He attended a small gathering at a house, where it is said that there was alcohol, however, Brandon did not appear to be drunk. 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. "The Mysterious Disappearance Of Minnesota College Student Brandon Swanson,". Follow Books from this author Missing in Pennsylvania: Unsolved Cases from the Keystone. Brandon Swanson would never be seen or heard from again. Brian then drove Annette back home to Marshall so she could go to bed and then drove back towards Lynd to pick up his son. Seems implausible. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. They start honking their horn and flashing the headlights on their truck but to no avail. Asha has not been seen since. Brandon Victor Swanson. 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. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. It seems impossible that they could walk away from their vehicles, sometimes even leaving their clothes behind and . The couple remained on the phone with their son until they heard him yell a swear word, followed by silence. However, no body was, or ever would be, recovered. The Search for Brandon At 6:30 a.m., Brandon's parents called police to report him missing. Swanson's case remains unsolved. Distinguishing characteristics for Brandon include Caucasian male. Brandon was frustrated that his parents obviously were in the wrong spot, Brandons parents were frustrated that he obviously must have given him the wrong location, and tensions are high out here in the middle of the night. Armed with this new information, the search moves to the area where they finally find Brandons car in Porter, stuck in a ditch. It was either false or the information wasnt accurate they all seem to run into a dead end.. Brandons full name is Brandon Victor Swanson. May 12-15, 2011 Searches: The plan for the May 12-14 searches was to detail - search by HRD canine as many fields as possible in the area surrounding Mud Creek. The major question that lingers on everyone's mind who hears his story . At the rivers edge, the dogs lost Brandons scent, indicating he may have gone in the water. Though they hear it through the phone, they hear nothing locally. The concerned parents continued searching for their son, and after being unable to find him at 6:30am, they went to the police to report him missing. We would take that opportunity very, very quickly, Anderson said. 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. If given the opportunity to move onto cattle property that has not yet been searched, Anderson said theyd be quick to accept that offer. He hasn t been heard from since. The search had expanded tenfold now. Retrieved n.d., from http://www.kare11.com/news/ts_article.aspx?storyid=511468. They see darkness. He was returning from a party when he crashed his car in a ditch and called his parents for help. Authorities immediately assumed that Brandon had fallen into the Yellow Medicine River. Although foul play has never been ruled out in this case, it was just under 40 degrees that night, so it's possible Brandon succumbed to the elements, especially if he had already fallen into the rivera very real possibility as well. Online at [http://thesearchforbrandon.blogspot.com%3c/span%3e%3c/a]http://thesearchforbrandon.blogspot.com. So were going to start by retracing Brandons steps. Both of his parents state Brandon sounded clear-headed and coherent when they were on the phone with him, and he had no history of mental illness or mental disorder. At the time of his disappearance Brandon was 19 years old, 5'6" and 120 lbs. Brunswick, M. (2009, June 29). They decided to put in a countywide request so the search could be expanded, bringing in the Office of Lyon County Sheriff Joel Dahl. Photo. Right on the border between Lincoln, Yellow Medicine and Lyon counties, said Hasse. 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. At around midnight, he said his goodbyes and got in his Chevrolet Lumina to make the drive back home. He disappeared while driving home after spending the night with friends celebrating the end of spring semester classes. Please enable javascript and refresh the page to continue reading local news. En route, he crashed into a ditch. The focus of the search moved to this area after bloodhounds led searchers there in March 2010. Brandons Law to the rescue. 40 Harold Ramirez TB. The farm fields where Hasse believes Brandon is are on Highway 68 between Canby and Porter, six miles from where his car was found. Hmm, thats strange so they begin driving up and down the road. Trying to explain how Brandon could have mixed up his location has proven challenging. Join Facebook to connect with Brandon Swanson and others you may know. (Photo: AP). Episode Summary. Brandon was only 19 years old when he went missing. May 13, 2008 marked the last day of classes at Minnesota West Community and Technical College in Canby, Minn., where Brandon Swanson was enrolled in the wind turbine program. Right off the bat, police were not convinced that Brandon was actually missing. He and his wife began calling Brandons friends, who also rushed to the area to search for him in the dark night. Brandon Swanson said he could see lights in the distance, which he believed were coming from the town of Lynd. Dental records and DNA are available for comparison, though fingerprints are not. His dad makes multiple attempts to call for his son, but receives no answer. Weve had excavators come in and sift through the dirt, looking for something, whether its remains or property, Wallen said. Again his friends report that he was not intoxicated, and when he left around midnight no one thought twice about his ability to make it home safely. Still, he admits that the farming terrain has provided unique obstacles to this particular search. "When he initially called them he said I am between Marshall and Lynd, come get me, said Hasse. Where is that unaccounted for hour and a half to two hours? People at the party report that Brandon had one alcoholic drink that they noticed, and that he seemed fine, not inebriated in any way. 38 Bobby Dalbec-3B Bos. They searched the river high and low, but still, no sign of Brandon. No keys were found in or around the scene and no obvious signs of foul play were present. "You know what were doing with Brandons situation says Annette Swanson. The initial search for Brandon Swanson included trained search dogs, hundreds of volunteers and air surveillance. You can find out more about the organization here. Brandon hung up on his mother and when she called him back to apologize he told his parents he was walking to Lynd and would wait for them at his friends home. Cadaver dogs have indicated a scent in the area, which is evidence enough, Hasse stated, for the search to continue (The Search for Brandon blog). 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. We know that he was on gravel roads, said Annette Swanson. Unfortunately, authorities were unable to find footprints to indicate in which direction Brandon ventured on foot (Brunswick, 2009; Weed, 2010). MARSHALL Ten years have gone by and Brandon Swanson is still missing. "I couldnt breathe, I was nauseous, and I think that was just my motherly instincts telling me hes gone," said Annette Swanson. In many circumstances, this is third-hand information. He wasn't injured in the crash. So then the search was focused there, and the car was located.. It is possible that he abruptly hung up the phone while falling into the river, with the phone slipping out of his hand and falling onto dry land; however, the phone has not been recovered and one can only speculate. Its believed he died of exposure. After wrapping up his last day and bringing his first year of college to a close, he decided to spend the night celebrating with his friends. Once again, Brain remained on the line with Brandon, who was walking towards town; this call began at 2:23 a.m. and would be the last contact between father and son. Reflecting on the last decade, however, those closest to the investigation and search efforts remain hopeful that. Brandon Swanson of Marshall MN, has been missing since Wed. May 14th, 2008. Because it was assumed Brandon had fallen into the river, the search focused around the Yellow Medicine River and the surrounding area. Each one left Long's hand with plenty of time on the clock . Sheriff running out of answers in disappearance of Marshall teen. Shortly after midnight on May 14 Brandon left Lynd to head back to his parents home in Marshall, where he lived. Other theories that have floated around are that Brandon had some sort of mental breakdown or had planned his own disappearance. "He was relaying to us he was near Lynd, Minnesota," said Annette Swanson. If you feel you have received this message in error, please contact the customer support team at 1-833-248-7801. It was a cold night. A college boy not coming home after a night out is not unusual, they told them. Brandon Swanson The Disappearance Nineteen year old Brandon Swanson lived in Marshall, Minnesota with his parents. 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. 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). He disappeared outside of Marshall when he was 19. At around 1:45 a.m., Brian Swanson and Annette Swanson received a phone call from their son indicating his Chevrolet Lumina had veered into a ditch. After two years and innumerable searches of the river it is highly implausible Brandon drowned in the river, because his body likely would have surfaced by now. Brandon Victor Swanson was last seen on May 15th 2008 in Canby Minnesota. No big deal, nothing out of the ordinary. During the conversation, Brandon described his surroundings to his father, at one point stating he was walking along a fence line and could see the lights of town in the distance. Her books are available on Amazon. (2008, May 20). Though Brandon may have enjoyed himself early on that evening, what happened later that night is a baffling mystery, one where the deeper you dig the less things seem to make sense. When the 911 operator asked if he needed an ambulance Brandon replied no, he needed police to respond. "She walked away from. Yellow Medicine County Sheriff Bill Flaten has worked closely with Emergency Support Services throughout the years, particularly when it comes to seeking landowner permission. #truecrime #truecrimetiktok #crimetok #missing #unsolved #brandonswanson #justice #fyp #minnesota #missing411". 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. I can say that his phone was functioning into the next day. Brandon died of hypothermia after falling into the Yellow Medicine River. Annette says that was a problem in Brandons case because his car was found right where three counties come together. However, later that day cell phone records showed Brandon was near Porter, Minnesota, not Lynd, when he phoned his parents. Lets look at the main theories: Brandon staged his own disappearance to run away and start a new life-. The most recent major search effort was conducted August 7-8, 2010. Although it is possible that Brandon disappeared of his own accord and is alive and well, living in another location perhaps under an alias this scenario is extremely unlikely; there is no evidence that Brandon was planning his disappearance and it takes a high level of sophistication to plot your own disappearance and relocation. One popular theory is that he was the victim of a hit and run and someone hid his body. Brandon Swanson, a missing high schooler kid, was never found after he disappeared in 2008. Brian and Annette Swanson reported their son missing the next morning. Your brain is in a constant state of trying to figure it out, but you dont have anything to go on. "The Disappearance of Brandon Swanson," Youtuber, Dining With Death, October 20th, 2022, "Disappearance of Brandon Swanson," Wikipedia, "The Mysterious Disappearance Of Minnesota College Student Brandon Swanson," Neil Patmore, ati, November 25, 2022, "The Disappearance of Brandon Swanson," Christine, The True Crime Files, March 13, 2019. 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. Missing. It was a completely straight shot down the highway that connected Canby and Marshall, State Highway 68. Sometimes multiple times a day even. Now if youre anything like me, your mind immediately went to something like alternate reality, parallel dimension, or some other weird supernatural time loop occurrence. What does not make sense to me is how Brandon could have suspected he was near Lynd, if he were driving Canby to Marshall, as Lynd is 7 miles BEYOND his home in Marshall, a further drive. But one question still lingered on everyones mind: What happened to Brandon? It requires police to take a report whenever a person, of any age, is reported missing in Minnesota. Hasse points to a map showing where Brandons car was found. The vehicle simply looked like it was stuck in the ditch, or partially in the ditch, He said. A Hubbard Broadcasting Company, You can find out more information about the Jacob Wetterling Resources Center here, You can find out more about the organization here. There was nothing odd about it. The same argument holds true for Mud Creek, so it would be a mistake to focus all of the search efforts on that location. A Deputy arrived at Brandon's truck around 1:10 am, after a 911 call reported Brandon's F-150 obstructing traffic on U.S. 277 by being over the white line. We dont know.". Im so sussed out that mans was so close to Porter after traveling for like 2 hours very intriguing. They carry on a long conversation, Brandon telling him that he can hear running water nearby and is passing some fences as he walks. Now, geographically speaking it makes perfect sense that Brandon and his car would be in Taunton. They will not allow us on their property. Immelman, A. Shortly thereafter, his car was located in a ditch near Taunton. The dogs led authorities to the banks of the Yellow Medicine River, which at the time of the disappearance was high and flowing fast. Brandon Swanson was 19 years old when he went missing in the state of Minnesota. Perhaps this is why he misunderstood where he was, why he ended up in the wrong area, how he drifted gently off the road. Brandon told them he was somewhere on the road between Lynd and Marshall. "When you have lost somebody but you have no answers, theres no knowing where they are or even what happened to them, said Annette Swanson. David Paulides and his Missing 411 series . It`s called Brandon`s Law. Naturally curly Brown hair, blue eyes. Another possibility is that this could be a case of vehicular homicide. Wallen would not indicate specifics regarding an alleged argument.Wallen said all tips are followed up on, regardless of how many separate people have come forward. Also, his phone was still taking calls. Its important to note that this particular river is not one thats notably deadly. This mysterious disappearance hinges on the fact that Mr. Parfitt, who went missing in the 1760s, was unable to walk or get around on his own. We dont dispute the reason why. He tells his parents that he does not see or hear anything at all. However, this area has now been ruled out because if Brandon did fall into the river his body would have been washed downriver and eventually found (The Search for Brandon blog). When a cell phone is off or when it is damaged for example, as the result of being submerged under water incoming calls go directly to voicemail, either with no rings or just one ring. Brian called Brandon back 6 times in a row, and each time the phone went straight to voicemail. We dont know. The river varied in depth, going from just knee-high to 15 feet deep, and at the time Brandon went missing, the river was racing fast. So he did what I think most 19 year olds on their way home would do- he called his friends!! Brandon grew impatient while waiting for his parents to find the right spot. (LogOut/ Its searching for answers, its searching for where, who, what, were, when, why? 34 Isaac Paredes-2B/3B TB. The farmers pretty much have this thou shalt not between this time and this time, and we still work it out as best we can, but it has exacerbated our search abilities, Anderson said. The temperature at the time of his disappearance was 46 F, or 8 degrees Celsius, and dropped to 39 F, or 4 degrees Celsius. So what happened in the time that is unaccounted for? Aside from the fact that Brandon was relatively sober, this was also a very familiar drive for him. That night was all about celebrating the end of the year, and Brandon had what was supposed to be a fun night with lots of friends ahead of him. Brandon's Law, named for Swanson, was passed later in 2008. So The call didnt end at that point, though. "We believe that he got disoriented, said Hasse. Missing Tennessee college student Jasmine Pace was found dead. HubPages is a registered trademark of The Arena Platform, Inc. Other product and company names shown may be trademarks of their respective owners. 19-year-old Jason Jolkowski went missing during a half-mile walk to the nearby high school on June 13, 2001. There are no known personal, economic, or social motives that plausibly may have driven someone to murder Brandon; however, there are individuals who murder strangers because of a deep-seated usually sexual fantasy. By morning, when the sun had risen, Brandons family knew it was time to file a missing persons report. 065 - The Disappearance of Brandon Swanson. Retrieved December 13, 2010, from http://www.immelman.us/news/missing-person-joshua-guimond. I have also written about a bit of a trend which tries to make disappearances more mysterious than they are. There was no way to miss each other so what was going on. We just cant get that final point.". For nineteen-year-old Brandon Swanson, May 13, 2008 was an exciting day. During the early morning hours of May 14, 2008, 19-year-old Brandon Swanson disappeared under mysterious circumstances from a rural area northeast of Marshall in southwestern Minnesota. The bill, named Brandon's Law, would eliminate waiting periods when adults disappear under suspicious circumstances, or when young adults up to age 21 are reported missing under most circumstances. Rosenblum, G. (2009, July 2). Now Minnesota BCA will review the case. In a ditch on the side of the road, just as he said. Brian drove Anita home, and promised to meet Brandon in the parking lot of a bar at the edge of town. There are resources available to provide assistance to families with missing loved ones. Theres also a lot of debate in the research I found online about what that particular type of hang up and how the calls that came after it were received could mean about the phone. His phone was thought to have been on for two days after his disappearance because every call made to the phone after his disappeared resulted in several rings and then a voicemail recording. Nearly 100 years later, his descendants' DNA proved that the child reunited with the Dunbar family was not Bobby but rather a boy named Charles (Bruce) Anderson who resembled Bobby. Kelsea Schneider is a senior at the College of St. Benedict/St. Chang, B. Giants lefty Sam Long, the second-fastest worker in the majors last season, had already delivered a couple pitches to start the at-bat. The Yellow Medicine River has been the subject of extensive searches over the years, including excavation efforts in areas where the dogs have led law enforcement. The law requires Minnesota police to begin an immediate search for missing adults under 21, as well as older adults who are missing under suspicious circumstances. (2010, January 18). 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. In May of 2008 Brandon Swanson went missing after driving his car off the road into a ditch. 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. He remains missing. The search dogs also picked up the scent of human remains a few times near Mud Creek, north of Porter. He cannot understand why his parents are so confused and are struggling to find him when he told them exactly where he is. Jason Chen, her boyfriend and accused killer, is currently being held without bond. Another mysterious detail is the length of Brandons trip that night. Last updated February 13, 2023. If Brandon was injured or killed in an accident that evening, where could his remains be? Map showing Brandon's route | Photo Credits: Thomas Lauth Missing Persons Investigation Worldwide Brandon was a promising student, who was happy to have a break after studying wind turbines for an entire semester at the Minnesota West Community and Technical College. Planning to spend his. Nevertheless, drowning was the immediate fear, and so two miles of the river and the riverbank were thoroughly searched for 30 days. Nineteen year old Brandon Swanson lived in Marshall, Minnesota with his parents. Gravel rural roads are not illuminated with street lights and visibility is poor. You can find out more information about the Jacob Wetterling Resources Center here. Its searching. To try and help his parents out, Brandon decides to try flashing his headlights instead. He had been out earlier that night and gone to a couple of parties before making his way home to Marshall, Minnesota. Disappearance: 05/14/2008. There are 206 bones in the body. Brandon Swanson. At some point that evening, Brandon left the quiet get-together in Lynd, and headed 35 miles northwest toward Canby where his college was located. It was the beginning of what Hasse calls the most well-documented and detailed search ever conducted. . During The Initial Search, One Officer Allegedly Said Swanson 'Had A Right To Be Missing' After a fruitless night of searching for her son, Annette Swanson called police around 6:30 am to report him missing. 33 Wilmer Flores-2B/3B SF. Brandon Lawson 911 call depicted last moments before he went missing Around 11:30 p.m. Aug. 8, Lawson called his father and mentioned he was heading to his parents' house in Crowley, about 3. VOICE OF ANNETTE SWANSON, MOTHER OF BRANDON SWANSON: Well, just very briefly, Brandon`s Law is Minnesota missing . The case of Brandon Victor Swanson is one of them. This involves walking furrows in 15-20 foot increments which is quite energy intensive and time-consuming. "And when one goes as long as this, you know the family has put their hopes on your shoulders. At around 2:30am, Brandon suddenly yelped oh shit! and the phone disconnected. Citing the emotional toll of their sons disappearance and the accompanying difficulty of the holiday season Brian Swanson and Annette Swanson chose not to comment for this story. It was a straight shot down Highway 68, so what was different that night? Kare 11 News. Like most parents whose children are missing, Brandons family feels this is categorically impossible. Numerous searches have been conducted since then, primarily relying on the time and effort of local volunteers. According to Anette, one officer said directly As an adult Brandon has a right to be missing if he wants to be It took hours of Anettes begging, explaining about the disconnected call, before the police finally agreed to open the report. There was nothing amiss with the car, and because the surrounding area was full of grass and gravel, there were no footprints and no way to tell which direction Brandon may have gone. Naturally curly Brown hair, blue eyes. Brian drops Annette off back at home and makes the drive to his son, staying on the phone with him the entire time. 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. He says Brandon got stuck and called his parents. Why was he on gravel roads? The Swansons then contacted Brandons friends and they searched the surrounding rural areas for any signs of Brandon.