Eerie final moments of student who vanished after a night out with friends
The eerie case of a missing university student who vanished from an Ohio university has left police detectives baffled for years.
It's hard to imagine that someone could just vanish in modern society, however it's not a rare occurrence.
Around a 170,000 people go missing every year in the UK and although the vast majority of people are found, some individuals manage to simply vanishinto thin air, leaving behind a heartbreaking situation for friends and families.
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Once unsolved case that has left investigators completely baffled is the story of Brian Shaffer, a university student who has been missing since in the early hours of 1 April 2006.
A second-year medical student at Ohio State University, 31 March began like any other day for Brian.
After completing his end-of-year exams, he decided to hit the town to celebrate with a friend - which is where he would inexplicably vanish. The pair were bar-hopping all night when Brian disappeared at 2am.
Brian was last seen on outside the Ugly Tuna Saloona bar in Columbus, Ohio chatting with two women before vanishing.
His roommate William 'Clint' Florence and his friend Meredith Reed had both attempted to call him, but later went home after they weren't able to get through.
It was the following Monday when Brian failed to catch his flight to Florida with his girlfriend Alexis Waggoner that he was officially reported as a missing person.
At the time, Brian was 27-years-old and had a promising medical career ahead of him. He was also set to propose to Alexis - a fellow medical student at the university - during their spring break trip to Florida.
In the days following, teams of upto 50 police officers would be out searching for him but to no avail.
CCTV footage from the night would later show him walking back into the bar before disappearing entirely. The only other exit from the bar was onto a construction site - leading investigators to believe he had purposely vanished via this exit.
Although Brian had excelled as a student, he had always told friends it was his dream to start a band. He was a keen guitar player who admired singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett and had a tattoo of US rock band Pearl Jam's logo on his arm.
Brian's family had also been through tragedy earlier in the year when his mother died from bone cancer.
However, Brian's family rejected the idea that he would vanish by choice, with all evidence painting a picture of a man with plenty to look forward to in life.
In the year following his disappearance, Brian's mobile phone and bank cards remained unused - leading to his family to fear the worst.
Should Brian still be alive today, he would be 45-years-old. His only remaining family member is his younger brother who still holds hope that he will be found.
The case is still open, with Central Ohio Crime Stoppers issuing a $100,000 (£7,835) reward for anyone who could find him alive.
Topics: US News, True Crime
Brenna Cooper