Brian Shaffer /// 20 Years Missing /// Tips /// Part 3 | Forensic Files

Alaska is a killer's playground. ID presents a new documentary event from executive producer Octavia Spencer. Only
the frozen land knows the truth of Alaska's lost women. >> A shocking investigation leads to a
sadistic killer. >> Witness somebody being killed on video. >> But his arrest is only the beginning
[music] of a far deeper horror. >> Are there more Alaskan Native women that are victims? Lost Women of Alaska,
[music] a new documentary event February 25th on ID or stream on HBO Max. >> Having the right people in your corner
for life's biggest milestones makes all the difference. Like a friend who's there when you're house hunting [music]
or checking out a new ride, State Farm is there, too, helping you choose the coverage you need. With a [music] State
Farm agent, you know someone is there to help you along the way. And with so many
coverage options, it's nice knowing you have help choosing a plan that fits [music] your needs so you can continue
celebrating all of life's milestones. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.
Welcome to Off the Record. I'm your host Nick Crime. It's good to be seen and it's good to [music] see you. Off the
record, thanks for listening. Thanks for telling a friend. >> True Crime podcast.
>> Be good, be kind, and don't crime. >> Gather around, [music] grab a chair, grab a beer. Let's talk some true crime.
>> So, Kelly, you are similar to me and the colonel before we ever got involved in
creating podcast and talking about other cases. One of the cases that we were all
fascinated with was the disappearance of Brian Schaefer, mainly because it's local, but also it became a very huge
story in the Columbus area. So, you get involved with the Facebook page, March for the Missing. You then go on to
create a podcast series about the Schaefer case with Nicholas West. And then you go on to create your own
Facebook page, Brian Schaefer, Dead or Live. talk a little bit about the early days of you looking into the Schaefer
case, but then what have you learned? Because once you have whether it's a podcast like True Crime Garage or you
have a Facebook page like Brian Schaefer, Dead or Alive, you then get information coming into you, whether
that's credible information or just speculation, but you you're getting information all the time.
>> Yeah, for sure. So, when I first started with Comeback in the early days, the the
thing we really got into was the interviews. And one of the first interviews we did was with Kevin Miles,
the former president of Central Ohio Crimestoppers. Then we interviewed private investigator
Don Corbett. And then we eventually got to interview Sergeant John Hurst for the
podcast. Of course, we were getting all kinds of new information and our mind was just kind of blown at that point in
time and we just kept digging in and trying to find as much information as we could because as you both know there's
there's a lot of rumors and speculation online about Brian's case, but there's not as many facts when it comes to
Brian's case. >> Yeah. I believe initially when Dline reported about it, it was what a 9 10
minute long segment. >> Yeah. And that was recorded, I think, 6 weeks after Brian went missing. Lorie
Davis and I had decided that there had not been an event for Brian since 2010. So, we wanted to do something just to
raise awareness and we created the March for the Missing. From the March for the
Missing, we were continuing to do comeback, but Nick and I had some scheduling issues. uh he was a longhaul
truck driver and I was a single mom and making time to meet was just next to impossible. So I felt like I still had
more that I could do and I wanted to do. So I created the Brian Schaefer dead or
alive series and the group page and actually through that group page I have received several tips. A lot of them,
you know, aren't really anything, but there are a few that I receive that I wouldn't say they're credible,
but I feel like there is a >> there's some weight to them. >> Yes, there's some weight to these. Okay.
So, the very first tip that I received was a picture that was sent to me of a homeless man. And the person that sent
it to me told me that this homeless man was living in between San Diego and Tijana, Mexico. The picture would I mean
it looked a lot like Brian. A more scruffy version or you know from living a rough life of being homeless, but it
definitely resembled Brian. >> And if the listeners want to see this photo, it's going to be on your Facebook
page, Brian Schaefer, Dead or Alive. Yeah, I'll send it to you guys as well so you guys can share it too.
>> Perfect. And then I've seen this photo. Nick, have you seen this photo? >> Yes, I believe I've seen this one. This
one made its uh way around and it was pretty readily available. >> Yeah. And he looks almost like a
disheveled almost like he's u passed out cuz he's drunk or something. I can see an
argument for it being Schaefer and I can see argument for it not being Schaefer.
The thing that actually excited me about it is because this actually kind of supported the theory that Sergeant Hurst
had told me that he had that his theory was that Brian was living homeless and may not know who he is. Receiving a
picture of a homeless man that looks a lot like Brian was very intriguing to me. So I immediately sent it into the
Columbus Police Department. And a couple weeks went by and I hadn't heard anything. So throughout like working on
Brian's case, I have met several members of the local media in Columbus and Angela Anne from Channel 10 News is one
of them. And she's covered Brian's case since the very beginning and she actually grew quite close to Randy
Schaefer. So I thought I would send it to her to see if maybe she could help me get some traction. And I basically
created a flyer that we were trying to identify this homeless man. Well, thankfully
Columbus Police Department took Angela an a little bit more serious than me and they actually dug into it and Detective
Tucker at the time actually involved the FBI and she sent the image to a facial analyst expert.
They went through the picture and they determined that the image is not Brian Schaefer. However,
I know that I should just say that that's accurate and take that tip out of my investigation, but through my
investigation, I have met other members of government agencies and one of them being a facial analyst expert. And when
he looked at the photo, he told me that the nose gives the same shadow and appears to have been broken in the same
place as Brian's. That the ears are almost identical. And that without seeing this homeless man in person, he
could not say the photo was not Brian Schaefer. >> And also, I mean, the size of the
individual and also the weight of the individual. And Brian was already a pretty fit guy, low body fat, and this
guy appears to have even less what you would expect if he's living homeless. >> So, the person that sent me the picture,
I continued to communicate with and she took it upon herself to actually track down the homeless man. And when she was
talking to him, he told her his name was Brian, but he doesn't remember anything
else. So she decided to ask him if he has any tattoos because at this point she knew who I thought it could be. So
she was trying to just get any more information that she could for me. And when she asked him about the tattoo, the
man got very upset and began yelling at her. So for her safety, she decided to leave.
>> Yeah. So just for people that don't know, Brian Schaefer and all of his missing posters, they they tell you his
height. They tell you his weight. They tell you what he could possibly look at, possibly look like. The problem with
Brian was he changed often, you know, whether he had facial hair or not facial hair. Sometimes he had long hair, but
one of the things that was consistent was he had a Pearl Jam tattoo and he didn't have a bunch of tattoos. So, this
would be a identifying mark that one could couldn't easily remove. So, unfortunately, I, you know, I didn't
gain any more information about it, but the homeless man is actually a tip that I leave open in my investigation.
>> I mean, it's a it's a tricky thing here. I don't think that the picture is of
Brian Schaefer, but it's also a very easy statement to throw out there because if you're going to play the
percentages and anybody could do that, the smart answer would be that it's not Brian Schaefer. You know, it's a million
to one shot. and then tracking down the man. That's the the the right way to do this. But yeah, I don't have any great
thoughts on it. >> Well, this next tip, like I've said multiple times on the show, I feel like
uh we've had consistent calls about the Schaefer case and working through some possible thoughts and ideas for at least
the last year. And this this tip is something that we just recently discussed, but you've had this tip for a
while now. Yeah, I've had this tip since 2019 and I actually don't think I've ever discussed it before. It's not
because I don't think it's important. It's just because I don't have a lot of information on it. Through the group
page that I started, I had a lady reach out to me and she she kept asking me for
my phone number that she had something she wanted to tell me on Brian's case. Of course, I was a little skeptical, but
I was talking to Detective Hurst at the time, and I told him who it was, and he told me that he had actually already
interviewed her in 2006 when she called in the tip to Columbus Police Department. So, he was curious to see if
she would tell me the same thing that she had told them. So, she told me in 2006,
her, a coworker, and her boyfriend were all playing cards and drinking, and the news channel flashed on, and it started
showing Brian's disappearance. Now, this was within the first couple weeks of Brian going missing. So, the coworker
asked her if she had heard about the case, and she said yes, and that something along the lines that she felt
bad for his dad or something like that. So the coworker then laughed, took a sip
of beer, and said, "Yeah, they're never going to find him." Now, he didn't say anything incriminating in that
statement. But the lady that told me about the tip was very concerned, and evidently it creeped her out enough that
she went to the Columbus Police Department. When I continued talking to her, she told me that they all worked
for a landscaping company and that they had access to heavy equipment. Now, I do
know Columbus Police Department brought this coworker in to talk to him about the tip, but it didn't lead anywhere,
but I do know at least one location was searched based on this tip. Yeah, at first it kind of seems like a nothing
burger, but obviously it sparked her Spidey senses and then also there's some I guess am I correct in saying that that
there was some strange interactions enough to cause her again like you said I need to call this tip in and then
eventually she's going to stop working with this individual cuz she feels uncomfortable. Yes, she did all of that.
And the thing that actually caused her to call Columbus Police Department is that she went back through her text to
see if she could find where this coworker was the night that Brian went missing. And he was actually at a party
on Pearl Alley. And for anyone that doesn't know, that is the alley that runs directly behind the Ugly Tuna
Saloona and the Gateway Plaza. >> Do you have any idea? And I don't know that they would have shared this
information with you, but do you have any idea if Hurst or any of CPD had discussed this location, this party
with Clint or Meredith or anybody that would have been hanging out with Brian on the night in question?
>> Not that I'm aware of. >> I think the difficult thing about this case too is, and I don't want to get
into the weeds about this, but John Hurst is put on this case. He's the lead detective. So, you have spoke with Hurst
many times. I' I've been fortunate enough to speak with Hurst as well, but a lot of the interviews and a lot of the
groundwork, if you will, was done by other members. So, sometimes when you're talking to Hurst, he'll say, "Oh, yeah.
Well, you know, we interviewed them, but he might not have spoke with them directly." And then some of the
detectives that worked on this case for a time period either moved on to different departments or they pulled
them off this investigation. >> Yeah. I I actually think that since Hurst retired, Brian's had like I want
to say like six or seven detectives since uh Hurst has retired. >> Yeah. So, a lot of what they're going
off of is information that was gathered by other individuals and not and not information that they gathered directly
themselves. >> Yeah. Hurse wasn't so much boots on the ground. He was overseeing everything.
But I do know that Hurst personally interviewed this this lady that I spoke with.
>> Yeah. And to expand on that information a little bit again because I don't have
detailed information in front of me or you know the written statement or what she said uh when when brought in but
Pearl Street is a lengthy road. I mean it's not it's not just an alleyway that is limited to directly behind the ugly
tuna saloona. It's it's I I wouldn't go as far to say that it's a a very expansive road, but it it does it does
expand. It's not just a few blocks. It's it's dozens of of blocks. I believe you
have to look at the Ohio State University as its own city in a sense. Yes, it's a part of Columbus, but it's
its own little city. And some of the roads that are very significant with that area would be High Street, Summit
Street, and then this, and it's really hard to call it like a a street. It's more of a an alley that goes behind
everything. So, it becomes another significant part. But again, like Nick said, I think it's important to point
out that it's not just behind the complex where the ugly tuna was. It's behind so many other buildings. But it's
also a road that if you were walking somewhere and you're trying to get from A to B, you might not walk down High
Street cuz there's a lot of people. You might walk down the alleyway. Your first
tip is about this picture of a homeless guy that could be Brian, could not be Brian. There's another pick that could
be Brian or could not be Brian. >> Yeah. And it's not so much of if it's Brian or not. It's some of the other
details surrounding it that make it intriguing to me. So, while I was going through Brian's cell phone records, I
was trying to put a name with every phone number that was on there. just trying to figure out who Brian was
speaking to. Well, the very last number that Brian spoke to was a guy named Jason Fistic. I immediately found Jason
on social media and I sent him a message. I basic questions like, "How did you know Brian? You know, could I
speak to you?" Things along those lines. Well, Jason eventually messaged me back, but in the meantime, I
was being a little nosy, so I was going through his profile page, and I stumbled
upon a picture. The picture has someone that looks similar to Brian. >> And in the picture, there's four
individuals, and this guy that could be Brian would be on the right hand side of
the picture. And he looks like he's gi wearing some giant uh Jackie Onasses type glasses.
>> Yeah, they all are wearing those big sunglasses in the picture. But the interesting part is the other three
people in that photo are some of Brian's last calls from that evening that he went missing. So I, as I said, Jason
messaged me back and he told me that that night was the very first night that he had ever met Brian and that he was
out with his friend Brandon Chatuni, who happened to be a co-ed of Brian's. They
were going out to celebrate medical school accomplishments. So, we talk back and forth a little bit, just basic
questions, and I asked him how Brian and him had each other's phone numbers if they had just met that night, and I was
immediately blocked. He blocked me on Messenger, and so I didn't get any further, but I did try to reach out to
the other two people in the photo as well, and I have never heard from them at all.
>> So, there's four people in the photo. One could be Brian. The other three were
individuals that Brian was with the night he went missing. So, there's a lot there's a lot to unpack here because
with Jason Fistic, you talk to Hurst about him and and Hurst tells you the same thing. Well, yeah, I talked to
Jason and he just met Brian that night. Well, when you have phone records of this guy calling Brian, to me, that's a
very odd thing to do. Why would you be if you're in a group of friends and everybody knows Brian but you? Why would
you call Brian? It doesn't make a lot of sense. >> It doesn't. I was actually confused
immediately because one, what did I say to get blocked? And two, why are we just
now hearing that there were four other people out with Brian that night when it's been so widely reported that Brian
was out with Clinton Meredith that night when that's simply not the case. >> Brian, like I said, with talking to you,
it really kind of opened up my eyes because we go, "Okay, Brian, Clint, and Meredith, they go to the ugly tuna."
Well, the story was just always told that they they're going by themselves and then Brian talks to these two girls,
Amber and Brighton. Well, who are they? Well, they're just some random girls. Well, then you eventually learn that
Amber is in one of the classes that Clint teaches. So, then you can make an argument that all five of these
individuals are connected. And like you were talking about the timeline, you say, "Well, Amber shows up to the bar,
Brighton shows up to the bar, but they're also with another girl and she leaves the bar." So, we're calling that
girl a mystery girl because we have presented video footage to Amber in Brighton, and they can't tell us who
this individual is, which we also find strange. And then through talking with you, I I was curious, do we have a
reason why they went back to the spar? and you said yes. And it's to meet these four individuals. And those four
individuals weren't questioned that hard or asked to take polygraph tests from Columbus PD.
>> Correct. >> And again, the my other problem with that with the work of the investigation
is that we also have it's not just that they met them at the bar. It's the fact that they're in communication with Brian
through through his phone records. We can prove that. So, why weren't these people looked at? And also, why weren't
these people ever talked about? Because they weren't talked about 20 years ago. They weren't talked about 10 years ago.
Do we have the identity of all four individuals? >> Yes, I do. >> So, it's not just
Jason Fistic that wasn't questioned. It was who who else wasn't questioned? >> It was Brandon Chhatuni. It was Jeremy
Douglas and it was Graham Davis. >> And who do we believe is in this photo that could possibly be Brian Schaefer.
>> Uh so I know for certain that the other three gentlemen are Jason Fistic, Jeremy
Douglas, and Graham Davis. And personally, when I saw this photo and then through I believe it was through
Nicholas West, I was able to talk with Don Corbett, which we'll talk more about Don Corbett, but Don Corbett was a
private investigator that worked, and I'm going to say worked with Brian Schaefer's dad, Randy, because I don't
think Randy ever paid him. Uh, I don't think it was like a hired situation. I could be wrong about that. No, Don 100%
worked for free. >> When I initially talked to Don years ago, he never heard of this photo, so I
sent it to him. I don't know if it's Brian or not. Messed things up. But here's where it
gets fishy to me with old Fist Stick is if it is Brian in the photo and the photo was taken before Brian went
missing, then Jason is lying about his relationship with Brian Schaefer. If the photo is taken after Brian went missing,
well then it's three guys partying with somebody that is known to be missing. So, the one thing that I do know is that
the picture would have been taken after Brian went missing. From my research, I was able to track down the label on the
beer sitting on the table. And that label, that specific label was not used until I I want to say between 2008 to
2010 is when that label change happened for that beer company. The other problem
with this photo too is the person to the right. Uh maybe they're wearing a wig, maybe
they're not, but they're clearly making a face. So, it's just really kind of hard. Again, we'll post this picture for
people to see. It'll be on our social media pages, but it'll also be on Brian Schaefer, Dead or Alive. I mean, it
doesn't help, Jason, that he's not willing to explain or talk about the picture, right? Do I
have that right? >> Yeah, absolutely. And honestly, I think the picture resembles Brian, but
I've seen other pictures that look much more like Brian to me. So, I don't even know if I would have been as suspicious
of this photo had it not been for Jason's actions. >> Yeah. But you can tell he's a tall guy.
He's slender. So, I I don't think it puts it out of the realm of possibilities that it could
be Brian. And again, when you're talk, look, I don't want to throw Jason under the bus completely because like you
said, you get these tips, people are calling in. You're looking for information. People are saying, "Hey,
here's my number. Give me a call." You're skeptical of calling these individuals. So, he doesn't know who you
are. And I think a lot of times when you're on the internet, we go, "Well, people are crazy, right?" So now we got
this person looking into this missing person case and it could just be simply like, "I don't know how they got my
information, especially because he h he wasn't talked about." And this is, you know, one of my problems with the
investigation is we go Clint and Meredith were there and we we really kind of hone in on them and Meredith
takes a polygraph test and the these other individuals are just never named. So, the fact that you're even messaging
this guy and going, "Hey, I know you were there the night Brian Schaefer went missing. That That's
enough to spook anybody, right? >> Yeah. >> Hi neighbor. Save up to 60% on classic
furniture and decor through February 17th. It's the President's Day event at Birch Lane, a Wayfair specialty brand.
Get your home ready for spring with carefully crafted patio sofas, timeless outdoor dining sets, and fresh decor for
every room. And the best part, it's all delivered for free in days, not weeks, just in time for your next celebration.
Birch Lane. Classic style for joyful living. Shop the President's Day event now through February 17th at
birchane.com. >> Why have I asked my electrician I found on angie.com to bury my pet hamster. I
was so moved by how carefully he buried my electrical wires. [music] I knew I could trust him to bury my sweet nibbles
after his untimely end. >> This is very strange. >> Angie, the one you trust [music] to find
the ones you trust. Find pros for all your home projects at angie.com. Hey, want a cookie? Oh, I know you just ate,
[music] so you're craving something a little sweet. Besides, one cookie isn't going to kill you. How about half? Just
a [music] bite. Bite it. Bite it. Bite it. >> Food noise isn't fair, but Mochi Health
is. Your affordable GLP1 source that puts you on a path to successful weight loss by quieting food noise.
>> Fight it. >> Learn more at joinmochi.com. Mochi members have access to [music] licensed
physicians and nutritionists. Results may vary. >> Do you have $10,000 or more in credit
card debt? Maybe you're even barely getting by making minimum payments. With credit card debt hitting record highs,
National Debt Relief offers real debt relief solutions for people struggling to keep up. These options may reduce a
large portion of credit card debt for those who qualify. You don't need to declare bankruptcy, and you may be able
to pay back less than you owe, regardless of your credit. National Debt Relief has already reduced the credit
card debt for more than 550,000 consumers. So don't wait. If you owe 10, 20, or even hundreds of thousands of
dollars in credit card debt, you can now take advantage of this financial debt relief as the cost of living increases.
To find out how much you could save, visit national debtreief.com. That's national debtreief.com.
>> [music] >> And again, it's a tough situation cuz if uh this guy in the picture [music] had
these weird glasses and I don't know if it's a wig or if it's just somebody grew
out their hair, you go, "Well, it'd be nice if he was, [laughter] this is the first time I said this
today, but it'd be nice if this guy was shirtless so we could see if he had a Pearl Jam tattoo,
>> right? [laughter] >> If you're questioning why why are you putting this out there? We don't even
know if it's Brian or not. We're putting this out there so people can help further this investigation
and maybe somebody knows Jason. Maybe they've talked him talked to him about it. This picture because of Kelly has
made its rounds throughout the internet and we haven't had anybody come forward and say, "I know who that guy is in the
picture." So maybe this will put a little pressure on Jason to contact us to tell us who are these guys in the
pictures. Who are the guys in the pictures? Can you confirm who they are? Can you confirm when this picture was
taken? >> Yeah, absolutely. By no means am I saying that I think any of these guys
are responsible for Brian's disappearance. I would just like to talk to them about the night Brian
disappeared, the time they spent with him, maybe his demeanor, anything like that. So, yeah.
>> And and this also goes back to if anybody's listened to our coverage or other people's coverage on this case,
Meredith takes a polygraph test. The cops believe she's being completely truthful. Clint doesn't take a polygraph
test. A lot of people have speculated he's involved somehow, but we know his movements and his whereabouts. He was
with Meredith. So, if Meredith is telling us the truth on key items like did you have anything to do with his
disappearance? Did you did you do anything to Brian? and they believe her statements and the polygraph test she
passed, then she establishes an alibi for Clint, at least the night that Brian went missing.
>> Well, I mean, we did talk about the fact that Meredith was his alibi for Friday
night going into Saturday and then most of Saturday evening, but Alexis is actually his alibi for
Sunday. >> Yeah. So maybe it was somewhere along those lines. I'm not sure. >> And so a lot of people that have looked
into this case, they can make speculations on the band or they can make speculations on Clint, but there's
all these other individuals that we just never talked about. Just just never was discussed. And but one of
the things that Clint said because eventually Clint lawyers up and again people then throw Clint under the bus
because he lawyered up. But his lawyer was stayed in um in cooperation with the investigation and said, "Hey, you submit
questions to us, we'll answer them." And what was the weird statement that his lawyer made? Uh so his attorney made a
statement that it is his understanding that Brian is the one responsible for his
disappearance and the family should ask Brian instead of Clint because Clint has
given all the information that he knows. >> You know, me and Nick have looked into a
lot of missing person cases. There's not that many that have much evidence pointing to somebody
leaving and starting a new life somewhere else. I think this case probably has the biggest amount of
evidence I've seen towards that. Whether you want to whether that homeless picture is him or not or this other
picture, but we have all these other sightings and we also have all these other rumors. So, I think there's it's
building a case that maybe he started a life somewhere else. >> Yeah. Yeah. I think that it's definitely
one of the leading theories in Brian's case. So, another tip that came in to me through the group actually came from an
Ohio man who was vacationing in Porto Viarda. Tom said that while he was at a restaurant in Porto Viarda, he decided
that he had to use the restroom. So, he went to back to the restroom and when he
came out, he noticed that there was a second dining room and there were two men eating inside. Tom was a well Tom is
a huge Ohio State Buckeyes fan and he was wearing um what he described to me as a Jim Trestle sweater vest and I'm
sure you guys know what that is. One of the two men noticed Tom and appeared to be a little nervous at the sight of him
or Tom shirt. At that moment, Tom realized that he had seen the man's face before and he mouthed the words Brian
Schaefer. And in return, the man sitting at the table picked up his napkin in an attempt
to wipe his mouth, but Tom described it more as he was trying to hide his face. So Tom walked through the dining room
and went out the door and had a cigarette. When he came back in, he told his wife and their friends about it and
they were just all chitchatting about it because the one thing I didn't mention is they are big true crime buffs, but
Tom's family members are also law enforcement. So, he was really into it. So, his wife was so intrigued because
she knew Brian's case, too. And they decided that they were going to walk back there again so she could see the
guy sitting at the table. But when they got close to the dining room, two staff members stepped in front of them and
would not let them go any further and would not let them back there to see the two gentlemen.
So, what was weird to him is that the dining room only had those two diners in it when there was a whole line of people
waiting to get in the restaurant and all the tables were filled in the other dining room. So he was very intrigued
that two men had a dining room to themselves and that the staff would not let him go back there. So when Tom got
home from his vacation in Porttoarda, he called the Columbus Police Department and left several voicemails with the tip
and trying to tell them what he had seen. And he was determined that who he saw was Brian Schaefer. Well, when
Columbus Police Department did not get back to him, that's when Tom posted in my group and a couple other groups of
everything that he had seen. >> I tend to think that sightings of missing people are all bunk. Sorry.
Sorry, guys. >> No, it's okay. I feel the same way about most of them, too. >> No, I I normally do, too. But the the
reason why I like this one a little bit is cuz one, as I'm seeing this guy, I mouth to him, Brian Schaefer. Brian, are
you Brian Schaefer? And it's he doesn't wait till he gets back home to tell anybody about this. He's telling people
at the restaurant in that moment that he saw it. So, I'm not saying he saw Brian
Schaefer, but he believes he saw Brian Schaefer. And I think we have, you see what I'm saying? Like there's
>> And it's not just like >> Well, yeah. I'm I'm not questioning that part of it. I don't question that part
of it. It's just there's been a lot of things that I've thought that I've seen at some point in my life. And um and I
can sit here today and say I probably didn't see what I thought I saw in that moment. Yeah. I'm not questioning that
part of it. I I do the part that I do question is I think I would have thrown out the law enforcement card there. I
think I would have said to the weight staff, bus boy, whoever is telling me I can't talk to that person or I can't go
in that room. I'm going to then even though I'm way out of my jurisdiction, I'm throw if I if I am of that level of
concern or that level of suspicion, I think I'm I think I'm pulling out my badge and or I'm pulling out my law
enforcement card there just to see what happens. And the and the thing I don't like about this tip is he sees the
individual one time and they're not able to confirm it. And look, I applaud him.
I applaud his wife. I applaud everybody at the table to go, "Hey, I know we're sitting around talking about that. I I
know we're sitting around talking about this, but let's go look at him again. Let's get somebody else to see what you
think you saw." But the again, the problem with this tip is they weren't able to go back, see the guy, uh, at
least confirm their suspicion cuz, and this happens, I'm sure, with a lot of people, but I've had several
listeners go, "I think I saw you in a bar in Texas. Were you in Texas this weekend?" "No, I wasn't." And they go,
"Well, I actually took a picture of the person." and they send it to you and you
go, "Well, that's a white guy with a beard, but but to me, I'm going that looks nothing like me, but he has a hat
on and has a beard and he's white, so therefore he must be the captain from True Crime Garage."
>> So, what I will say is that after they left the restaurant, they did hang around outside trying to catch a glimpse
of this guy again. And Tom said that his friends were getting a little restless,
so they eventually walked away, but he did attempt to try to see the guy again. >> And [clears throat] that's where I
applaud them because some people go, "I was in this bookstore and and I thought I saw somebody that I was a missing
person from my area." And then you question them and go, "Well, why didn't you go back?" If you really thought you
saw this person, why didn't you go back? Oh, I don't know. But that's what I like
about the story is he tells the people he's with right away they are suspicious of this. So they go, "Let's go find the
guy and let's try to get a good look at him." Cuz could you imagine if they actually did see him and then you have
people that are in law enforcement and him and his wife, then it becomes not just one person saying, "I think I
recognized the missing person." It's now a group of people that think they recognized the missing person.
>> And you know, I I didn't see what Tom saw, so of course I can't say it's 100%
true, but I do believe that Tom 100% believed everything he was telling me. And he was so adamant that he found the
name of the restaurant they were at by going back through his bank statements. And he sent me the name of the
restaurant, which I contacted And I emailed them a photo of Brian and asked them if they had seen him or anything.
And the owner of the restaurant messaged me back and told me that he had never seen Brian, but he would show the photo
around to some of the employees to see if anyone else recognized him, but I had not ever heard back.
>> Yeah. I again I applaud you for taking instead of just taking down the tip. I
applaud people that go the extra step to try to further an an investigation. >> Yeah, it was just really how he was
telling me. You know, I I mentioned that I've talked to so many people about Brian's case, but most of the time you
can tell pretty early on if the information is credible or not. And Tom just really had me thinking that this
could be a possible sighting just based on his actions and reactions. >> Well, so again, we're going to be
talking about another photo uh which is a little bizarre because we have like we said the the homeless
picture of the homeless guy could be Brian. We have this picture of a individual that could be Brian at a
party and then we have a picture of a guy and I I'll just let you describe it. >> Yeah. So, this picture looks like I mean
the best way I can describe it is he looks like he's in a an 80s hair cover band and a long black wig with
sunglasses and denim with leather chaps over top and just a plain t-shirt basically. Um, but he's on a stage at
what appears to be a festival and he is playing the guitar. Now, this picture was sent to me. I
guess it was found on Web Sleuths or Reddit. And as soon as I saw the picture, I mean, I was kind of floored
because in my opinion, this image is the one image that I have received of someone supposedly being Brian that I
can't dispute it really. It looks so much like him, if that makes sense. >> It definitely looks like it could be
Brian, but he definitely put on some more muscle mass. >> Yeah. And he was very much into his
health and working out and stuff. So, I think that that is a possibility. So, there was a guy that I used to work with
on Brian's case and one of the best researchers I've ever met in my life. He supposedly found this
picture or it was sent to him. And there were two pictures sent to him. One of the guy in costume of the p I
just sent you and one of the guy out of costume sitting on a couch. So Jim, the guy I used to work with, and
I always had this deal that if we ever found Brian, we necessarily wouldn't tell anyone, but we would just quit
looking silently, basically. And that's pretty much what Jim has done. And based
on what he said about the second picture is that looking at the second picture, you can tell it's Brian Schaefer.
>> But have you ever seen that picture? >> No, he hasn't shared it with anyone. And
so I quit working with Jim when I found out he was arrested on drug trafficking charges.
>> Do you have the second Do you have the non- costume picture? The no costume picture?
>> I do not. He he never shared that one with anyone >> because I I'll the the chin is the same.
The chin in this the the rocker guy looks like a I would I would describe this as a superfly Jimmy Snooka rock and
roll costume um with that hair and the headband. The chin is the same. >> Yeah. But here's what gets me in this
and I think I've talked to Kelly about this before. His hands, his his arms, his forearm and
his biceps are clearly bigger than Brian Schaefer's forearms and biceps at the time he went missing. But is it possible
that he, like I said, he put on muscle mass? Sure. But what gets me is I think his hands look similar
to Brian's always making like a certain hand gesture in a lot of his photos. >> Yeah. And actually for me, um, I looked
at the hands as well and I even went as far as finding a picture of Brian playing the guitar and zoomed in on the
hands and as crazy as it sounds, even the nail beds look the same. The problem with the rocker picture is the right
sleeve. His right sleeve are on our left when we look at it is short enough that I
>> you should see a tattoo. >> I would think that you would see a at least it peeking out. Um, I it's it's
just long enough that I wonder if it's covering it up, but but I'm looking at another photo of him wearing a very, you
know, wearing a t-shirt and the the bottom portion of his Pearl Jam tattoo is clearly very visibly peeking out.
>> Yeah. I feel like you should be able to see the tip. You should be able to see
the tip. Just the tip. >> The feet of that little because it's a little guy, right? The tattoos of a
little guy. And um and I think you would see the feet hanging out just like I do
in in this picture that I'm looking at that is Brian Sha. So, I actually thought the same thing and my friend
Meredith, who actually runs the Brian Schaefer Dead or Alive group with me, um, she spent a lot of time analyzing it
and she has done some different things with it and zoomed in and there are some marks that clearly look like there could
have been something there. Have you ever seen a tattoo removal and the yellowing
that it gets when you remove a tattoo? Well, when you zoom in on that picture there, you can see some yellowing that
almost looks like there was something there. But again, maybe we just want to see that.
>> I I don't see it, but I am also not I don't have a great deal of experience with that. Um my my circle of friends
when they get a tattoo they don't love, they tend to cover it up with another tattoo. I did have the photo analyzed to
see if it was photoshopped or anything like that. And the person that analyzed it came back and told me that it was not
photoshopped, but it had been cropped from its original picture. So, there was something cropped out of it when it was
sent to me, but it definitely was not photoshopped. I don't have any more information about this image, but if the
original person is out there that shared these images, I would absolutely love if
you would send them to me, send them to True Crime Garage, send them to the Columbus Police Department. Just get
them into someone's hands where we can analyze it and say for sure if this is Brian Schaefer or not.
>> Well, that's the thing. And when we post these pictures, so we have the picture
of the homeless guy, we have the picture at the party and we have this rocker guy
picture. And as we post these on social media, it's you don't have to be the person. You can just go, "Hey, I I know
that guy. I played in a band with him, right? That his name is uh whatever." >> Yeah. the Jimmy Snooker rocker guy, you
would remember playing in a band with him. You would very likely remember being in an audience where he's playing.
I would remember that guy because I would be pointing and I want to I would be laughing in a fun way, not poking fun
at the guy, but just like look at this guy. Like like I dig I dig people that are that are well I dig people that are
flamboyant, especially in moments when they should be, right? when they like, hey, I don't mind making a bit of a
spectacle of myself, but why wouldn't I? I'm up on stage or I'm rocking in front
of a bunch of people. Why wouldn't I want to stand out? And so that like I to me grabs my attention and it gets me
going and it gets me going thinking like that guy, I'd like to buy him a beer. I
would love to buy him a beer just to see what comes out of his mouth. Um, yeah. So I I would remember this dude. Yeah,
somebody knows who this is. And that and I think look, the people that are really
into true crime know this. I mean, you take a a photo, you take a a video and you and you share that. You take any
true crime podcast that is saying, "Hey, I have some information. Share this information."
We will get answers. We will get tips. Well, okay, let me say that again. We'll definitely get tips. which hopefully
leads to [music] some answers. [music] Want to thank everybody for joining us here in the garage each and every week
for everything true crime. Check out true crimegar.com. Until the next episode, be good, be
kind, and don't litter. >> [music] [music] [music] >> Hi neighbor. Save up to 60% on classic
furniture and decor through February 17th. It's the President's Day event at Birch Lane, a Wayfair specialty brand.
Get your home ready for spring with carefully crafted patio sofas, timeless outdoor dining sets, and fresh decor for
every room. And the best part, it's all delivered for free in days, not weeks. Just in time for your next celebration.
Birch Lane. Classic style for joyful living. Shop the President's Day event now through February 17th at
birchlane.com.

Brian Shaffer /// 20 Years Missing /// Tips /// Part 3

Part 3 of 6

Episode:905

www.TrueCrimeGarage.com (http://www.truecrimegarage.com/)

Ohio State Medical Student, Brian Randall Shaffer disappeared without an apparent reason on April 1, 2006. His last known whereabouts was a second-floor campus area bar where he was having drinks with friends. Near the entrance of the Ugly Tuna Saloona just before 2 a.m. Brian is seen on security footage talking briefly with two women. Brian later became separated from his friends who have stated that they assumed that Brian had left and gone home. At the time of his disappearance Brian Shaffer was 6’2” tall and approximately 160 to 165 lbs. He’s a caucasian male with brown hair and hazel eyes. Brian had a Pearl Jam tattoo on his upper right arm and he plays guitar. If you have any information regarding Brian’s disappearance or his whereabouts please contact Columbus Police Missing Person Unit at 614-645-2358

Brian Shaffer - National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) - MP#1709

ViCAP Alert# 2006-06-01 - vicap@leo.gov

Please join us at BrewDog in Canal Winchester Saturday, April 18th, 2026 for a fundraising event for Ohio cases like Brian’s. Tickets are available on our website www.TrueCrimeGarage.com (http://www.truecrimegarage.com/)

Proceeds go to The Porchlight Project, supporting Law Enforcement and Families of Cold Cases here in Ohio.

If you like the show please consider subscribing/ following and please leave a positive review so that other can find and enjoy True Crime Garage.

More True Crime Garage can be found on Patreon and Apple subscriptions with our show - Off The Record. Catch dozens of episodes of Off The Record plus a couple of Bonus episodes and our first 50 when you sign up today.

Follow the show on Insta @TrueCrimeGarage

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com (https://pcm.adswizz.com) for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Brief Summary

The episode covers Brian Schaefer's disappearance, tips received, and ongoing investigations into sightings and leads.

Key points

Lost Women of Alaska. A shocking investigation into the sadistic killer and the lost women of Alaska.
A mysterious photo emerges. A photo of a homeless man raises questions about his identity and connection to Brian.
A chilling tip about Brian Schaefer. A tip from a coworker raises unsettling questions about Brian's disappearance.
The Mysterious Photo. A photo raises questions about Brian Schaefer's disappearance and Jason's involvement.
A Possible Sighting. A vacationer believes he saw Brian Schaefer in a restaurant, leading to intriguing developments.
Tattoo Mystery. Discussion about a potential tattoo on Brian's arm and its visibility.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

Are there more Alaskan Native women that are victims?

0:18WatchFeb 11, 2026

Tension

60/ 100Some tension

More from True Crime Garage TV

Solve the Crime

Read a real case one clue at a time, then see how your call held up against the investigators.