Parents with young children know how rare it is to have time to themselves. For Brittany and Tyler Davis –- parents of a 20-month-old son –- these occasions only happen three times a year: Brittany’s birthday, Tyler’s birthday, and their anniversary.
Tyler, Brittany’s 29-year-old spouse, and she had arranged a hotel stay in close proximity to Easton Town Center, an expansive outdoor and interior shopping complex located in Columbus, Ohio, for her birthday on February 24th. Their residence is situated approximately 90 minutes southwest in Wilmington, Ohio. Brittany’s visit to the state capital marked her inaugural sojourn there.
“On February 23, my spouse and I traveled to my in-laws, where we dropped off our son,” Brittany explained to Dateline. “At approximately 5:00 p.m., we checked into the Hilton hotel, which is directly in front of the shopping center,” we continued.
Brittany reported that a close acquaintance from Columbus paid them a visit at the hotel to socialize. At approximately 8:30 p.m., several hours later, the trio departed the hotel in order to stroll through the retail center.
Brittany stated, “We went out for the evening after purchasing dinner.” We took a leisurely stroll through the town center in order to familiarize ourselves with the area prior to our purchasing excursion and scheduled couple’s massage the following day.
Brittany confirmed to Dateline that the evening in question was ordinary. However, by the time they had completed a circuitous route through the expansive shopping complex—which, according to its website, contains 750 residential units, 40 restaurants, and 235 retail stores—it was approximately 3:00 a.m. and all of them were fatigued. Ridesharing brought them back to the hotel. That’s when the night began to alter, according to Brittany.
“As we exited the Uber, Tyler appeared extremely perplexed and irate,” Brittany reported to Dateline. “He declared his intention to embark on a stroll.”
Brittany explained that she had offered to accompany Tyler, but her phone was dead, so their mutual friend went with Tyler instead, while Brittany returned to her hotel room to charge her phone. She stated that she returned outside a few minutes later but was unable to locate her spouse or their companion.
She stated, “I was somewhat perplexed, thinking, ‘What’s going on?'” “At approximately 3:30 a.m., Tyler called to inform me that he would be returning to the hotel immediately.”
Following a brief interval, the companion of the couple re-entered the hotel. Tyler was absent from the location.
“He also stated that Tyler would return shortly.” “Yet, despite my repeated attempts, Tyler did not answer my calls,” Brittany explained. Additionally, their companion had spotted Tyler during the stroll, according to Brittany, but she was uncertain as to why or when they had become separated.
Brittany’s phone called at 4:10 a.m., approximately one hour after Tyler had departed for the walk. Tyler was identified.
“He called to inform me, ‘I noticed the hotel. I am traversing the forest on foot. “I will be there immediately.” Brittany remarked. “He sounded extremely perplexed.” In addition, he is not at all inclined toward outdoor activities. Even if two trees were adjacent to one another, he would still refer to them as “woods.”
Shortly thereafter, Brittany’s phone rang once more. Tyler was identified.
“When I responded, the line was open for approximately four seconds. “The call was then disconnected,” Brittany stated. “When I returned his call, his phone was off.” It has been off since then.”
Brittany informed Dateline that the time was approaching 4:30 a.m. Their friend, who Brittany says lives just 10 minutes from the hotel, decided to go home. Brittany told Dateline she “didn’t have a good feeling” about her husband’s safety and began calling friends to ask for advice on what to do. According to Brittany, her friends reassured her that nothing was wrong and Tyler was probably going to walk through the door at any moment. But as the sun began to rise, Brittany grew more concerned.
“I called an old roommate who lives in Columbus. At 8:00 a.m., he came and we drove around Easton. Maybe Tyler fell asleep on a bench? We didn’t know what had happened,” Brittany said.
Brittany said she then called her in-laws, Tyler’s parents, to tell them what was going on. Around 10:30 a.m., she called the Columbus Police Department to report her husband missing.
“After I spoke to the police, my father-in-law arrived,” Brittany said. “He searched every single area on foot, by himself. He stayed there until it was dark.”
Brittany drove to her in-laws’ house to take care of her and Tyler’s son. She says she returned to Easton Town Center that evening to continue searching for her husband. Authorities searched, too, she said. But nobody found any trace of the missing father.
The Columbus Police Department did not reply to Dateline’s request for comment by Monday evening, but Brittany said authorities have conducted multiple searches and are currently reviewing security footage.
“They have a lot of missing people in that area, but I only have one husband,” Brittany said. “There are so many different things that could have happened, but there is no lead directing us anywhere. He would not just leave.”
Tyler Davis is described as being 5’10” tall and weighing 170 lbs. with brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a blue and green flannel shirt with blue jeans and black and white Nike shoes. Tyler has a birthmark on his right arm. If you have any information on the circumstances surrounding Tyler’s disappearance, please call the Columbus Police Department at 614-645-4545.
