75 replies to this topic

[Denise]

Where Is Brian Shaffer?

Friday, August 25, 2006
By Greta Van Susteren

Last night we did a segment on missing Brian Shaffer. Brian is a medical student in Ohio who was last known seen about 1:50 a.m. on April 1. Both his medical school girlfriend and father were on last night. His father was also on our show the night before.

In talking to Brian's father yesterday, we promised to mention the fact that Brian has a tattoo. We wanted to help the family get this information out since it might help bring Brian home if anyone has seen a young man matching his description with this tattoo.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,210443,00.html

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nbc4i.com - Local News - Family: Missing Student's Cell Phone Has Been Used

Family: Missing Student's Cell Phone Has Been Used

Shaffer Last Seen In April

POSTED: 6:26 pm EDT September 22, 2006
UPDATED: 6:42 pm EDT September 22, 2006

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The search for a missing Ohio State University medical student is continuing with new information that the man's father said he believes could help police. Randy Shaffer said he is holding out hope that is son is still alive because of something he found after calling his son's cell phone, NBC 4's Mike Bowersock reported.

Shaffer said when he used to call his son's phone, the call would go straight to voicemail, as though it were turned off. But when he called it recently, there was no answer and the call went to voicemail, as if it had been ignored. "The fact that Brian's cell phone ... had also went to a Hilliard tower sometime, but we couldn't tell when ... which from what I understand a tower picks up a mile and a half away. So if you're in that vicinity with your cell phone, that's most likely where you're calls in," Randy Shaffer said.

Please continue to read at the link provided.

[Denise]

Waiting for Brian

Sunday, October 01, 2006
Kristy Eckert
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

One day, Alexis Waggoner was anticipating a vacation with her boyfriend; the next day, he was gone. Like the loved ones of the 1,000 other Ohio adults who are missing, Alexis is left to wait and wonder. Today, the OSU medical student marks six months without him.

She hides her hope in daily calls to a cell phone that doesn’t ring. Only a momentary silence precedes the recorded voice of the man Alexis Waggoner loves.

"Hi, this is Brian. I am unable to come to the phone right now. Leave me a message. I’ll get back to you quickly ..."

Brian, she thinks to herself, this is not quickly. The Columbus Dispatch - Local/State

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Family Website

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If you have seen any of our missing persons, please call the law enforcement agency listed on the post. All missing persons are loved by someone, and their families deserve to find the answers they seek in regards to the disappearance.

[Denise]

Man Finds Human Remains In Field
Skull Discovered In Marion County

POSTED: 8:57 am EDT March 12, 2007
UPDATED: 9:24 am EDT March 12, 2007

MARION, Ohio -- A team of investigators in Marion County will try to identify human remains found Saturday afternoon in a field along Victory Road.

A man walking around looking for aluminum cans in a field spotted a skull, NewsChannel5 partner ONN reported.

He called the Marion County Sheriff's Office, which contained the scene.

At this point, the sheriff's department can't determine the sex or the age of the person whose remains were found. Nothing has been removed from the scene because investigators were waiting for daylight to search for more clues to help them with the identification.

The sheriff's department has also notified neighboring counties that a body has been found so they can check their missing person reports. Sheriff Tim Bailey said there are no open missing person cases in Marion County.

There are some open missing persons cases in neighboring counties:
In 2001, Patty Adkins disappeared after leaving her work place at the Honda plant in Union County. The mother of three hasn't been seen or heard from since.

On July 4, 2005, Tony Luzio Jr. disappeared after attending a party less than a mile from his parent's home. He is the son of a Columbus police officer.

Ohio State University medical student Brian Shaffer disappeared from Franklin County almost a year ago on April 1.
Man Finds Human Remains In Field - News

[Denise]

Pathologist joins probe after human remains found in Marion County

T-F STAFF REPORT

MARION – Investigators on Sunday continued to investigate human remains found alongside a rural Marion County road.

According to the Marion County Sheriff’s office, a man looking for cans along Victory Road called authorities around 3 p.m. Saturday after he discovered a human skull.

Shortly thereafter, deputies arrived at the scene and found the skull along with other skeletal remains. Authorities on Sunday said it appears the remains have been lying in the area for at least one year.

Marion County authorities, including the county coroner, were on the scene throughout the weekend examining the remains.

"We've searched the fields and surrounding areas by ground and air," said Marion County Sheriff Tim Bailey. "Right now, we're marking the area, collecting evidence, collecting the remains."

On Sunday, a forensic pathologist collected evidence and detectives sifted through mud looking for more remains.

Authorities said they hope to estimate the age and gender of the remains by Monday.
Telegraph Forum - www.bucyrustelegraphforum.com - Bucyrus, OH

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Human Remains Found in Marion County
Northwest

Mar 12 2007 7:48AM

The bones discovered Saturday in a field along Victory Road are now in the hands of a forensic anthropologist who will determine the sex and approximate height and age of the person.

There are three high-profile missing persons cases open in Central Ohio.

It's been nearly a year since Ohio State Medical student Brian Shaffer disappeared, nearly two years since Tony Luzio, Jr. vanished in Delaware County, and almost six years since Patti Adkins left her job at the Marysville Honda plant and was never seen again.

Union County Sgt. Christopher Skinner said Adkins had ties to Marion and that the discovery of the bones there is intriguing.

"We sent two officers from our department to the scene with dental records in hand that are accompanying the body throughout this identification process," Skinner said.

Other departments with missing persons cases have done the same. Now they are waiting to see whether the anthropologist can match the teeth from the skull to the records and help solve a central Ohio mystery.

The Marion County Coroner told 10TV it would probably be Wednesday before the anthropologist releases her report.
ONN, Ohio News Now - News - Human Remains Found in Marion County

[Denise]

ONN, Ohio News Now - News

Brian Shaffer Still Missing One Year Later

Apr 02 2007 8:57AM

One year ago Sunday, an Ohio State medical student disappeared from a campus area bar.

On Saturday, a vigil was held at the Ugly Tuna Saloona where Brian Shaffer was last seen. Shaffer's father joined a group of students in handing out fliers outside the bar.

Shaffer's father said he will not give up looking for his son until he has definite answers.

Anyone with information about Shaffer's whereabouts is asked to contact Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at 614-645-TIPS.

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One Year Later, Prayer Vigil Held For Missing Student

Monday, Apr 02, 2007 - 11:18 AM

Denise Yost
Managing Editor, nbc4i.com

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Monday marked the one-year anniversary of the day Ohio State University medical student Brian Shaffer disappeared.

Surveillance video caught Shaffer leaving the Ugly Tuna Saloona, but he never made it home, NBC 4 reported.

Shaffer's father, Randy, held a prayer vigil on Sunday, where more than 100 people gathered.

Columbus police, OSU and other supporters are offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to Shaffer's whereabouts.
nbc4i.com - News - One Year Later, Prayer Vigil Held For Missing Student

[Denise]

http://www.10tv.com/...1527908324.html

Texas Group To Join Search For Missing Man

Jul 31 2007 7:20PM

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Nearly 16 months after Brian Shaffer disappeared from a bar near The Ohio State University campus, a new group is joining the search to try and being closure to the case.

Texas-based EquuSearch made headlines in June when it brought more than 1,000 volunteers to help in the search for Jessie Davis - a pregnant woman who disappeared from her Canton home, 10TV's Angela An reported.

The search group also sent volunteers to Aruba two years ago to search for missing teen Natalie Holloway.

A coordinator for EquuSearch told 10TV that volunteers planned to arrive in Columbus in three weeks, An reported.

First on their agenda will be a search of the South Campus Gateway where Shaffer (pictured, left) was last seen. Then the group will search local rivers and quarries.

Shaffer's father said he welcomes the group.

"It's just a fresh set of eyes and maybe they'll find something," said Randy Shaffer. "I kind of hope it's for the good."

EqquSearch, which said it has a 10 percent success rate of recovering bodies, will also take time to search for Tony Luzio Jr. who disappeared about two years ago.

[Denise]

http://www.10tv.com/.../1042262682.htm

lGroup Visits Columbus To Search For Missing Men

Aug 17 2007 6:47AM

COLUMBUS, Ohio - A volunteer group visiting Columbus met with the fathers of two missing central Ohio men on Thursday.

Equu-Search came to central Ohio to assist in the search for Ohio State University student Brian Shaffer and Tony Luzio Jr., the son of a Columbus police sergeant.

The missing persons group made headlines in Ohio in July when expectant mother Jessie Davis disappeared near Canton.

The group said it wants to help more families find closure.

"These two dads cannot have their lives back until they have their sons back, and we're going to make that happen," said Tim Miller of Equu-Search.

Equu-Search visited the last two places where Luzio and Shaffer were seen and said they will be back to launch a massive search effort.

[Kelly]

http://www.mountvern...ted.equine.html

Local team participates in mounted search

By Kimberly Orsborn , News Staff Reporter
Friday, August 31, 2007


BLADENSBURG — A dedicated group of local horse people, organized as Kokosing Valley Mounted Search & Rescue and hailing from Knox, Licking, Morrow and Coshocton counties, was honored to be asked to assist in a Columbus search for missing persons last weekend. They met in Bladensburg on Tuesday evening for an informal debriefing of the event.

Nine riders and their horses joined the renowned Texas searcher Tim Miller of Equuasearch in combing the area behind the Franklin County Humane Society building on Roberts Road, an area known by Columbus law enforcement as a “body dump.” While the search was focused on finding OSU medical student Brian Shaffer, missing since April 2006, and Tony Luzlo, missing since July 2005, the group was searching for anything, and anyone, they might find.

“We looked for anything out of the ordinary,” said John Garber of Martinsburg. “Disturbed ground, tracks, anything like that. And we rode right up on what looked to me like two graves.”

The holes were 75 to 80 feet apart in a small clearing, said Garber. The riders radioed back to their trailer’s base radio, manned by Garber’s wife, Crystal Garber, who relayed the news to Miller’s staff, who in turn relayed it to local law enforcement officials.

“They came out on foot and in four-wheelers,” said John Garber, “and roped it off.”

A separate Kokosing Valley Mounted Search & Rescue group was assigned to search land owned by Scioto Downs Racetrack, which, after they arrived, refused them access without a search warrant.

“We unloaded, tacked up and were all ready,” said Hope Ingalls. “But due to liability, they wouldn’t let us stay and search. We were denied access. A deputy talked to them, but they said their legal representatives wouldn’t be available until Monday.”

“They wasted quite a bit of time sitting there,” said John Garber.

Despite the setback, the members of the group are pleased with their search, and happy to have been invited to help. They have undergone much training in CPR, first aid and rappelling, and conduct regular mock searches and rescues, including bringing injured people out of the wilderness on the backs of horses.

Their horses are also well-trained in slogging through the type of overgrown wilderness they searched on Saturday, which the riders referred to as a “jungle.”

“Our horses are trained to go through that stuff,” said Linda Blattner. “There were times I was lying down across my horse with my head down. They go through swampy areas where a four-wheeler would sink, through creeks and briars. You never know what you’re going to come upon. It was my mare’s first time with freight trains [running on nearby tracks], and she handled it beautifully.”

Horses can also hear, see, intuit and pick up scents better than humans. Under some power lines on Saturday, the radio gave the riders some trouble.

“My mare’s ears went back, and she was staring through the thick brush,” said Blattner, explaining that the wall of vegetation was so dense that the riders couldn’t see through it, but the horse had spotted other riders and horses on the opposite side.

The same mare saw the first hole, too.

“She sidestepped,” said Blattner, “and her head went down, so I looked and there it was. That’s the importance of horses ... they can hear and sense things we can’t.”

On Sunday, the riders received word that the holes weren’t graves, after all, but test holes for soil or water sampling.

The riders agreed that Tim Miller is a professional.

“He’s a really nice guy,” said John Garber, “and I have a lot of respect for him.”

“He’s a common, normal, down-to-earth man,” said Crystal Garber, who spent more time with Miller than the others, thanks to manning the base radio. “He told me how much he appreciated our group. He said we’re very organized and that he was pleased with us. He said we’re so professional.”

The riders also met family members of the missing, who came out to help, support and watch the search unfold.

“It made it so much more real when the families came out and talked to us, and shook our hands and thanked us,” said Crystal.

The search over, a planned debriefing at the site with Miller was canceled when a storm rolled in, a tornado warning was announced and everyone loaded up hurriedly and headed back to Knox County. 

[Kelly]

http://www.nbc4i.com...08-25-0002.html

Crews Searching For Missing Men Find Bone

Saturday, Aug 25, 2007 - 09:57 PM
By Denise Yost

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Search and recovery teams continued their efforts on Saturday to find two missing Columbus men.

Volunteers with Texas-based organization Equusearch searched Central Ohio on horseback, all-terrain vehicles and on foot for signs of Brian Shaffer and Tony Luzio Jr.

Late Saturday afternoon, volunteers found a bone in a wooded area on the city's east side, NBC 4's Mikaela Hunt reported.

"It was about the size of your forearm," said Diana Downs, a volunteer. "It looked like it had been there for a while."

Downs' partners, two retired police officers serving as volunteers, made the discovery across from Sutherland's Lumber in an area shaded by leaves and overgrowth. The team called Columbus police detectives.

"He said that it could be a deer bone or a human bone, so he took it back to check it out," Downs said.

Shaffer's father said his son had no direct connection with the area where the bone was found.

Shaffer, an Ohio State University medical student, was last seen at the Ugly Tuna Saloona on campus in April 2006.

"We're just checking out all areas that are remote and easily accessible. If somebody would have taken him, whether they murdered him and wanted to dump him someplace, unfortunately. I hope that's not true," said Randy Shaffer, the missing man's father.

Downs said that authorities took the bone to the coroner's office for testing.

Equusearch founder Tim Miller said he won't give up, NBC 4's Matt Alvarez reported.

"Anytime we get called, it's because a parent is in distress, missing a loved one," Miller said. "We promised the families we will do the best we can do."

Teams concentrated on a field near Scioto Darby Creek Road. According to officials, Shaffer's cell phone was last used in the area.

"There's a report that the last (cell phone call) did ping off a tower in this area, so we want to take it serious and eliminate areas," Miller said.

Seth Bendo, a fourth-year OSU medical student and friend of Shaffer, joined the search and recovery efforts.

"Brian was one of the people who I hit it off with at the beginning of medical school," Bendo said. "It's sort of a mixed wish. You want to find something, but you don't want to find something. But nonetheless, we want an answer."

During the search, teams found several areas of interest and restricted access to them. As a precautionary measure, crews will soon call for cadaver dogs.

Teams said the search efforts will resume on Sunday.

"They're starting again at 9 a.m. and they definitely need more people out here. I was actually kind of disappointed today that we didn't have as many people as we thought they would," Downs said.

[Denise]

http://www.columbusd...SE.html?sid=101

Group sends warning on 'overserving' of alcohol

Wednesday, September 5, 2007 3:30 AM
By John Futty

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

A common thread links three otherwise-unrelated missing-person cases in central Ohio.

Julie Popovich, Anthony Luzio Jr. and Brian Shaffer, all in their 20s, had been drinking with friends at local bars and were intoxicated when they disappeared.

Popovich was murdered in August 2005 after leaving a campus-area bar with Adam Saleh, who in May was convicted of killing her. Luzio has been missing since partying with friends in Delaware County in July 2005, and Shaffer, since leaving a campus-area bar in April 2006.

All were vulnerable because they were "overserved" at bars, said Kevin Miles, president of Central Ohio Crime Stoppers.

He wants liquor-permit holders to know that it's illegal to serve alcohol to intoxicated patrons. He wants young people to know that bad things can happen to them when they drink too much.

Crime Stoppers is working with Brainstorm Media and Hutchison Media Consultants to create a public-service message about overserving to be broadcast on local TV this fall.

The fathers of Luzio and Shaffer agreed to be involved. Both told The Dispatch they think intoxication was a factor in whatever happened to their sons.

"Hopefully, we can stop the same thing from happening to someone else," Anthony Luzio Sr. said.

Miles is convinced that many bartenders don't know it's against state law to serve someone who is drunk. The law against overserving isn't often enforced, based on citations compiled by the Ohio Investigative Unit, which enforces the state's liquor laws.

Since January 2006, agents have cited 37 organizations statewide for selling alcohol to intoxicated patrons or for allowing drunkenness, said Thomas Hunter, a spokesman for the Ohio Department of Public Safety.

No Columbus permit-holder has been cited since 2005 for serving alcohol to an intoxicated patron.

Servers who violate the law face up to 60 days in jail and a fine of up to $500.

The top priority for the Investigative Unit is underage drinking. Agents issued nearly 200 citations for underage sales in Columbus during the first eight months of this year.

Most investigations are complaint-driven, said Cathy Collins-Taylor, executive director of the unit.

The number of citations for serving to intoxicated patrons is, at least in part, a reflection of complaints about the activity.

"Those cases aren't as easy to make as underage sales," Collins-Taylor said. "The level of intoxication is a subjective qualifier."

She said agents teach permit-holders and their employees about liquor laws, including those related to overserving, through the unit's Alcohol Server Knowledge program. The unit recently gave a presentation to permit-holders in the South Campus Gateway.

Ray Schwabe, general manager of Eddie George's Grille 27, said the restaurant's employees already were aware of the laws about overserving and other alcohol-related issues.

"We talk about that on a daily basis," he said. "We've established a reputation as a place not to come if you're in that condition and where we won't serve people in that condition."

Unfortunately, he said, intoxicated people who are turned away from Eddie George's can walk down N. High Street and be served somewhere else.

"You have bar owners where it's all about the money," he said.

With fall classes resuming this month at Ohio State and football season already under way, Miles said it's a good time to launch a campaign warning bar owners about overserving and young people about overindulging.

He didn't plan it that way.

"It's a coincidence," Miles said, "but it's a good coincidence."

[Denise]

http://www.wtol.com/...y.asp?S=7210974

Toledo Speedway racers profile missing persons

TOLEDO -- When you go see car races, billboards are plastered from the hoods to the bumpers of the race cars. But do they get your attention? One missing childrens group is hoping it will. 

NEWS 11's Tanieya Lewis stopped by the Arca Truck Races at the Toledo Speedway. One of the trucks had decals profiling missing people out of Warren County.

Investigators are counting on one of those fans to recognize the pictures and call police. 

It's easy advertising for sponsors.

Martin Gray of Missing Children's Racing Network says, "It's like a 200 mile an hour billboard."

But at the Arca Truck Series, on the Toledo Speedway, truck seven's hood is being used to help police find 3 missing people.

"Racing has a large audience and a large fan base, and a large media contingency that follows it, so what better way to bring attention for these kids and adults that were missing than by placing them on the hood of a car?" Martin Gray of Missing Childrens Racing Network asks.

Number 7's driver donated his hood to the Missing Children's Racing Network.

"I had an opening on the hood and an opening on the back, so it wasn't a problem at all," Paul Hahn says.

However, the three people on Paul Hahn's hood are adults from Ohio. Brian Shaffer, Ada Wassan and Mary Walters. Shaffer is a 27-year-old student at Ohio State University. Ada Wassan and Mary Walters went missing back in april. They were last seen in a silver Chevy Impala with the license plate number of DG30LC.

"I just thought it d be good on my part to put them on the truck. And heck if they're found, I can say I contributed to that," says Hahn.

And while entertainment and detective work seem like an odd mix, the network's founder says it's worked in the past. I've been able to profile 130 missing children on racing cars, aiding law enforcement in 4 recoveries.

Now, investigators hope it will work again this weekend.

If you have any information on the whereabouts of Brian Shaffer, Ada Wassan or Mary Walters, you're asked to contact the Warren County Sheriff's Department at 513-695-1280.

[Denise]

http://www.lancaster...ATES01/71128004

Search for Shaffer continues Dec. 8

COLUMBUS The search for Brian Shaffer will continue on Dec. 8 when Shaffers family and a search group from Texas get together in Columbus.

Shaffer grew up in Baltimore and went to Pickerington High School. He has been missing since April 1, 2006 when he disappeared from the Ohio State campus area.
 
Volunteers are needed to help with the search. If interested, call 614-645-8477 (TIPS) to sign up to help.

[Denise]

FindMissing, I am really sorry to hear that the search was cancelled.

[Denise]

http://www.nbc4i.com...01-19-0002.html
Father Of Missing Student Offers Reward For Missing Mother

Saturday, Jan 19, 2008 - 11:00 AM

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A local mother has been missing for a month -- and what began as a missing person case has turned more serious.

Holly Metzger, of Lexington, has been missing since Dec. 17. In the past few days, investigators determined that the single mother of two children could be the victim of foul play, NBC 4’s David Wayne reported.

Metzger was last seen south of Mansfield at a Wal-Mart supercenter.

The next day, Metzger’s car was found abandoned close to Loudonville near the intersection of Route 3 and Route 97.

The Bureau of Criminal Investigation is now assisting in the case, along with Central Ohio Crime Stoppers, which is offering a $10,000 reward.

Randy Shaffer, the father of missing Ohio State medical student Brian Shaffer, has offered another $8,000.

“It gives me a good feeling inside to help somebody else if I can,” he said.

Brian Shaffer’s disappearance remains unsolved and Randy decided to take a third of the money set aside for his son’s case and apply it to Metzger’s case.

“If somebody disappears, you can’t wait a month or two months. You have to get out and do something right now and I thought this might help if I used some of Brian’s funds,” Shaffer said.

Metzger’s aunt said she is thankful that Crime Stoppers and Randy Shaffer are offering the reward for information leading to an arrest in the case.

The reward is only offered for 72 hours. Anyone with information is asked to call 877-645-TIPS.

[Denise]

http://www.mansfield...ATES01/80120003

Father of missing OSU student offers reward for missing Lexington woman

From NBC4/Columbus

COLUMBUS -- A Lexington woman has been missing for a month -- and what began as a missing person case has turned more serious.

Holly Metzger, of Lexington, has been missing since Dec. 17. In the past few days, investigators determined that the single mother of two children could be the victim of foul play, NBC 4’s David Wayne reported.
 
Metzger was last seen south of Mansfield at a Wal-Mart supercenter.

The next day, Metzger’s car was found abandoned close to Loudonville near the intersection of Ohio 3 and Ohio 97.

The Bureau of Criminal Investigation is now assisting in the case, along with Central Ohio Crime Stoppers, which is offering a $10,000 reward.

Randy Shaffer, the father of missing Ohio State medical student Brian Shaffer, has offered another $8,000.

“It gives me a good feeling inside to help somebody else if I can,” he said.

Brian Shaffer’s disappearance remains unsolved and Randy decided to take a third of the money set aside for his son’s case and apply it to Metzger’s case.

“If somebody disappears, you can’t wait a month or two months. You have to get out and do something right now and I thought this might help if I used some of Brian’s funds,” Shaffer said.

Metzger’s aunt said she is thankful that Crime Stoppers and Randy Shaffer are offering the reward for information leading to an arrest in the case.

The reward is only offered for 72 hours. Anyone with information is asked to call 877-645-TIPS.

[Lori Davis]

New search scheduled for Sunday, March 16th at 2 p.m.  at Scioto Blvd.  Additional information can be found at www.findbrianshaffer.com

Brian will be missing 2 years on 4/1/08.  A blood drive is being scheduled for Saturday, March 29th in Brian and his mother Renee's honor.  More details to come.

[Lori Davis]

http://www.onetrueme...medium=text_url

Brian Shaffer: MISSING 4/1/06

Video to remember Brian Shaffer, missing for 2 years on 4/1/06.