MovieChat Forums > Disappeared (2009) Discussion > The disappearance that still haunts me.....

The disappearance that still haunts me....

posted 13 years ago by Jane2005
39 replies | jump to latest

I'm not sure why, but the disappearance of Ohio State University med student, Brian Shaffer, in 2006 still haunts me.....

Brian Shaffer was a twenty-seven-year-old medical student at the Ohio State University when he disappeared during Spring Break. On April 1, 2006, Brian and his friends went out drinking near campus. They wound up in a bar called the Ugly Tuna Saloona. There were cameras at the entrance and exit of the bar, but oddly, Brian was only seen entering; he was never seen leaving. Police estimate that he disappeared between 1:30 and 2:00 a.m. All of his belongings were still in his apartment with his car parked nearby. The credit cards that he had on his person and his cell phone have not been seen or used since that night. There is no evidence that he would have just run off and his loved ones didn’t seem to think it likely that he would have committed suicide. If you have any information regarding the whereabouts of Brian Shaffer, please contact the Columbus Police Department at 1-877-645-8477.

Unfortunately, I've just read his father died in a September 2008 wind storm (talk about a family with bad luck). Brian's mother had just passed away of cancer when he disappeared. I believe he even had a fiance when he disappeared. How sad for her not knowing whether to move on or keep looking for him.

I hope someday they find him.

Is there a disappearance that has stayed with you, and if so, why?

-Jane

[–] ambermae_19 11 years ago

One that haunts me is the one where the guy was in a band and disappeared after a fight with the band members.
Another one that stayed on my mind was the one where the girl's car was found backed up into a shack on the side of the road. I thought that one had a whole other level of mystery.

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] ambermae_19 11 years ago

Just realized that its ten years this month since Brianna Maitland's disappearance. Her episode was titled Vanished in Vermont. The pictures of her car backed into that abandoned farm house are really creepy. They send chills thru me.

[–] DaysFan79 11 years ago

The disappearance that still haunts me and remains unsolved is the Leah Roberts case, the young woman from North Carolina who went on a soul searching journey across the US. All signs point to foul play and the person they suspect is now living in Canada. Sounds like she was too trusting and was also in the wrong place at the wrong time. Like Brianna Maitland, her car was also found abandoned. They say the suspect knew about cars, and it looks as though the car crash had been staged.

The other episode that is very eery is The Springfield Three, where all 3 women disappeared and still remains unsolved today.

The Maura Murray case is different because there are no clues that point to homicide and it sounds more like a troubled young woman who just wanted to disappear and start a new life. Brandi Wells, Brittanee Drexel and Rachel Cooke were also scary cases that have not been solved yet and are shrouded in mystery. They also seem to have just been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

[–] febarbieheadsfree 11 years ago

I don't think I'll ever stop thinking about the Mike Williams case. I'm 100% convinced that his wife and best friend murdered him. The things she did after he died are so cold; not something the wife of a missing man would do.

I'm just really angry that they got away with it.

Every Revolution Begins With A Spark - 11/22/2013

[–] bpitt311 10 years ago

This case is admittedly a classic "young woman makes poor decisions and bad things happen," story, but it nonetheless haunts me. I guess it's just because we KNOW something terribly ominous happened to Brandi, and yet we just don't know her final fate.

It's those details like...
1. The fact that she went to a nightclub out of her way, when she was almost out of gas and by herself. Why?
2. Video footage of Brandi arriving to and leaving the nightclub. Although there has been much speculation on the "man with the cowboy hat," and not a lot of solid information, it is still scary to think that we might have witnessed a hunter seeking his prey.
3. The abandoned car left off the side of the freeway. Driver's door open (I believe). Seat pushed way back. Gas can, new to Brandi, in the trunk. I wonder where Brandi was intercepted and if the clues point to her being tricked by an offer of gas.
4. The cell phone! Brandi's was missing from the car, but she had an ex-boyfriend's cell phone (non-functioning) in the backseat. A week later, her phone was found in a rough area of town by three men. 2 passed polygraphs about their involvement in Brandi's disappearance, and one failed. What is up with the failed polygraph? Who are these men, and do they know more than they are saying?

Also, the way this case has seemingly been forgotten is really disturbing and haunting. This was a normal girl about to go back to University who had a night out that snuffed her out of reality. It's just so eerie and scary to me.

[–] nativenewyorker88 9 years ago

Brittanne Drextel is disturbing. I just googled her and she is still missing after all these years. Scary and disquieting because your imagination just runs wild thinking of all the things that could've happened to her. Add the fact of her young age...shudder.

Another one although not as disturbing but more sad is Roxanne Paltauf. I think her boyfriend had something to do with it but so far he's been too clever to have gotten caught. Sad because she and her whole family seems to be so nice, close and loving.

[–] carolmr527 9 years ago

The Springfield Three, for sure.

[–] alyssie 9 years ago

Lee Cutler, the very first episode they showed. His story has always, always stuck out to me. Despite never finding a body, most come to the conclusion that he committed suicide and they just really didn't find the body. The odds that he somehow left the country and went to Israel, or pulled a Christopher McCandless seem extremely slim. I know the family is desperate though and believes he's still alive. There is a facebook group called Let's Find Lee (or something like that) that Beth (his mom) and her current husband are members of.

[–] libby2130 9 years ago

the springfield 3..maura murray, that diver Ben mcdaniel that was weird...they did a follow up with an expert group and special camera and ran a test of the water to see if there was any dead body trace...and...nothing

[–] libby2130 9 years ago

well, the diver doesn't haunt me but I found it really perplexing...odd

[–] hilaryjrp 8 years ago

Lee Cutler, the very first episode they showed. His story has always, always stuck out to me. Despite never finding a body, most come to the conclusion that he committed suicide and they just really didn't find the body.

I agree. I recently re-watched this episode after several years, and the similarities with the (recent on "Disappeared") Bryce Laspisa case are striking--possibility of drowning, but no body, driving great distances with apparently no problem, etc. The one other disappeared male in similar circumstances, Pennsylvania District Attorney Ray Gricar...even after his disappearance and being declared dead, he still has enough influence with government, or his family have enough money+influence, to get some HUGE Reputation Defender company to wipe his episode off the internet.

[–] cdjunkee-1 8 years ago

You have probably heard the update on Britanee Drexel. She was abducted and taken to another County. She was raped at a Stash house and pistol whipped. Her remains were dumped in a Swamp.

[–] 9 years ago

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[–] lgforce 9 years ago

The 2 Disappeared's that have haunted me over the years are:

Patricia Adkins- 'Secret Rendezvous' S3 Ep2
Terrance Williams- 'Crime and Punishment' S5 Ep13

Very eerie and sinister these 2 cases.

[–] mlsssmth 9 years ago

Regarding Brian Shaffer

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2016/04/01/unsolved-mystery-10-years-later-brian-shaffer-still-missing.html