So were going to start by retracing Brandons steps. In May of 2008 Brandon Swanson went missing after driving his car off the road into a ditch. Once the search finally did begin, it was an extensive one, covering both the land and the Yellow Medicine River, the latter of which some speculated that Swanson might have fallen into and drowned. The present search is now focusing on another body of water in the area, Mud Creek. Where is that unaccounted for hour and a half to two hours? Online at [http://thesearchforbrandon.blogspot.com%3c/span%3e%3c/a]http://thesearchforbrandon.blogspot.com. The spring semester had just come to an end and on the night of May 13th, 2008, Swanson attended two different parties to celebrate. Another possibility is that Brandon could have fallen into a hole or a type of naturally occurring trench encountered while walking in the dark, but if that were the case it would be odd that after nearly three years of extensive searching nothing has been found (The Search for Brandon blog). Still, efforts to uncover any new evidence or clues carry on and Brandon Swansons family continues to wait for answers, while those involved in search efforts continue to wait for access. After some time, Brandon decides to stray from his initial plan of waiting by his car and instead tells his parents that he will head towards Lynd. Shortly after midnight on May 14, 2008, Brandon Swanson mysteriously vanished in Marshall, Minnesota. You can find out more information here. Similarly, the area as I mentioned before has an extremely low crime rate, and Taunton where he really went missing had a population of only 135 people at the time. Retrieved Nov. 18, 2010, from http://articles.cnn.com/2010-01-18/justice/grace.coldcase.swanson_1_searched-phone-father?_s=PM:CRIME. For nineteen-year-old Brandon Swanson, May 13, 2008 was an exciting day. He had been out earlier that night and gone to a couple of parties before making his way home to Marshall, Minnesota. At most it gets to 15 feet, and if Brandon DID fall in the river, he easily could have made it out to the other side, just unable to leave a strong enough trail for the dogs being that hes wet and washed. He hasn t been heard from since. Another mysterious detail is the length of Brandons trip that night. At the time of his disappearance he was known to be wearing A white t-shirt under a blue striped Polo sweatshirt, baggy blue jeans, a black hooded zip-up jacket with an emblem on the back, a white flat-billed Minnesota Twins baseball cap twisted to the side, white sneakers, a heavy sterling silver necklace and one stud earring in each ear. On May 14, 2008 Brandon Swanson, age 19, drove towards Marshall, Minnesota. Unfortunately, on the way home, he ran into a bit of car trouble when his car veered a bit off the side of a gravel road and got stuck in a ditch. And you cant find it. I have covered a few cases that are not exactly unsolved murders but could be. Its the same case police have been studying for nearly four decades: the unsolved murder of Kathy Kolodziej. Brandons family played a big role in changing state law to make law enforcement more responsive to reports of missing people. Despite circumstantial evidence pointing to his stepmother, the case remains unsolved. I want to add a few more speculative points that I think aid this theory, though please remember that theory is not evidence! However, considering it was just under 40 degrees that night and he would have been freezing and soaking wet, he could have possibly died due to hypothermia. Thats only about 10 minutes away, well be right there. No alcohol or illegal drugs were found in the vehicle. Its all documented and backed up by science, its there and its real.". If they went through, does that mean the phone was manually turned off rather than physically destroyed by an accident? In May of 2008, the night before he was to graduate from technical school, the 19 year old went out celebrating with friends in Canby, Minnesota. It's a puzzling case for many reasons. Its believed he died of exposure. They decided to put in a countywide request so the search could be expanded, bringing in the Office of Lyon County Sheriff Joel Dahl. With each passing year, different types of search dogs are required to pick up on aging scents. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); https://medium.com/the-shadow/vanished-in-the-dark-where-is-brandon-swanson-d5d99bfde9a7 , https://charleyproject.org/case/brandon-victor-swanson, https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/5185dmmn.html, https://www.namus.gov/MissingPersons/Case#/2471?nav, https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/vicap/missing-persons/brandon-victor-swanson, Murdered in Kansas: The Case of AlonzoBrooks, Murdered in Kansas: The Case of Alonzo Brooks, Missing in Minnesota: The Case of Brandon Swanson, Murdered in DC: The Case of the Freeway Phantom, Unsolved in California: The Case of the Keddie Cabin Murders. Click-click. Brandon had been partying and drinking that night, but many witnesses have confirmed that he was not visibly intoxicated or incoherent in any way. The Yellow Medicine River is knee-deep in some areas and up to 15 feet deep in others (Weed, 2010, p. 2). Also, his phone was still taking calls. Authorities say this theory is unlikely because they found absolutely no evidence of such an accident anywhere on the road, and Brandon even told his dad he was talking gravel road shortcuts and walking through farms. He says Brandon got stuck and called his parents. While driving his Chevy Lumina, Brandon accidentally crashed into a small ditch. The Disappearance of Terrance Williams & Felipe Santos. Brandon Victor Swanson was last seen on May 15th 2008 in Canby Minnesota. En route, he crashed into a ditch. We also need to remember that underage drinkers lie about what substances and how much theyve consumed, and theyre also not the most trustworthy judges to tell how impaired someone is. Brandons friend and classmate was moving away, and Brandon wanted to make sure he got a chance to say goodbye, so they met up for another party. Also, if Brandon was actually planning his disappearance, getting his car purposefully stuck in a ditch and trying to reach out to multiple people to get help seems like a strange way to carry out such a plan. This is so well-written & I WILL be back Thursday for your next story! "But I believe all our physical clues are probably located within a 15 foot radius, said Hasse. He started the night off at a party in Lynd, a small town just seven miles from his native Marshall. Her work is primarily featured on The Vault. Each one left Long's hand with plenty of time on the clock . While sympathetic to the concerns of cattle farmers, Anderson acknowledges it still leaves holes in a search that has received the dedication of many. Another odd detail: although the call continued on for a bit after Swanson had abruptly stopped speaking, they heard nothing at all, which might shed light on what had alarmed their son. To know you were running away to start a secret new life and to keep your dad on the phone for an hour while you fake your incident seems. Right off the bat, police were not convinced that Brandon was actually missing. In many circumstances, this is third-hand information. Brian and Anette arrive where Brandon has told them he should be, and they cant seem to find his car. What is it and how did it come to be? . Thats not surprising to Ken Anderson of Emergency Support Services, who has focused his teams efforts on the area northwest of Porter, Minn, a zone that has proven to be of repeated canine interest. While search teams have worked diligently to cover the 140-square mile area of interest, there has been resistance by some landowners to allow access to search parties, including those associated with Emergency Support Services, an organization based in Minneapolis that provides assistance in search and rescue operations. The vehicle they were driving was found in "The Desert," shown here on this map. It is not plausible that he drowned, because they would have found his body somewhere downstream. Brandon grew impatient while waiting for his parents to find the right spot. His vehicle was found locked and abandoned the next day and eventually his laptop and the computer's hard drive were recovered from the nearby Susquehanna River. Photo courtesy of National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. At around 2:30am, Brandon suddenly yelped oh shit! and the phone disconnected. Brandon Swanson The Disappearance Nineteen year old Brandon Swanson lived in Marshall, Minnesota with his parents. Brandon's Law requires police to make a report whenever a person, of any age, is reported missing, and an investigation must start immediately. He always seemed to have his nose in a book, making reading his favorite pastime. Unfortunately, authorities were unable to find footprints to indicate in which direction Brandon ventured on foot (Brunswick, 2009; Weed, 2010). It is not plausible that he drowned, because they would have found his body somewhere downstream. Brandons parents encourage him to flash his lights. Thanks to the Crawlspace podcast, which interviewed Kyle Lawson, we now have a lot more details than we did when Brandon first went missing. He disappeared while driving home after spending the night with friends celebrating the end of spring semester classes. Missing in Massachusetts: The Case of Neo Maximus AKA Charlie Allen Jr. Is it possible that Brandon met with foul play? Change). He hangs up the phone and tries to call Brandon back several times, but he never picked up the phone again. Shortly after midnight on May 14, 2008, Brandon Swanson (born January 30, 1989) of Marshall, Minnesota, United States, drove his car into a ditch on his way ho However, later that day cell phone records showed Brandon was near Porter, Minnesota, not Lynd, when he phoned his parents. The Disappearance of Brandon Swanson December 11, 2014 angelomarcos crime, mystery, true crime As a crime writer, I do a lot of research into real life crimes and unsolved cases. "They know their property, and they search it and look around as well," he said. Star Tribune, p. 1B. 1.7M Likes, 16.2K Comments. (LogOut/ 065 - The Disappearance of Brandon Swanson. Unfortunately, no one has been able to answer that for certain. Within the last year, the Sheriffs Office and BCA have received additional tips, although he points out that not all tips are new for investigators. Lincoln County Sheriff Jack Vizecky even personally walked up and down the two mile stretch of river in the area every day for 30 days, but nothing was found. His parents attest to this as well based on the phone calls they had with him. However, local police initially didnt take their concerns seriously, stating that it wasnt at all unusual for a young man his age to stay out all night and advising them to just be patient and wait for him to return on his own. If he fell into the water along with his cellphone, all calls would have gone straight to voicemail. It had a violent crime rate of less than half the average. Thankfully he wasn't hurt and asked his parents to pick him up. Ok Brandon lets honk our horn He says he cant hear them. Just to summarize for people who aren't familiar with the case, Brandon Swanson was a 19 years old from Marshall, MN when he disappeared in May 2008. It was a completely straight shot down the highway that connected Canby and Marshall, State Highway 68. Another possibility is that this could be a case of vehicular homicide. He was returning from a party when he crashed his car in a ditch and called his parents for help. Annette, tell us about Brandon`s Law. Family and friends indicated that Brandon had always been a high-functioning and emotionally stable individual and for his whereabouts not to be discovered for nearly three years makes the mental breakdown explanation highly unlikely. If Brandon was injured or killed in an accident that evening, where could his remains be? Brian and Annette Swanson never forgot about the nonchalance from law enforcement they encountered when they first reported their son missing. Hasse points to a map showing where Brandons car was found. 34 Isaac Paredes-2B/3B TB. Perhaps this is why he misunderstood where he was, why he ended up in the wrong area, how he drifted gently off the road. We try and work out a method that would make it acceptable, and weve not been able to come up with a working compromise.. Brandon s parents, Brian and . Your brain is in a constant state of trying to figure it out, but you dont have anything to go on. ? Brandon doesnt see any lights. We know that he was on gravel roads, said Annette Swanson. Brandon Victor Swanson was last seen on May 15th 2008 in Canby Minnesota. While none have, at this point, led investigators to his whereabouts or remains, they keep the case from going cold. "But he wasnt on it. The vehicle simply looked like it was stuck in the ditch, or partially in the ditch, He said. Numerous examinations were done, and his folks revealed a Brandon missing case to the Lynd Police. Case Details Name/age: Brandon Victor Swanson, 19 Swanson wears black wire-framed eyeglasses. "I couldnt breathe, I was nauseous, and I think that was just my motherly instincts telling me hes gone," said Annette Swanson. Brian said he stayed on the phone with his son while he was walking. The temperature the night Brandon disappeared was around 40 degrees Fahrenheit with light winds hardly conditions under which one would perish of exposure within a matter of hours. He attended what Ive described elsewhere as a party, but if you dig a little deeper you find that it was actually what Id call more of a get-together. I hear a maximum of maybe 6 people including Brandon, so nothing crazy. More than 14 years after the sudden disappearance of 19-year-old Brandon Swanson from the rural roads of southwestern Minnesota, the search for his whereabouts continues. Leaving a light on for hope Two years after Swanson disappearance, search goes on. The call didnt end at that point, though. The problem is that as time goes on, it becomes much more complicated to fulfill the search because you need to have canines that have experience in aged scent, Anderson said. Brandon Lawson, 26, vanished along a desolate stretch of State Highway 277 outside of San Angelo, Texas which is about 250 mile southwest of Dallas on Aug. 9, 2013, according to the San Angelo Standard-Times. On May 14, 2008, Inforum reported, Swanson set out to celebrate the end of that year's classes with friends. People at the party report that Brandon had one alcoholic drink that they noticed, and that he seemed fine, not inebriated in any way. In the early weeks of the search in May and June 2008, land and air searches were conducted both by community volunteers and individuals from professional search organizations, but with no luck. It was cold. According to official statistics, in the US alone 2,300 people go missing every day. The river's depth ranges from knee high in certain areas to 15 feet in others. For those working on behalf of Emergency Support Services, its still important that they continue to try to access untouched property, yet they also know that the number of dogs trained to help them, at this point, is dwindling. Early Life On January 30, 1989, he was born in Marshall, the seat of Lyon County in southwestern Minnesota. So he did what I think most 19 year olds on their way home would do- he called his friends!! In the 1920s, a lawman in North Dakota had a dark secret - He was Al Capones brother, Amid a night of costumed Halloween revelry, a man found beaten to death, Police deemed Refugio Rodriguez's death a suicide, not a murder. Brandons parents encourage him to honk his horn. He wasn't injured in the crash. He said most landowners are more than willing to make it work, as they're dedicated to their community and the Swanson family. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Her books are available on Amazon. TikTok video from Crime With Kourt (@crimewithkourt): "The Disappearance of Brandon Swanson. Queen of Swords - 9 of pentacles - Star (reversed) Card pulled of the Queen of Swords: Page of Wands (reversed) Row Two. They continued to search for him on their own throughout the morning. A 19 yr old makes a call to his parents after a crash and then disappears. (LogOut/ Seems implausible. Despite being surrounded by wide open fields, they see nothing at all, which does not add up. He left for home at midnight, but somehow, almost two hours later, was still by Porter. Brandon Swanson was 19 years old when he went missing from rural roads near Marshall, Minn. in the early hours of May 14, 2008. In addition, the examiners likewise looked around there; partners observed Brandon's neglected vehicle in a trench off a rock street along the Lincoln . Still on the phone with their son they say ok, were going to flash out lights, can you see us? At the time of his disappearance Brandon was 19 years old, 5'6" and 120 lbs. Using the elements of the psychological autopsy, Brandons disappearance was analyzed using an equivocal missing person analysis (Seifert & Immelman, 2007) in order to explore possible explanations of Brandons mysterious disappearance. However, something tragic happened to him, but that's not what is debated about his disappearance. Calls back to his phone indicated the phone was still on, but Brandon Swanson did not answer. Shortly after midnight on May 14, 2008, Brandon Swanson (born January 30, 1989) [1] of Marshall, Minnesota, United States, drove his car into a ditch on his way home from celebrating the end of the spring semester with fellow students from Minnesota West Community and Technical College 's Canby campus. In the early morning hours of Valentine's Day 2000, nine-year-old Asha Degree left her home with a packed bookbag. It was their way of turning their intense grief, pain and frustration into something useful for other families in the future. His parents believe foul play is involved, and, although unlikely, it is possible an offender happened upon Brandon and sought an opportunity to take him. At first, the authorities were reluctant to search because Brandon was legally an adult and they pointed out to that it was not unusual for a 19-year-old to stay out all night. The family was very close, including his younger sister, and by all accounts Brandon was a loving brother and son. Yup, it definitely sounds like murder. Unfortunately he would never make it there. 38 Bobby Dalbec-3B Bos. He wasnt hurt, and there wasnt any damage to the car- everything was going to be fine, he just needed a little help to get it back on the road. The dogs also tracked him off the road to the water. This prompted Brandon to. As his parents were on their way to help, the cell phone connection went dead at 3:10 a.m. Murdered in Texas: The Case of Amber Hagerman, Missing in Texas: The Case of Patty Vaughn, Unidentified in Virginia: The Case of the Christmas Tree Lady, Missing in California: The Case of Khadijah Britton, Unidentified in Texas: The Case of the Galveston Doe, Seeds of Hope: The Closed Case of Mostly Harmless, Missing in Tennessee: The Case of Summer Wells, Missing in Pennsylvania: The Case of Kortne Stouffer, Welcome to the Lost Souls of America Podcast, Vanished in the Dark: Where is Brandon Swanson Article on Medium by Jenn Baxter, Brandon Swanson: Missing without a trace by Rebecca Klein. It takes effect July 1, 2009. His body would have been discovered in the wide, open fields. The couple remained on the phone with their son until they heard him yell a swear word, followed by silence. The most popular theory among authorities is that Brandon fell into the river. He disappeared outside of Marshall when he was 19. The drive from the gathering in Canby to Marshall is one he had made nearly every day during his commute to and from his college campus. No physical evidence in his case has been uncovered. Armed with this new information, the search moves to the area where they finally find Brandons car in Porter, stuck in a ditch. On the night of 14 May 2008, after celebrating the last day of college classes with a friend, he was driving home along a gravel road, and somehow crashed his car into a ditch. Retrieved Nov. 18, 2010, from http://www.startribune.com/politics/state/49466647.html. They enlist the help of his friends, who participate in the search. I told the family early on that we will continue searching as long as we have clues to follow up on.". 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