pieces show, Randy shared a memory of the last Christmas they spent together in the hospital with Renee. Brian had given her this heartfelt Christmas card which read, quote, "'You inspire me to do great things one day.'" To me and Brian's loved ones, this points to plans and goals for the future.

Randy and Alexis continued their search for Brian, and they spoke to the media in hopes of getting his face and his story out there. Alexis stressed how out of character it would be for Brian to just disappear and leave behind his loved ones and all his responsibilities, to leave behind everything he worked for. Brian was born and raised in Ohio. He chose to stay in Ohio to get his bachelor's degree in microbiology and to pursue his doctorate at OSU.

He had plans, short-term and long-term. After his trip to Miami, Brian was planning to see Pearl Jam, his favorite band in May. Brian wrote on Myspace, quote, "'I really love music, and this whole doctor thing is really just a job, only temporary until I get my band together and put out a record. I want to own an island someday, so I can listen to Buffett all day and drink margaritas with my senorita.'"

Brian's loved ones also believed that he was planning to propose to Alexis on their trip to Miami. He and Alexis even reportedly discussed engagement rings. And Alexis echoes the sentiment that their relationship was very serious. She told Dateline that she thought of Brian as the love of her life. All of this to say, Brian's loved ones feared the worst, because they had no reason to believe he would just up and leave his life.

But of course, detectives want to see if this is a viable option, or at least rule it out.

So they start digging into his personal life. While digging deeper into his relationship specifically with Alexis, they found that while many people did believe Brian would propose, there were no reports that Brian had actually gone to a jewelry store to buy her a ring. They also find out that a few days before he went missing, he basically told Alexis to move on and find someone else because he was struggling with his mom's death.

They also looked into Brian's life at college, and they found that while he did perform very well in his first year, even ranking in the top ten, during his second year, his grades fell a bit when Renee died, as one might expect.

And there was something else that made detectives question whether or not Brian planned to leave. They find that on March 1st, Randy had given Brian a tuition check for the upcoming semester, but the school had no record of the check being received. It wasn't cashed, and it also wasn't found in Brian's belongings. So detectives basically look at this in two ways. Either Brian had no intention of returning to school, or he forgot to turn in the check.

Next, they look in to see if Brian could even financially afford to disappear. According to HLN, Brian didn't have much money, but they also don't know how much cash he may have had. Now, it seems that there is some blame being put on Randy for canceling his debit and credit cards, but also from what I could find, there was no subpoena to get that information from the bank to see if he was taking out money to save up.

But here's the part that gets me. What they do know is that Brian had not yet received his mother's share of her life insurance payout, and this was supposed to be about $20,000. So if Brian really was planning to leave, he didn't wait for that money to come in to take with him. Ultimately, based on all this information, detectives couldn't determine one way or the other. They didn't know if Brian left on his own accord or was met with foul play.

They found no concrete evidence to support either theory or really any theory. At this point, they have no idea what happened to Brian Schaefer. This episode of Voices for Justice is sponsored by Quince. I can't believe that we are rolling into fall, but we are, which means it's time to refresh your wardrobe. And luckily, Quince offers timeless and high-quality pieces that will not blow your budget.

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Just go to the App Store or Google Play Store and download the free Ibotta app to start earning cash back and use code CRIME. That's I-B-O-T-T-A in the Google Play Store or App Store. And use code CRIME. On April 10th, more than a week after Brian went missing, the reward for information about his disappearance increased to $10,000. The next day, the Lancaster Eagle Gazette published an update about the search for Brian.

Randy, Alexis, and Brian's brother Derek were all talking to the media whenever they could. They were also putting up flyers, organizing gatherings, and using social media to get the word out. They also hired a PI and collected even more money for the reward, which went up to $25,000. Detectives said that they were still investigating and hadn't ruled out anything, and

And they also shared a few possible sightings of Brian. One person said Brian may have been at a convenience store in Columbus. Another said he was working at a diner in Michigan. There were sightings from other states, and even as far away as Sweden. But they were all determined to be false.

As these things go, as the weeks pass, detectives keep investigating. They do more physical searches. They re-examine the videos from the bar and the surrounding area. They also ask Clint and Meredith to take lie detector tests. Meredith agrees and passes, but Clint declines, saying he'd already shared everything he knew about Brian's disappearance.

Now at this point, Randy actually volunteers to do a polygraph test. This was apparently partly due to this awful rumor that he staged Brian's death for insurance money. Randy later told the media that this rumor was obviously very upsetting, and he added that Brian didn't even have life insurance. But law enforcement agreed to give Randy the test, and he passed.

On May 2nd, Clint and Meredith hired attorneys and stopped talking to the media. That same month, Clint moved to Tennessee, and when he was later summoned to a grand jury, he chose not to testify.

At this point, they are desperate for information, and they try something really big. They raise the reward for information about Brian's whereabouts to $100,000 for 11 days. Their hope is that this huge number might finally compel someone to come forward. But no one came forward with any solid or actionable leads.

And Randy goes back to Psychic's once again. This time, one told him that Brian's body might be in the water, trapped by whirlpools near bridge posts.

So Randy, his brother, and Kevin Miles from Crimestoppers go to the Olentangy River. This is near OSU and Brian's apartment, but in the opposite direction of the Ugly Tuna Saloon. They got in some fishing waders and searched all around the water, the bridge posts, everywhere they could think of. But there was no sign of Brian.

I do think it's worth noting, however, that Randy almost got sucked into a whirlpool himself. Now, luckily, his brother was able to grab him before he went underwater. But obviously, this is a scary testament to how dangerous this river could be. Even if Brian wasn't drunk, just a few drinks or even just the whirlpools being extremely strong could make all the difference.

On May 10th, Brian's family thought there might finally be a break in the case when someone actually broke into Brian's apartment. At around 2 a.m. that day, someone kicked down the door. Police were notified by 3 a.m., and law enforcement actually reaches out to Alexis to conduct a walkthrough of the apartment with them.

It seems that only a TV and a few DVDs were missing. Nothing appeared to be related to Brian's disappearance. And other apartments in the building had also been broken into. So in the end, police do not believe this break-in was related at all.

And throughout all of this, Randy is still talking to the media whenever he could. And by June, he actually filmed a TV commercial to help spread the word about Brian. He was also invited to attend a Pearl Jam concert in Cincinnati. Here, the lead singer, Eddie Vedder, actually asked the audience to submit any information they may have about Brian's disappearance.

Dead serious here. Last April, this last April, a young man named Brian Schaefer kind of went missing. He looks like he's in his 20s. He's 6'2", real handsome guy, jammed tattoo on his upper right arm. He's going to med school. You may have heard about this already. If you have, I apologize. It would do any harm to everybody's attention if you look into this.

Alexis later posted on her MySpace about how excited Brian would have been to hear that Eddie Vedder mentioned him. Brian loved Pearl Jam, and what I think is so cool is that Eddie Vedder continued to support the search for Brian. He would later make a similar plea at a Columbus concert, and even dedicated the song Come Home to Brian. Fans also ended up organizing a fundraiser. Just a very cool collective community effort.

And then in August, they get this other lead that seems really big. Police announce that there's actually a person of interest in Brian's case and release their picture. This seems like huge news and it seems like everyone was hopeful that they might finally get some answers. But that individual came forward the following day and was quickly cleared of having any involvement.

And the hits just keep coming. In September, there was another potential lead, more so the family hoped.

For me, this is one of the most heartbreaking parts about Brian's case. Up to this point, since Brian went missing, Alexis called his cell phone every single night hoping for a response. Each time it would go straight to voicemail. But then, for some reason on September 8th, Brian's phone actually rang. It rang three times and then stopped.

And this was not a one-time thing. For the next three days, Alexis called Brian's phone, and each time it would ring three times and then stop. This is also one of the most highly debated parts of Brian's case. According to HLN, records show that the phone was pinging in Hillard, Ohio.

This is about 14 miles from the Ugly Tuna Saloon, but as far as my team could find, nothing really came of this, and Brian's cell phone carrier says that the rings were just a glitch in the system, saying they didn't think Brian's phone was actually being turned on.

For many months, there really weren't any significant updates in Brian's case. And like we see so often, throughout this journey, throughout fighting for all these answers, Randy becomes friends with other loved ones of the missing. Together, with the help of Kevin Miles from Crimestoppers, they end up getting a law passed that establishes protocol for detectives to follow up when adults go missing.

Randy also gets connected with Texas EquiSearch. In August 2007, their team comes to Ohio to look for Brian. But again, there's just no sign of him anywhere. And Randy keeps working with other families to help find their missing loved ones. In January 2008, he actually donates $8,000 from Brian's reward money to help find a missing woman.

While Randy was helping others, he continued working for Brian. In addition to all his regular efforts speaking to the media, hanging up flyers, he made a website called findbrianschafer.com, and he also wrote letters to Clint and Meredith, asking them for information, even if they had promised Brian they wouldn't say anything.

After Meredith responded to a letter, Randy started calling her, trying to figure out what might have happened. Meredith would later tell the media, quote, he needed peace. He was a lost soul on this earth. By July 2008, Clint's attorney told Randy that he would talk about the case if he was granted immunity. But it doesn't seem like anything came of this.

A few months later, on September 13th, Randy sent an email about his search for Brian, which the non-profit Project Jason was going to share. He ended the email by saying, "...the public does forget after time, but the parents never forget. People have no idea what it is like to lose a son or daughter until it happens to them."

The very next day, Randy was killed. Basically, a tree branch fell on him while he was cleaning up after a storm, and his neighbors found him the next day. It's just heartbreaking. Randy truly worked for Brian until his last day. On September 17th, Randy's obituary was posted online, and someone left a comment on the obituary claiming to be Brian. It read, quote, "'I miss you, Dad. Love, Brian.'"

The user said that they were in the Virgin Islands. But in the end, detectives determined that the comment came from a public library computer in Franklin County, Ohio. They never figured out exactly who said it, but they were sure it wasn't Brian. On September 19th, Randy was laid to rest. Kevin from Crimestoppers spoke at the funeral.

Now, between Randy's death, this hoax, and what happened next, there was a lot happening in Brian's case at this time. The Lantern reported that three days later, Clint's attorney sent an email to the Schaefer family's private investigator. This was in response to the investigator asking if Clint would talk about Brian's disappearance.

Clint's attorney responded in part, quote, 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.

His attorney also said that the only issue he believes authorities have with Clint is that he refused to take a polygraph. He explained that Clint's refusal wasn't because he had anything to hide. It was because he was advised not to. He added, quote, As far as Clint is concerned, this matter is closed.

The Lantern reached out to the attorney to ask about the email. He declined to comment, reiterating that like Clint, as far as he was concerned, the case was closed. But here's the thing. Detectives would later tell HLN that to their knowledge, no one from the department had ever spoken to the attorney. This is Jessica Knoll, host of the new series, Back in Crime.

If you're a follower of true crime, you're probably familiar with some of the most shocking stories from our history. Horrific tragedies like the Columbine Massacre. And notorious criminals like cult leader Charles Manson.

In a scene described by one investigator as reminiscent of a weird religious rite, five persons, including actress Sharon Tate, were found dead at the home of Miss Tate and her husband, screen director Roman Poliansky. But what if we were to turn back the hands of time and relive these events as they unfolded? Follow along each week as we take a fresh look at crimes from the past. Back in Crime is available now.

In 2020, in a small California mountain town, five women disappeared. I found out what happened to all of them, except one. A woman known as Dia, whose estate is worth millions of dollars. I'm Lucy Sheriff. Over the past four years, I've spoken with Dia's family and friends, and I've discovered that everyone has a different version of events.

Hear the story on Where's Dear. Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Not long after Randy passed away, police received another possible lead when a credible tip came in. Someone says that Brian's body was in a field near the OSU campus. They go out and search, but didn't find anything related to Brian.

Before the year was over, Clint refused a second polygraph test. By this point, many people close to Brian believed that Clint knew more than he was saying.

Derek told the Lantern, quote,

He later told another publication, quote, I didn't know Clint very well, but I always thought that something was off with him. The way he talked about my brother after he went missing, kind of in a negative way. I wouldn't expect that from someone whose friend vanished. If Clint knew something, I hope he would have shared it. I deserve to know.

Alexis spoke to the Lantern and agreed that Clint knew more than he let on. Her father, who helped in the search for Brian, added, quote, The gist of my perspective on Clint Florence is that I think basically all roads to making any progress on the case of Brian Schaefer lead through Clint. As we know these things go, as time goes on, updates get a little more sparse. In 2013, Brian is legally declared dead, but this was basically just to free up his assets for Derek.

When this happens, police say that they're still not sure what happened to Brian. But in 2014, they told the media, quote, We have three theories, but none that we can discuss.

A year later, the Ohio Center for Missing Persons collaborated with Derek to create an in-depth report on Brian's case. They also addressed some of the rumors. One rumor focused on hand gestures that Brian was seen making in some of his pictures. People wondered if these gestures were linked to his disappearance, but Derek cleared up the record and said that they were just something Brian did to be silly.

Another rumor suggested that Brian maybe turned to drugs to cope with his mom's death, but there was just no evidence that Brian was involved in any illegal activity, and Derek was adamant that he wouldn't have used drugs.

I think the biggest rumor was that the ugly tuna saloon was hiding information about Brian. And this rumor appears to have been started due to Randy mentioning that the bar just wasn't as cooperative as he wanted them to be in some interviews. He said employees were told not to discuss Brian's case, and that he had to push really hard to get flyers hung up in the bar. He basically said that the bar seemed more concerned with their reputation and possible loss of revenue than finding Brian.

I mean, it was clear that Randy was frustrated with the bar, and I can absolutely see why. But I think it's worth noting that this was investigated. The Ohio Center for Missing Persons reported no evidence suggesting that the bar was uncooperative, and Columbus police have said publicly that the staff answered all their questions.

In 2016, the Columbus Dispatch published an article about Brian to acknowledge the 10-year mark of him going missing. Former lead detective John Hurst was interviewed about his theories. And like a lot of members of law enforcement, I feel like he says a lot if you just read between the lines. When asked if Brian is still alive, Hurst answered, quote, There is a possibility he is alive. But if you look at the probabilities that he isn't alive, those are just as great.

When asked if Brian was murdered, he replied, quote, There is nothing we have been able to recover that shows that he succumbed to foul play. So again, the probability of that isn't as great as he just walked away. And when Hurst was asked if Brian completed suicide, he said, quote, Most people who commit suicide want to be found. I would say that is probably in the lower category.

Alexis and Derek also went on record for the article. Alexis said that she doesn't have a single theory she firmly believes in. She added that her feelings about the case have evolved, and now she's numb to her emotions. Derek says that he used to hold out the hope that his brother might still be alive. However, he never believed that Brian simply ran away to start a new life.

Derek further explained that he often replays the events of the night of March 31st, 2006 in his mind over and over again. On the night Brian went missing, he invited Derek and Derek's girlfriend to meet him at the Ugly Tuna Salona, but they declined the invitation. Derek told the dispatch, quote, "'What if I had been there that night? Would things have been different? Would my brother still be here? I've carried that guilt around for a while.'"

In May 2018, the Ugly Tuna Salina closed. In a dispatch article about the bar's closing and Brian's disappearance, Detective Hurst said that the police were still considering all possibilities. They hadn't ruled out foul play, and they hadn't ruled out the idea that Brian might have left on his own. Hurst did have hope that one day they would solve this mystery. He said, quote, "'It's like a puzzle. We put pieces in, and we have to work at getting them to fit.'

Then in 2020, Brian's case made headlines again. This is when another possible lien emerged. Basically, authorities were sent a picture of a man in Mexico who resembled Brian. But after the FBI went and checked it out, the man was not Brian. So this was just another huge nothing. Another dead end.

But, something else came out at this point. The police said that they were not done investigating Brian's case, and in fact, they plan to re-interview everyone involved, specifically stating that they believe someone is withholding information.

In 2021, an age-progressed photo of what Brian might look like at 42 was released. Of course, officials hope that this image might lead to more tips. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost released a statement along with the photo that urged people to pay close attention to it, saying that even a single tip could help solve the case and bring the family closer to reuniting with Brian. He added, quote,

Hope doesn't have an expiration date. Every missing person counts. Which I have to say, I love, I love that idea of Hope not having an expiration date. But unfortunately, there have been no further updates in Brian's case. He remains missing, and his wallet, phone, and his clothes that he was wearing when he disappeared have never been found. So what happened to Brian Schaefer?

Well, let's start with the theory that Brian never left the bar on April 1st, 2006. Some think that maybe he accidentally fell into the construction area and got covered in concrete when the crew went back to work. Others believe something bad happened to Brian inside the bar, and his body might be hidden there somewhere. But the police have searched the bar and the construction area thoroughly, and they do fully refute this theory.

Another theory is that Brian left the ugly tuna saloon, but the cameras just didn't capture it. According to Columbus Monthly, one of the bar's cameras actually panned the area constantly, so it went back and forth, while the other was operated manually.

So I don't think it's completely far-fetched to believe that Brian could have left without cameras seeing him. But on the other hand, other questions remain with this theory. Why didn't any of the other cameras in the area capture him leaving, walking down the street, I mean anything? And why didn't any of the witnesses there recall seeing him leave that night?

Now, what people believe could have happened to Brian if he did leave the bar varies. Something Brian might have just tried to walk home and something really bad happened to him. The police haven't said that this is impossible, just that they don't have any proof that Brian was met with foul play. Another possible theory is that Brian left the bar and was killed by the Smiley Face Killer.

The idea behind the smiley face killer is that he's supposedly a serial killer. Basically, he murders young men and leaves them near some type of spray-painted smiley face. But authorities have completely dismissed this theory. They say they don't even believe the smiley face killer exists, let alone that he was involved in Brian's disappearance.

And of course, there's also the theory that Clint, Brian's friend, might have been involved. Some say it's suspicious that Clint and Brian were seen arguing in the bar, and that Clint later hired an attorney, did not talk to the grand jury, and refused multiple eye detector tests. While detectives have publicly noted that these things may seem suspicious, they have also said that Clint was never a suspect or a person of interest in Brian's case.

There are many other theories out there, but no matter what you believe, Brian is still a missing person at this point, and he has loved ones that are waiting for answers. Which brings me right to our call to action. As we often encounter with these older cases, Brian's case really just seems to need someone to come forward with new information, which means we need more eyes on it. So please share Brian's photo and his story.

And I want to leave you with that statement Randy gave right before his untimely death. Quote, The public does forget after time, but the parents never forget. People have no idea what it is like to lose a son or daughter until it happens to them. As a reminder, Brian Schaefer was last seen around 2am on April 1st, 2006 at the Ugly Tuna Salona in Columbus, Ohio.

At that time, he was 27 years old, 6'2", 160 pounds with brown hair and hazel eyes. He was wearing an olive green short-sleeve polo shirt with a white long-sleeve shirt underneath, blue jeans, Adidas sneakers, and a yellow cancer awareness bracelet.

Brian also has a dot on the iris of his left eye and a tattoo on his upper right bicep. Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the Columbus Division of Police at 614-645-2358. But as always, thank you, I love you, and I'll talk to you next time.

Voices for Justice is hosted and produced by me, Sarah Turney, and is a Voices for Justice media original. This episode contains writing and research assistance by Haley Gray, with additional research assistance by Anna Luria. If you love what we do here, please take a moment to follow, rate, and review the show in your podcast player. It helps us and helps more people find these cases in need of justice.

Welcome to the Secret After Show. Let's talk about Brian. Now, there are a few things I want to touch on that occurred in Brian's case, and I think one of the first is this idea that Brian was so struck with grief that this caused him to leave. Some of the things that people bring up in defense of this that I did use in the episode, to be fair, because it's not about my opinion, it's about what the facts are, is that

But this part of the show is more about my opinion and what I think, so really, some of the things that were kind of used against him to prove this theory don't feel exactly fair. Specifically, I am talking about those statements that Brian made to Alexis before he went missing.

Grief is a very weird thing, and I think everybody experiences it a little bit differently. You know, but there are some universals too, right? Like, I think really grief can wash over you at moments where you might be prompted to tell your partner things like you feel horrible right now. You feel like this will never go away. Maybe you feel like you're broken and you say, just leave me. You say, I'm never going to get better. You would be better off without me.

I've absolutely had those moments. Especially going through the trial, I will tell you that me and Watchman had some really, really bad days.

But for me, and this, I mean, this is just speculation, pure speculation here. For me, those statements feel more like Brian expressing his grief in a moment to somebody he really loved and trusted. It didn't seem like actual plans to dissolve the relationship in any way. I mean, he called Alexis the night he went missing. He had plans for the next day. Now, I will say that grief can absolutely make you do things you might not do absent of that grief.

But these statements alone just don't do it for me. As far as what I think happened to Brian, I don't know.

I do think that's part of what makes this case so puzzling is, you know, one, the surveillance, and two, just not knowing. I think in cases where there's a big absence of information, the lack of security footage, not knowing what was going on with that tuition check, I think that it really just leads more credence to people speculating. It just makes people wonder what the hell happened.

And I will say that Brian's case is one of the first true crime cases I ever heard of. Now, I do think that my experience with true crime, I mean, obviously has been a little bit different than a lot of people, but I really got into true crime and I don't even, I didn't even really get into it. I went through this period where I watched a lot of YouTube. I couldn't really afford cable. I couldn't afford streaming services. So I watched a lot of free YouTube in like my early twenties and during college.

And like with Lars Matank, Brian's case was one of those cases that was kind of all over YouTube at that point as more of a conspiracy theory. People were showing the footage, people were talking about him never leaving the bar. It was really, really full of speculation. It was really sensational.

but it is a case that stuck with me. And I think that's one of the reasons I wanted to cover Brian's case. I do like to go back to these cases that I discovered, I mean, my gosh, I think, you know, almost right after it happened with Brian, I like to go back and revisit these what feel like larger-than-life, extremely sensational cases and really try to just narrow it back down to the facts. So I hope that I did, you know, do that in this episode.

Now, I'm not done talking about Brian. I do want to talk about hoaxes in general and hoaxes in this case, because when I began to research and write this part about, you know, the hoaxes involved in Brian's case, specifically the Randy's obituary and somebody leaving that comment that like says he's in the Virgin Islands. I mean, one, how cruel can you be?

Like, there's no pass for that. It's not a joke. It's not funny. That is so, so cruel. Especially, like, think about it. Derek just lost his mom, just lost Brian, and now his dad. And now there's somebody commenting on his obituary that it's Brian from the Virgin Islands. So number one, just cruel. And I'm not sure what Derek thought about all that. Derek, if you're out there listening, I know that families...

At least in my experience, from the people that I know, we listen and we watch stuff about our loved ones. It's like you can't help yourself. So, Derek, if you're listening, I am sending you nothing but love. I can't even imagine. Well, I think I can in a little bit, in a little aspect of that. But...

What a horrible thing to go through, and I just send you so much love. You did not deserve that. Your family did not deserve that. Alexis did not deserve that. It was completely uncalled for. And the thing is, not only is it cruel and mean and just one of the worst things you can do to people in these situations, it is a total waste of resources.

You know, there's not always enough cops to go around. There's not always enough detectives, enough resources in general, which could mean, you know, maybe police had other calls that day and they didn't go to them, you know, or put them off for a little bit to go investigate this. It is a huge ripple effect.

Which is why, like, as much as I give you guys calls to action and get involved, like, I want you to do all those things. I always try to, like, preface that when I can with, like, hey, let's not waste resources. If you're submitting a tip, it needs to be serious. Like, call the non-emergency line if you can. Because I understand how precious these resources can be.

So shame on the person that did that. So much love to this family because that was super uncalled for and, again, just a huge waste of resources. And I can tell you, you know what I mean? I was saying that I can relate to this because somebody did something similar in Alyssa's trial, and I talked about it, I think, last week, where they said, you know, Alyssa's out there alive and well, and I know who it is, and you need to, you know, Sarah knows that she's out there too, and it's all one big conspiracy theory. Like,

the fact that officers had to go fly to another state to make that happen or whatever, that they had to speak to these people when this person who submitted it knew full and well that it was false. I mean, I have to at least imagine that. I don't know who this person is that submitted it. But, you know, with them saying that, like, I knew Alyssa was alive, that's what leads me to believe that they knew it was false because obviously that's not true. Obviously the police inspected all that and came back and said that this was a hoax.

And it's like, when that happened, you know, part of me is like, you know, the whole saying that I knew thing aside, part of me is like, oh my gosh, what if it is Alyssa? You know what I mean? Like, your heart races. I was crying. I was like, what if this is Alyssa? You know, despite my better judgment and in my heart knowing that Alyssa is Alyssa.

more than likely not out there alive. You know, part of me is always like, what if? And it was a horrible experience. So again, don't do that. Love to this family because it is one of the worst things you can go through.

But moving on to something positive about this case, I wanted to talk about Pearl Jam and Eddie Vedder. I thought, I mean, their whole participation is so cool to me. Like, number one, it was Brian's favorite band, right? He had, like, the tattoo that is one of their album art, I believe. Don't quote me. I'm not a...

Pearl Jam Stan or whatever. I am now maybe a little bit after this episode, right? But I think it's so amazing how, one, you know, Eddie Vedder shared the information, which is awesome. And two, he got his audience to actively get involved. He got them, I don't know if it was like directly him, but again, his audience ended up creating this fundraiser for Brian. And that is like best case scenario. And it's hard, right? Because you can't expect...

every musician at every single show to do something like this but it was just a really really cool thing and I don't know it's really inspiring to me I guess to see that and just see the way that this audience got mobilized to actually do something and it gives me a lot of hope.

Which does bring me, not to be cheesy, to our segment of hope. And today we are switching it up. Because talking about getting involved, you guys, I have very, very good news about the Susan Lund case. Now, I'm actually going to read you an email I got from a lovely listener named Haley. Shout out to Haley. You are amazing. I love you. And of course, she did give me permission to read this before you come for me. So this email says, quote,

Hello, Sarah. My name is Haley, and I'm from Clarksville, Tennessee. Laura asked me to reach out to you. Now, for some context, this came to me. Laura Norton actually texted me and said, oh my gosh, I got this message. You know, blah, blah, blah. You should connect with this girl. And so I did. So the email goes on to read, I recently saw a billboard with Susan's information in town and instantly went searching for information. Your

Your recent podcast with Laura popped up, and I'm surprised that there are only two podcasts that have covered Susan's case. After giving your episode a listen, I became obsessed. I went searching for as much information as I could share with other podcasts and local news source Clarksville Now.

I got in touch with Clarksville Now's editor-in-chief, and he stated that he would like to interview a family member of Susan's. That's when I got in contact with Laura Norton and shared this information with her, hoping she could provide the family's information. I'm so beyond happy that Laura was able to reach out to the editor-in-chief and provide him with the family's information so that we can spread the story of Susan."

Now, of course, I go back to Haley and I'm like, oh my gosh, thank you so much. Is it okay if I share this in our segment of hope? Because it's perfect. Somebody getting involved like this and getting media attention is the best case scenario. It's like everything I dream of for this podcast. And I'm like, oh my gosh, thank you so much.

But Haley goes on to say in another email, it would be an honor if you shared this with your listeners. I hope by sharing this story that your listeners become as inspired as I have to reach out to anyone and everyone they can think of regarding these heartbreaking stories. This is proof that anyone, even a young, broke college student like me, can make a difference by simply sharing and reaching out. And I am getting emotional because...

This is everything. Thank you, Haley. Shout out to Haley. You are awesome. This is everything. And yeah, I don't think I need to elaborate anymore. Thank you guys. Thank you for listening and thank you for doing what you do. Thank you for going out there and doing things like this. This is literally what it's all about. But as always, thank you, I love you, and I'll talk to you next time.