What happened to Brian Schaefer in Columbus, Ohio?
Gather round. This happened in Columbus, Ohio on April 1st, 2006. Brian Schaefer walked into a bar at 1.15 in the morning with two friends. One way in, one way out. The building was covered in cameras. Every exit monitored, every door, all watched, all recorded. Brian was a 27-year-old medical student. The plan was med school, then residency, then marry his girlfriend Alexis.
But that plan would never happen. In a building covered by security cameras, surrounded by 200 witnesses, in a room with one way in and one way out, Brian Schaefer vanished. Two weeks earlier, Brian's mother died. Renee Schaefer lost her battle with a rare cancer that destroys bone marrow.
She was Brian's anchor, the one who pushed him through undergraduate studies in microbiology, the one who celebrated when he got into Ohio State's medical program. She died in March. Brian was at her bedside holding her hand when she passed. Two weeks later, he carried it everywhere.
Friends said he handled it well, kept his grades up, he attended every lecture, but those closest to him noticed the exhaustion, the way he'd stare off during conversations, the forced smile when people asked him how he was doing. The night of March 31st, Brian had dinner with his father, Randy, just the two of them. Brian looked drained, dark circles under his eyes.
Randy thought his son shouldn't go out that night, thought he should rest, but he didn't say it. He would regret that silence for the rest of his life. After dinner, Brian called Alexis Wagoner, his girlfriend of two years, also a medical student. She got home to Toledo to visit her parents. Brian asked Alexis if they were still on for Miami. She said she couldn't wait.
Brian was excited, three days on South Beach, and Brian planned to surprise her with a proposal. The ring was already picked out. He said he'd see her Monday. Then he called Clint Florence, his roommate, his closest friend. Time to celebrate the start of spring break. They started at the Ugly Tuna around nine, a bar on the second floor of the Gateway Building near Ohio State University.
They had a round, they went bar hopping through the arena district and short north. One shot at each stop, nothing excessive, just two friends blowing off steam after a brutal semester and the worst month of Brian's life. Around midnight, they ran into Meredith Reed, a friend of Clint's. She offered to drive them to their next stop. Brian said, back to the tuna.
The last place Brian Schaefer would ever be seen alive. The last place he would ever be seen at all. The security camera captured them at 1.15 a.m. Three friends riding the escalator to the second floor. Brian looked relaxed, happy even. The ugly tuna occupied the entire second floor. Exposed brick, industrial lighting, the bar along one wall, tables everywhere, a stage in the corner.
The place was packed with college students celebrating spring break, loud music, and louder conversations. Brian moved through the crowd, buying drinks, talking to people. Witnesses later said he was more outgoing than usual, more social, like he was working hard to have a good time. Around 1.40 a.m., Brian and Clint stepped out to the balcony area overlooking the atrium.
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