By  Steve Huff

April 7, 2006

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Columbus, OH (Crime Library) — The father of an Ohio State University Medical Student is dealing with what may be the second tragedy to strike his family in just one month. Randall Shaffer lost his wife Renee to cancer on March 6, 2006. Mrs. Shaffer was just 51 years old. Now, a month after his mother's passing, Brian Shaffer, age 27, has been missing for 6 days.

Brian Shaffer

The Ohio News Network (ONN) first reported on April 4^th about the disappearance of the 6'2", athletically-built Shaffer. ONN's Maureen Kocot wrote that Brian Shaffer was last seen around 1:30 a.m. leaving a bar on North High Street in Columbus on April 1^st.

The bar where Shaffer was last seen was the Ugly Tuna Saloona (sic), located at 1546 N. High Street. Columbus TV station NBC 4 reported on April 6^th that surveillance cameras had confirmed Shaffer's presence at the bar on the 1^st. NBC 4 also reported that along with the usual search efforts, Shaffer's family had enlisted the services of a psychic. 

While the death of Shaffer's mother in early March of 2006 might be considered a significant factor in his vanishing, neither his family nor his girlfriend, fellow med student Alexis Waggoner, age 24, seem to believe that Brian would disappear of his own accord. Not for more than 5 days.

After all, in a comment left on Waggoner's MySpace.com profile on March 31^st, Shaffer wrote, "I can't wait to go to Miami, Miami!!!!"

Brian Shaffer and Alexis Waggoner had been planning to leave on their trip together on Monday, April 3^rd. In an article published on NBC 4's website on April 4^th, Sgt. Mike Woods of the Columbus Police said, "Everything was set for these two to take this trip to Florida. That's what makes this unusual."

Brian Shaffer had his own personal page at the incredibly popular MySpace.com, a social networking and blogging website - www.myspace.com/sleepinggiant.

There you could see photos of the strikingly handsome Shaffer and learn a little about him and his life, as well as his sense of humor. Under the standard-issue MySpace heading, 'Who I'd like to meet,' Shaffer wrote, in part, "Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam because he helped hair metal come to an end"

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Steve Huff can be reached via the contact form at huffcrimeblog.com

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