Brian Shaffer - Vanished Into Thin Air

Big Brother. Have you ever heard of the concept. It's a conspiracy theory involving governmental surveillance of its people listening in and watching. In a totalitarian society, there is no hiding and there's no escaping. This, of course, is just a conspiracy theory. Today, though, we are going to put big Brother to the test. One man by the name of Brian Schaeffer would be seen on security camera entering a bar with his friends, but the security camera never

Listener discretion is advised.

Hey, how's it going.

My name's Ben and I'm Nicole and you're listening to Wicked.

And Grim true crime podcast. What's up?

Woo who? It sounds like this is gonna be a doozy one.

You think so?

I think so?

What about it about it makes you say it's going to be a doozy?

It already has my mind going a mile a minute.

We join the club, let's put it that way. Okay, before we dive into details, So we got some stuff to talk about. Of course, we're gonna start off with our lovely patrons, shall we.

Yeah, we have quite a few this week while we're doing two weeks. So because the Q and A we recorded early. We didn't think patrons on that one.

Yeah, because we usually record like hours before it's posted.

Yeah, that's our jam.

And that one was days before. So we are doing some backtracking making sure we thank all are patrons who signed up for the past two weeks. So those patrons who signed up over to support us. There are Amanda Robertson, Amanda Patchel, Alisha Melissa, Katie Long, Patricia Brimacombe, Laurie Allen, Rayley Richards, Victoria Louther, Kathy Kay Timberly, and Jessa Smith.

Amazing.

I'm pretty sure I butchered most of your names, and I'm sorry for that.

Well, that's just your charm. We got a good charm for that.

Is it charm or is it just a curse?

I think you want to go with charm?

Oh, fair enough, I can't argue that.

Yeah. Actually, some people, well somebe borno white, practice your pronunciation, then some people are like, I love how you pronounced shit.

Well, it's who we are.

We do try. It's not like we're just not trying.

And people need to remember too, we're not a high budget podcast. We're not a high production podcast, us in our tiny home, right having fun. Yeah.

But anyway, if you were one of those, or if you're on our Patreon, thank you so much for your support.

Yes, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. And if you are not a Patreon.

And you're just listening and hanging out.

You're here with us. We appreciate that just the same. So thank you, thank you, thank you.

Literally anyone that's hearing this, thank you.

Yeah, thank you. Oh did we say thank you?

I don't think we did. One more time? Thank you?

Yeah, So thank you so much for the patrons. We did a Q and A last episode. That's why we kind of got those two weeks to thank Nicole was on vacation.

Yeah, so what did everyone think of that Q and A?

It was fun.

I feel like that was super fun. We'd divulged some info, we got through all the questions. There was a massive amount.

Yeah. I think you guys might have learned a.

Couple of things about us, maybe a few things.

Heh. Yeah, so hopefully enjoyed it. It was fun doing that and getting to get to know you guys a little bit more on that that level, so hopefully it was it was worth a listen for you.

Yeah, and I went down to the Okanagan, So it was for five nights, I think, visiting friends and a bunch of family and spending some time at the lake, floating in the water, which and swimming, and I love swimming so fun and we don't we never do it here. We never go swimming.

We're too busy and even if there is time, there's too many mosquitos.

Yeah, or the water's cold, really cold. Well down there it was a bit warmer. So welcome to Canada, A, welcome to Northern BC A.

Yeah, so I'm definitely jealous. I didn't get to go on vacation. I had to stay home, look after the dog goes and work.

Yeah, sorry about that.

It's all good. But the nice thing about it though, while you were on vacation, I got to take care of the last few little details of the Wicked and Graham giveaway for the Wicked Box, so that was cool. And the final stage is all wrapped up and everything, and we just did Instagram live tonight and we drew our winter. Yeah.

It was very exciting.

Yeah, so if you want to go see the live drawing. I mean it's recorded now, it's you'll see it post, but it is a unedited.

Live where we actually drew the name from a mason jar full of pieces of paper. We went old school, Yeah it's perfect, and.

Showed all the different things that are going to be in the Wicked Box. So we showed it all, and then we drew the name. And the name can I get a drum roll? Was Sheila DEGANI I really hope I'm saying her name right. But Sheila is actually a

Winner of the Wicked Boss and we had what forty seven people that made it that far?

A total of forty seven people made it all the way through.

Is mind blowing. I mean, I knew it would be fun, and I knew a lot of people would be into it, but I just didn't actually quite think it was a lot to it. There was a lot to it.

Oh yeah, we took a lot of time putting that thing together.

Yeah, and so that many people that went about it and had a blast like that was just awesome.

Yeah. So thank you for Sheila and everyone else who took part in it, whether you made it all the way through or not, thank you for taking part and enjoying it as much as we did alongside us.

Yeah, I would say it was a success and that we may have to do it again one day.

Definitely agree with that.

There we go.

Yeah, anything else we got to cover?

H I don't think so. No.

I got a black cat running around my feet right now.

Oh yeah, spooky we.

Are entering spooky season.

We are actually you're getting camped, like I literally just know. Well, and it's already becoming a bit fall up here.

It is.

Leaves are starting to fall, which is wild, and.

If I'm being honest, I'm actually getting really excited for fall mountain biking.

Are you well just less hot? Hey?

Less hot? That cold crisp air going through the fog, the leaves on the tree rail, Hell's to the Yes.

It's trying to be slippery though.

Yeah, it's gonna be so cool and looks so awesome. Think of the gram, Yo, off of the Gram, off the gram. That's why a mountain bike specifically for the.

Graham pretty much. And you have to have the best of gear for that.

Right percent. Gotta look good. If you don't look good, are you actually any good?

Are you actually a mountain biker?

Right about brands?

Yeah?

Whatever, No, it's all about you rab what you got, that's exactly so. Yeah, spooky seasons coming up. We're gonna be doing some cool things for Halloween again this year, so remember that. But that aside, are you ready to get into the case today.

I'm totally ready.

You're totally ready for it.

Yeah. I need to know what's going on here.

Well, heads up for anyone who doesn't like them. This is an unsolved case. This is a mystery. So just so you know this one, this is getting into rabbit holes, this is getting into theories.

I love these ones, you love it, Yeah.

So buckle up. Our story takes place on April first of two thousand and six, WOW, with a man by the name of Brian Shaeffer O. Now, Brian was twenty seven years old. He was born on February twenty fifth of nineteen seventy nine. Brian grew up in Pickerton, a suburb of outside of Columbus, Ohio. He had two younger brothers, and he was the eldest son of Randy and Renee Shaeffer.

Sounds like a good start.

There for six years, he worked his ass off until he graduated with a degree in microbiology. Oh wow, definitely a study that takes time, patience, skill, and smarts. Right, Yeah, no kidding, Now, Brian clearly had all these things as he pushed through it to come out proudly with that degree in hand. This wasn't the end of his post

Wow. Good for him, right, that's very impressive.

Set in the bar high.

Yeah, so he also he must have been like, I don't know, high achiever.

Smart, very smart, very high achiever. Yeah, and by this time, honestly, Brian can quite literally be described as tall, dark, and handsome, literally like full package for one hundred percent. He had that like neatly kind of slash, messy brown hair, glowing hazel eyes. He stood six foot two inches tall and weighed approximately one hundred and sixty five pounds. He was quite literally mister tall, dark and handsome, gorgeous glowing smile. I mean, no, homo, but man, he's pretty just saying.

And had the resume to back him up really too, definitely.

So it wasn't long before you know, mister tall, dark and handsome was able to find himself romantically involved. Alexis Wagoner was also a medical student, and Alexis and Brian or sorry Alexis was described on Brian's MySpace profile page at the time as awesome and amazing.

Aw yeah, like that's how he described.

Her correct on his MySpace profon I love that. Gotta love the MySpace days. Hey, yeah, takes us back.

It does take us back.

What like we need some some social media to kick it up like that again, Remember like all the animations you could have in your page your favorite song we playing, you could change the colors and all this. Why don't we have that?

Now?

Why can't you do that on Instagram or Facebook or anything? TikTok?

Yeah you can't really. Hey, you get all there's like there's hardly anything that you can do to relate.

Well, you get a profile, you get a description, and then whatever you post to your feed.

I mean that you can have on Instagram, you can have like highlights and stuff.

But yeah, but that's still technically part of your.

Feed, right, Yeah, it still still look very like pristine and you can't really make it your own.

Yeah, it's got but like, everyone's profile is the same template. The only way it's a different template is that blue verified check mark, which even still is a part of a template.

So what would music? Would you have? Larn when someone came.

Oh god, probably money for Nothing by Dire Straits. Yeah, it's like one of my all time favorite songs. Come on now, it's either going to be that or I'm going to go like my pop punk skater days with like some Avri Lavine, I don't know, some folloout boy Billy tallon you know, love that stuff. There you go, Yeah, how about.

You I don't even know. I don't even know.

I don't know.

I would Well, if it was now, I would probably have some like zen chill, like chill hot music for right now. Back then, I'm not really sure.

Okay, fair enough. Oh it'd probably be that theme song from One Tree Hill, that's what you'd have.

Oh my gosh, Wow, thanks for just calling me out there.

You know I'm not wrong, you know I'm right.

I was actually obsessed with that and OC too. Actually, OC is like on Netflix or something now I need to rewatch ye, that'd be amazing.

Okay, Sorry, this this tangent aside, We digress. Alexis would actually later describe Brian in an interview as well as brilliant, handsome, sweet, loyal and caring.

Oh my gosh, this is perfect. Well it's not perfect because we're talking about it, but it sounds awesome so far.

Yeah, the love the two had for one another, it was clear that like they loved each other. There was no doubt about that, so much so that Alexis actually, along with many of her families and friends, believe that Brian was about to propose to her soon. Ooh now where and how well? Why not? On the trip to Miami that the two had booked together for spring break.

There you go, that sounds perfect.

Right, hitting up the beach or something. Yeah, now, especially considering Brian loved tropical locations such as Miami. He loved the beach. He was just like many of us, honestly, who lived dreamed of living that good life on a beach, you know, sand between your toes, the sound of the ocean waves crashing in front of you. He'd dreamed of it, he lived for it, and if I'm being completely transparent, probably with a cold drink in your hand as well, at least that's how I see it.

But yeah, I mean, that's living the life right there.

One hundred percent. So Brian may have been a really good looking guy who was succeeding through his tough trials becoming a doctor, but that didn't mean he was above your average guy. He liked to relax, He liked that lifestyle just like everybody else. In fact, he was a little bit more like everyone else than we realize. He would often dream of sitting back, relaxing and just playing his guitar and doing that for his life. In fact, he even told friends that despite of his decisions, to

Huh.

And if you're not familiar with Jimmy Buffett and his music, he is a singer slash songwriter entrepreneur. I should say that too, because he's worth like millions. He would, you know, tell tales of his long days in the beach and the warm sun. That's how he would sing his songs, followed of course by the cool evening drinks and good company. Right, He's sorry, I lost my spot here. He's the artist behind songs such as It's five o'clock somewhere, why don't

Those are like also.

Good, right, So those are the sort of songs that he's listening to, and those are the sort of things that he's kind of following the ambition of Jimmy Buffett paints his picture and he loves this idea and this lifestyle. So that is his dream. So Jimmy Buffett preaches this easy life, so on so forth, and it is music Brian's ears, but he also had other artists that he had favorite songs of too. He also had Pearl Jam,

Oh wow, Yeah, it's like serious fas Hey.

Definitely, and honestly, I can vouch for Brian. Both these two artists are incredibly amazing artists. Very different style of music, but they're both amazing. So back to Brian and alexis Tho, not just the music. Before they could actually hit up the beach in Miami, Miami and potentially get engaged, something unexpected occurred. It was only a couple months before they

Oh my goodness.

No, yeah, I'm going to butcher the type of what she was diagnosed with here, but bear with me. I did practice pronouncing this multiple times, but it didn't work out anytime I tried. Here we go Mila d plesia, mylad diplasia, myla diplasia. I thinks how it is.

I haven't even ever heard of that.

It's a type of cancer which immature blood cells in the bone marrow do not mature and become healthy cells. Essentially, dang. Yeah. And Google describes early symptoms as typically none, but later symptoms may include feeling tired, shortness of breath, bleeding, disorderas disorders, anemia, or frequent infections. So tragic, honestly, And Google takes so many people away. It's it's absolutely cancer or sorry, can't think Google, Google, Sorry, sorry, I googled the symptoms.

I said that, right, So no, but it does, it is, it's on.

Google takes so many lives.

I know. I was sorry to that, but yeah, no, it honestly does. It's just like the worst, It's the worst.

Yeah. So Brian's friends knew this was hard on him, and it would be you know, for many people to realize, like, it's not something that he was able to actually hide. He tried, but it was pretty obvious to people if they they looked at him, you know, they they see he's tired, he's not quite who he used to be.

Right, Oh yeah, well, it's constantly on his mind. And then the fact that she's not going to be there when he grad graduates med school. That's a big deal exactly.

And Brian was close with his mother and his family, so it would certainly be hard to witness to love one suffering from something like this, right, And so his friends knew it was hard on him, not because like I said, he showed it or talked about it a lot. They just knew from being good friends and seeing slight

Mother, because it was that month, that earlier that month that the mom had passed away. It was in March, right, you said, yes, okay, so yeah, really not that long ago.

Yeah, so it's very very fresh. So Brian's father during this dinner noted that Brian again didn't quite seem himself. He seemed exhausted, and from conversations it most likely was having pulling all nighters from earlier in the week, cramming for upcoming exams, and again probably from the recent family stress. Brian was also telling him that he had some other plans that evening to go out with friends for some celebrations too, but this didn't quite sit right with him.

Yeah, his dad was looking out for him, he was. That's some good advice right there.

However, he didn't actually say this out loud to his son.

Oh shit, Okay, I mean, after all, Brian is an adult.

He can make decisions for himself. He's twenty seven years old. You know. He wasn't doing anything dangerous, he wasn't doing anything reckless. So who's to say he can't go out and spend some time with his friends before vacation. Yeah, right, close decisions.

His dad had some great advice and he just kept it to him and this is oh hate that.

So he did. He just kept his thoughts to himself and just enjoyed the rest of his dinner with his son before they went their separate ways. And unfortunately, this would be the last time that he saw his son.

Dang. Okay, yep, I knew this was coming.

So after dinner with his father, Brian met up with his friends William Clint Florence Clint. I'm not sure if it's a legal name or a nickname. I'm pretty sure it's a nickname.

Okay.

So Clint was also a former roommate. They met up at nine pm, and they started their night out by heading to the Ugly Tuna Saluna. Whoa yeah, a bar in South Campus Gateway Complex on the high streets of Columbus. Sounds like quite the bar, right, love that name. Honestly, I may have wrote it more in this podcast than I should have, but I wrote it specifically because I have fun saying them all. Oh so just saying that. So, it was nothing new for the two of them to

So he's planning ahead, he's.

Planning ahead, he's planning ahead, he's being responsible, he's talking to her, he's making sure everyone everything's on the same page. Nothing suspicious, not at all weird, just another night having fun and everything's out in the open.

Just other than him being a bit tired, right, or just exhausted.

Just overtired, overworked, whatever you want to say, But he's definitely exhausted. It's a good way to put it. So after the phone call, Brian and Clint began their bar hopping. They left the Ugly Tuna Saluna after about four or so shots together and began visiting several other bars and working their way down the Arena district in Columbus. At each stop, the two would have one shot together before moving on to the next place. Sounds like a good night,

Yeah, that's actually kind of sounds super fun.

Yeah, although I can tell you right now my drinking is not up to par they're at like five or six shots by now or so. Yeah, I'm probably going to call it a night at like, you know what, it's eleven or so. I'm done.

Really good night, guys.

Pretty much, I can't hold it like I used to.

Let's say that we're getting all of it's okay.

So sometime after midnight, Brian and Clint met up with Meredith Reid, a friend of Clint from the North Shore, where she gave them a ride back to the Ugly Tuna Saluna.

Oh that was our favorite one.

Yeah, right back to where the bar hopping began, and she joined them for some more good times and their last round of the evening at one fifteen pm. Okay, so, once they arrived at one fifteen and they got inside, however,

I mean, he could have found someone in there that he knew or something, but still like slightly alarming. I think I would be starting to get a bit alarmed.

Well, I mean, you're in the same room, You're in the same bar, right, Well, he's somewhere around here, right. So at two am, forty five minutes after they arrived at the bar, the bar would close. Clint and Meredith quickly left the bar and waited outside patiently for Brian to come out with the groups of patrons who were leaving.

Right, it's not abnormal, No, that's hotly fair. But I mean they were spending the whole night together. You think that he hasn't been like, okay, I'm off.

Well, they're thinking this must have been the case with Brian, though. I mean, it was a long night. He had big plans coming up, He had a lot of stress in his shoulders.

He was already exhausted.

He was exhausted, his mamad recently passed away. His friends are thinking he might be proposing to his girlfriend soon. He's got a lot going on that he's not expressing out loud. Right, Maybe he's he was done, He just wanted to back off and not disturb their night.

Yeah, because he might have didn't want them to feel bad like they had to leave as well or exactly.

Yeah, so they decided, you know what, he probably left not wanting to bother anyone, maybe wants to be alone, so we're not going to bother him either, and they kind of went on their way, assuming he just went to his home apartment. And that's that.

I don't love that though. I'm not loving this.

What about it? Aren't you loving?

Well? I mean, because like what happens if he was actually danger Like, I don't know if I would be able to just be I go like justify in my head they're fine whatever, Like I feel like I would need to go and check on them and know before I went to sleep. Kind of thing.

Fair enough. Well, the next morning came Saturday morning, and both Alexis and Brian's father couldn't get a hold of them. They tried phoning them and they both didn't have success. So Saturday morning had came and it also passed, was still no word from them. Sunday came and Alexis began to get worried. Well, yeah, this wasn't like Brian. She's always able to get a hold of them. They're trying to make plans for Miami.

Though they're meeting like the next day at that point.

Yeah, though, to be fair, the plans are already laid out. But I mean they're excited. They're probably going to be talking about it. Oh what are you packing or whatever? Who knows.

They probably chatted almost every day or a few times a day, I would assume.

So. So eventually Monday morning rolled around. Oh boy, the day where they are scheduled to leave with their vacation in Miami. At the airport, Brian was nowhere to be found.

He didn't show up, He missed his flight.

And this was the last straw. Brian was officially reported missing and the investigation would begin. Police would be baffled, and Brian would, as of recording this podcast never be seen again. Day.

Oh my gosh, I just don't like this. I'm actually surprised that when that far. I mean, I get that Monday would be you're missing your flight, Okay, yeah, final straw thing, But I mean even Sunday, I think.

Well, put it into this perspective. He was out till two am Saturday morning. He's got a lot of stress on him. He's probably going to be super hungover. Saturday is probably a write off. True, So maybe he's passed out, super hungover for the entire day. Give him space Saturday. Okay, Okay, so Sunday could theoretically be when the concerns really start. Oh, I haven't heard from him. Maybe where is he? Right? So Sunday could theoretically be the first day concerns start,

Yeah, well, definitely something's wrong at that point, but I would be pretty darn concerned prior to.

So in the coming weeks, Alexis would visit Brian's apartment over and over again, and she admittedly sobbed into his bed, hoping and wishing he would just show up and just walk through that door. But he wouldn't.

My heart just sunk. Yeap when you said that there was.

No sign of him. The only thing police found regarding Brian, sorry stumbled that sense that was a weird sentence. The only thing police found regarding Brian during their investigation was video surveillance footage at the Ugly Tuna Saluna the night of his disappearance. Okay, So the security surveillance footage, which is available online. By the way, you can go take a look yeap. It shows Brian, Clint, and Meredith entering

Second floor, so let's say a kind of a big bar.

It's definitely a big bar. So Brian is seen casually leaning on the side of the escalators as they're going up and they enter the bar. Then at about one point fifty five am, five minutes before closing time, so five minutes before the bar is closed, he is seen again by the top of the escalators, happily talking to two of Clint's friends, those two prior ones that we mention. Yeah, and only a few feet away stands a couple of

So this is five minutes before the bar is closing, and there's he's seen, but no issues or nothing.

Correct.

Okay.

Now, at the end of this clip, at one five AM, Brian walks off screen back into the direction of the bar. I mean, you can't guarantee he's back into the bar specifically, but I mean he's he's going in the bar. There's not really anywhere else to go, so it's he's going in the bar. And after that, Brian is never seen exiting the bar. The video shows him enter, but it never shows him leave.

Okay, well, there is there video cover or cameras on every single exit of that bar, though.

Let's get into that. Okay, So there are two entrances slash exits in the bar, both which are fully covered by surveillance. One of the entrances has the escalators heading down to the main floor from the second floor, and this is where the camera saw Brian twice, the ones where we just previously talked about and this, and then there's the second one that's also covered with security camera.

You have to be climbing down.

He probably wouldn't have climbed. I don't think climbing is really an option. I think it's leaping, and someone leaping from a second story building, as intoxicated as he would have been, he is going to get severely injured.

Yes, so that's.

Almost a rite off.

Okay. Yeah.

Finally, there is one more exit that is not covered by cameras, a back service door. Now to exit through here, you must exit the bar, but stay inside the building. Then you need to use an elevator and some backstairs in a kind of like a fire escape type fashion, but enclosed in the building. You know, like those emergency stairs that are on the outside of buildings. Oh yeah, but not the ones outside. It's like the last internal hallway, you know what I mean.

No, I have no idea.

Do you know if fire escape stairs that are like typically on the outside of the buildings, I imagine that, except it's just inside, okay, kind of like stairs like that. Okay, So you need to go down an elevator and a set of those to get to the main floor where you exit through a service door. And this service door goes into an industrial area which is at the time under very heavy construction.

Okay.

So the lead investigator on this even said navigating this area sober would not be easy and it's dark. Yeah, let alone and ibriated.

Huh. But then I mean if he did that, then I'm assuming like his body would be found kind of thing, you know, and.

We'll touch on some of that, but yeah, the questions do you come up like was this his exit? Was this how we leave the bar? And if so, why and what happened to him afterwards? So there have been no signs of him since that night. The bar was turned upside down inside out, but.

Nothing I could imagine it was. I'm actually very shocked that I assumed that he wouldn't have been seen after entering at like one p fifteen, So I'm very surprised that there was footage of him at one fifty five. And also if I don't wonder how many people were leaving at two, like maybe he literally just couldn't be seen on the footage.

Yep, I'm going to touch on pretty much everything you're saying. Oh K, sorry, no, no, it's totally fine. Get all these thoughts out. I'm just not going to respond.

I have those pillion thoughts going on.

I'm just OK, let's hit me with some because, like I say, I'll just tell you if it's coming or we can talk about it now.

I just very much so think it's a high possibility that he could have exited the bar without being seen. In my opinion, Okay, that is what I think would have happened.

Okay, hold on to that theory. We will come back to it.

Okay, Okay, sounds good.

So like I was saying, that the bar was turned upside down, side out, there was even no purchases made in his credit card, no cell phone usage after that, no passport activity. Nothing was simply vanished. And now this is where theories begin. So first and foremost the main theory,

Because I imagine, I mean, he wasn't a report missing until Monday, so I mean there would have been time to dispose of something, I suppose. But then also if he was chatting with those girls at one fifty five, would they is it come up at all if they say if that he was agitated or something anything was wrong.

I have nothing from those two girls know, but there is something about maybe an altercation minor altercation that we'll talk about here.

Shortly, okay, because I just feel like those that conversation that he was having could be a big piece of this puzzle.

Potentially could be. But again, though the security camera, he was completely fine. Security footage of him next two security guards who are completely casual, not alerted to anything.

Yeah, but who knows what he was saying to that.

That's true. That's true. So next theory the construction site exit. So some argue he did exit out that back door to the construction site. While there he stumbled around drunk and maybe got caught in equipment or of something like that, or maybe he fell into a pit and there maybe he laid past out or maybe even deceased. Then in the waking hours of the morning, construction workers would begin

Yeah, before you went there, I went there. Wow, that is I mean, I just think you would see the body, but.

Most likely, most likely. However, I do want to point this out. The construction site also had security cameras, and though none were pointed at the exit door specifically, there were very few options to get through the construction site without getting caught on camera. And yet Brian was still not seen.

Okay, Okay, So then I don't think that's necessarily what happened at all.

Next theory, Brian skipped town.

Yep.

So we know that Brian dreamed of a different life. You know, it was one that he was going down a different path in real life, and he had this idea of something else, and he wasn't shy of talking about this. It something he spoke openly with friends. You know. We wanted to be a singer, start a band and go play on beaches and live that kind of bohemian life that Jimmy Buffett sings about. Sort of thing. Now, It wasn't that he didn't love Alexis or the idea

Seriously, hey, a lot like Brian. Because yeah, I'm like, I don't know if this idea is super far fetched and I can talk more why I think that, but like really so.

Internet sleuths, of course immediately gravitated toward the idea. Yeah yeah, and they pointed out the similarities and everything, and they began making tips to authorities. However, the FBI have reportedly run facial recognition software on the photo of the alleged homeless individual and compared it to photographs of Brian, and they did not get a match. And I do want to point out that the photograph of this apparent homeless individual, it's not a super low quality image either. It's it's

I don't know, No, I mean, I think you'd almost have to chat with this person.

Yeah, I'm not certain on what program they use. I'm not certain on the capabilities or the reliabilities of said program. And honestly, I'm not certain if this test was actually run hum but apparently it happened, and apparently it did not come back as a match.

I mean, they say there's people that look like you right all around the world and stuff. But then I'm surprised that they didn't try to hunt them this person down at least and have a conversation.

Yeah, who knows, right, So anyways, that aside, continuing on the whole skip town theory, This skipping town suggests that Brian would have, as you were talking about, snuck out of the bar somehow, right, So some argue perhaps he changed clothes. This was planned so changed clothes or threw on a hat and hid his identity. And this could be a possibility. It's a very big possibility except for

And there's no way that he could have been in that crowd.

Correct. They had a positive ID on everyone.

Wow.

And I don't know how they got a positive ID. My assumption is a lot of bars do like ID scans when you go in, and especially for bigger bars like this, they would have had that technology back in two thousand and six, so they probably reference those IDs with the security camera and was able to identify everybody.

Yeah, and who knows how many people were still there at two in the morning too, right, Not everyone stays till the bitter end like that.

So maybe you got fifty to one hundred people to identify with a list that the bar provides you. I'm pretty sure it's going to be pretty easy.

Yeah. Wow, Okay, huh huh okay. That is interesting to me.

Mm hm, So where's your head at?

I don't know, I really feel like the skipping town thing is not far fetched because he was going through a lot and having like a ginormous loss like that of his mom can change the way you're thinking and how you want the trajectory of your life to go. And also the combination of alcohol and if your mental health isn't completely great, cannot always be like the best combination. Yeah, and maybe just been like no, I'm I'm going to just change my life here.

That's true. So the security cameras are so hard to get by though. Something else though, Not only security cameras at this bar, security cameras at the construction site, but others surrounding businesses also provided security cameras. Other bars, other businesses, and this area had an absurd amount of security cameras. Reportedly, this area had more security cameras than three or so other cities in the area surrounding them combined, and he was not spotted on any of the footage provided.

Okay, well, I don't know because I can't imagine that. I mean, there's more theories. You're gonna have more theories for us here. How on earth could he be still in the bar?

That's pretty much the theories. I mean you can go down some smaller rabbit holes. And like I said, when it comes down to say, for example, the first theory with the altercation, say he did get murdered inside the bar, Okay, how does his remains now leave the box? Because that opens up a whole new door.

Does anyone care? I mean, they would have looked at that in the footage when it was anyone carrying anything suspicious out of the freaking bar.

Yeah, they would have been looking for that, and they found nothing. They did. I'm sure they did DNA testing and stuff on things like the kitchen and found nothing. They found nothing.

Something was missed one hundred percent something.

Of course, something was missed. But they looked and they looked, and they keep coming up with nothing. So what are they missing? That's the question. How does someone just disappear?

I don't know, I freaking I just like you do this to us too often, then you really do. So there are some.

Other theories, like I said, some smaller rabbit holes. I'm gonna throw a couple of them out there. Of course, there's abduction theories, alien abduction or whatever. Right, Wow, entering a parallel universe of sorts, we have that sort of stuff that's becoming more and more prominent with theories these days, with parallel universes. Who knows what sort of strange anomaly

Yeah, Okay, someone needs to count how many times been oh God said that this episode. I feel like it's probably like about ten.

Meredith would actually volunteer and take will not volunteer. She was asked to, and she agreed to take a polygraph test about a month after the incident to rule her out as a suspect, and she agreed and passed. Clint, however, lawyered up pretty quick really, and he reportedly refused to take the polygraph.

I mean, that's not and that's not a I'm guilty for sure thing. No, I don't think a lot of people I think would turn that down.

It's very very possible. So he has also reportedly been quite abrasive and elusive regarding the disappearance of his friend Brian ever since.

Well, he was probably very intoxicated.

Yeah, in two thousand and nine emails to reporters, Clint wrote, quote, any and all questions you have for me should be directed to my attorney, Neil Rosenberg.

Hmmm.

It has also been reported that Brian and Clint actually got in a bit of an argument at the Ugly Tuna Saluna that night, and some actually speculate that Clint may have been involved in a plan with Brian, a plan where he intended to skip down.

Okay, because I did find it very odd that the whole time there that they weren't really hanging out. I mean, I know that the woman joined them, I forget her name, Meredith or something. Yes, Meredith joined so maybe Clinton them her had a thing or who knows, But they had spent the whole night, So it was weird to me while you're telling this that they hadn't spent that much time at the last bar.

Well, they showed up forty five minutes before it closed, right, Yeah, we'd all go in forty five minutes together, and then at some point he disappears into the crowd, but is seen on camera five minutes before closing.

Okay, so you think he may have had a plan and Clint was involved.

I'm not saying I think, but I'm saying it is the theory.

Okay.

Now, in some interviews, Brian's brother Derek would go on and say something seems off with Clint, stating, quote the way he talked about my brother after we went missing, kind of in a negative way. I wouldn't expect that from someone whose friend vanished.

Huh. Well, yeah, because you think that you would literally be trying to do everything you could, Yeah, especially try to solve and help this like I'm the last person with this man, Like, oh my god, let's find him, Like we gotta get going.

You could literally hold the key to finding your best friend. Yeah, and you shut up and lawyer up. I mean, I sure understand you are a prime suspect. Lawyering up, I get that, But being unwilling to help you know what I mean?

Yeah, But I mean if you were very willing and giving all the information, literally everything you knew, you wouldn't necessarily have to just lawyer up.

Yeah, if you have nothing to hide.

Yeah. Holy.

So Derek would continue on in his interview with the subject and mention that he and his family deserve to know any information Clint may have, if any regarding Brian's disappearance.

Absolutely they do.

To this day, Clint has said nothing further, There's no more evidence regarding Brand's disappearance. Nothing has been found, and nothing has even come close to proving anything. Brian simply disappeared. Cameras never saw him exit the bar, and he's never been seen since.

Wow. But I mean, and I'm sure that they examined Clinton leaving too, Like what on earth? Holy?

Yeah? See, when I dove into this episode, I thought the same sort of thing. He probably got lost in the crowd. They just didn't see. But the fact that there is so many security cameras, not just the ones at the bar exit, there is the security cameras for the bar, the construction site, the surrounding business. And they positive they had positive identification for every single person caught on camera leaving the bar, and none of them were Brian.

Okay, so what do you think?

I have no fuck the clue. I lots of time will have theories. This one, I've got fucking nothing.

Yeah, this is unbelievable because the theory of him being even if there was some altercation in the bar, or like he got murdered in the bar. Yeah, the amount of forensic evidence that they were probably gathering in there, you would know.

Yeah, So I am going to offer my best theory, but again I have no fucking clue. So my best theory is the construction site exit. He's inebriated, maybe there's an altercation, whatever, Maybe he's heaven forbid dismembered. Maybe he is stumbling free willingly. One way or another. He exits that door. He doesn't go far, which explains why he's not caught on camera because the cameras aren't pointed at

Dang, And you know, and they wouldn't have searched this construction site though.

By the time they search it, it's gonna be Monday or Tuesday. Yeah, I'm not saying it was murder. It could have been an accident. Oh yeah, I got out that door, stumbled, hit his head, and rolled into a trench. Who knows. Maybe he crawled into a shoot or something, thinking hey, this is drunk fun, and got stuck, and then deb collapsed in on him and he got shoved

But why would Clint be so sketched then, because there's really with something like that happening, there would be absolutely no reason.

For him to be No, you're right. My theory for him being so sketch is he's probably feeling defensive because I'm going to catch blame for this. I didn't do it, but people are going to point fingers and think I did it.

That makes sense, So.

He's probably feeling responsible but knowing he didn't do anything wrong.

Yeah, it's really too bad that they can't. I mean, you just can't but dig up this construction side of sorts. But even if they did it, they couldn't potentially find anything. And I also feel like it'd be very interesting to find that homeless man.

Well, I'm I'm going to assume that most likely, once the search started a couple days after this construction starting, they would have looked into things like fresh poored concrete. So I'm going to assume he's not buried in concrete or anything. So I think something being taken away from the site prior to investigation is the only thing I can think of. But it is a slim chance, but it's the only realistic chance I see, wow, or most realistic.

This poor family, right, that is horrible. It is horrible to deal with.

It's absolutely dreadful, and I feel so bad for them.

Yeah, Like I mean you, I'm a day wouldn't go by that. You're not it's not on your mind and you're not trying to figure it out.

What's your theory?

Man? I know they are so turning. I don't know if I agree with your theory. I don't know what you oh, man, because you've got I'm going to put on the spot here. It's easier someone's to come up with theory after you've researched it, you know. But I just feel like the running away thing is my.

Best guess, that's what I want to believe too. But the one thing that stops me is how did he get past all these cameras?

I don't know. I just feel like there could potentially be a way. What happens if he even spent this just popped my brain. But had stayed in that bar and then left later?

Oh, they checked cameras, Yeah, but they looked.

Could there not be a way that he could get out that I think there would? There could be?

The only ways are I mean, maybe there's some air ducting or sewer great, maybe I don't know, but the only appropriate entrances and exits are the ones we discussed.

And then also, I guess even too, if he did sneak away and he's living this different life at some point, you think, especially if it maybe didn't go as as according to how he hoped or planned that he'd come back, you know. Yeah, So I don't know. Gosh, I'm really not putting much out there for what I think because this is wild, and I honestly am like, I have no idea.

Well, I want to hear what everyone else out there thinks. If you're still listening right now, shoot us a message or an email or something. Let's hear your theories. I'm totally came and open to hear it because I pretty much got nothing at this point.

Yeah, this is crazy. Well, well, definitely, like you have to put a post up and everyone can comment on there, because I really want to know what people think too, because this one is one of the most I have no idea, Like, I'm at a loss. It's like you're at a loss, Bafflely. Yeah, thanks, Ben, You're welcome.

Good luck, good luck sleeping tonight.

Hey, I feel like my brain is mush. It's late right now, but it's not settling down here.

Well I'm sorry for that. Hopefully your brain settles down a bit again. Though. We appreciate you guys all being here. Thank you so much for the support you do and show to our show. We're just a couple sitting in a tiny homer court this so thank you so much. If you join us over on Patreon, thank you so much. If you want to join us over there, you can check out our link below. If you want to just check out us on Instagram or our website some merch maybe.

So much, and honestly, that was really good, really well done, awesome, Thank you so Until next week, he stay wicked.