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. I want to go out to Brandon`s mother, Annette Swanson, joining us tonight from Marshall, Minnesota. His dad makes multiple attempts to call for his son, but receives no answer. Eventually, the dogs pointed them to farm fields north of Porter. St. Paul Pioneer Press, p. B1. In a surprising twist, what they learned was that Brandon had been nowhere near Lynd at all. Numerous searches have been conducted of the area and bodies of water surrounding the location where Brandon's car was found. If you or someone you know has any information that could lead to the discovery of Brandon Swanson, please call the Lincoln County Sheriffs Office (Minnesota) at 1-507-694-1664 or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5687). . 34 Isaac Paredes-2B/3B TB. Police told them to wait a while because it wasn't unheard of for young males to go off the grid for a bit. Change). At the time of his disappearance Brandon was 19 years old, 56 and 120 lbs. He then headed back to Canby to continue his night of celebration. Firstly, Brandon was legally blind in one eye. We dont know. Shortly after midnight on May 14 Brandon left Lynd to head back to his parents home in Marshall, where he lived. A long stretch of road, and big open fields. 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. Sometimes multiple times a day even. ", "Its a straight shot down Highway 68, said Search Manager Jeff Hasse with Midwest Technical Rescue Training. The 19-year-old was uninjured. Disappearance: 05/14/2008. It was a cold night. Inside The Mysterious Disappearance Of Brandon Lawson, Who Vanished From A Highway In Texas Published March 29, 2022 Updated April 18, 2022 After Brandon Lawson ran out of gas in the dead of night on rural Route 277, he made a series of strange phone calls and was never seen again. He also placed phone calls to his parents to pick him up, which is not be the behavior of someone planning to take his own life. In addition, the examiners likewise looked around there; partners observed Brandon's neglected vehicle in a trench off a rock street along the Lincoln . I have also heard rumors, though nothing to verify, that there may have been a bowl in his car- a cannabis pipe. Weve had excavators come in and sift through the dirt, looking for something, whether its remains or property, Wallen said. The focus of the search moved to this area after bloodhounds led searchers there in March 2010. Its all based on science. #1. When police obtained Swansons cell phone records, they discovered that he had actually been near Porter that night, which is roughly 25 miles away from where he told his parents he was. I have covered a few cases that are not exactly unsolved murders but could be. However, something tragic happened to him, but that's not what is debated about his disappearance. The vehicle simply looked like it was stuck in the ditch, or partially in the ditch, He said. And that gets to be a pretty hard burden. His body would have been discovered in the wide, open fields. This involves walking furrows in 15-20 foot increments which is quite energy intensive and time-consuming. It took him 30-40 minutes tops, and was a trek he made every single day for classes. Trying to explain how Brandon could have mixed up his location has proven challenging. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children works to help find missing children, reduce child sexual exploitation, and prevent child victimization. Though Brandon was barely 19 years old, the police response did not match the alarm his family and friends felt. Brandons phone went immediately dead as if he hit the hang up button. Brandons disappearance has classified him as an endangered missing person. "They know their property, and they search it and look around as well," he said. To try and help his parents out, Brandon decides to try flashing his headlights instead. This is a trip that he made practically daily, considering he would drive from Marshall to Canby and back for classes all the time. A shining light on this tragedy is the passing of Brandons Law. Divine, M. (2010, May 14). Numerous examinations were done, and his folks revealed a Brandon missing case to the Lynd Police. Kelsea Schneider is a senior at the College of St. Benedict/St. Facebook gives people the power. Brandons family and volunteers have continued ground searches for him over the years, but absolutely no trace of Brandon Swanson has ever been recovered including his cell phone, and his glasses- items that I personally think would be likely to turn up if hed been injured in the wilderness somehow. He was last seen wearing blue jeans, a blue-striped polo shirt, a black zip-up hoodie, a sweatshirt with an emblem on the back, a white Minnesota Twins baseball hat, glasses and a silver chain. The search for Brandon Swanson blog (n.d.). The spring semester had just come to an end and on the night of May 13th, 2008, Swanson attended two different parties to celebrate. Calls back to his phone indicated the phone was still on, but Brandon Swanson did not answer. Queen of Swords - 9 of pentacles - Star (reversed) Card pulled of the Queen of Swords: Page of Wands (reversed) Row Two. Interestingly, they also picked up Swansons scent on a piece of farm equipment nearby, but the farmer to whom it belonged denied the request of the authorities to search his property. 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. It was around 2am when he called his parents on his cell phone, telling them that he had driven his Chevy Lumina off the road and into a ditch near the town of Lynd, Minnesota. 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. They searched the river high and low, but still, no sign of Brandon. She was witnessed that night by several motorists walking along the highway, but when one of them tried to talk to her, she ran into the nearby woods. One speculation is that maybe Brandon took side roads home in an effort to avoid any police traps where he may have been pulled over, which would have led him into less familiar territory than his normal road to school. That evening Brandon was at a friends house in Lynd, Minn., celebrating and consuming alcoholic beverages, but not in excess. Episode Summary. Brandon Victor Swanson was last seen on May 15th 2008 in Canby Minnesota. Theyve performed 1,900 K-9 missions, using 45 highly-trained dogs, led by 35 handlers from nine states. Brandon Swanson was 19 years old when he went missing from rural roads near Marshall, Minn. in the early hours of May 14, 2008. He would be 32 now. That doesnt mean that the tips arent redundant, or that they come from a different person, but include the same information that weve previously received, he said. Brian attempted to call his son back several times but Brandon never answered again (Divine, 2010; Weed, 2010). They see darkness. While the search in and around Lynd continued, police were able to obtain Brandons cell phone records. 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. That is near freezing, and indeed, anyone soaked through the bone by having fallen into the river would have suffered from . I told the family early on that we will continue searching as long as we have clues to follow up on.". Yet those tips havent led to the break in the case investigators have been hoping for. It requires police to take a report whenever a person, of any age, is reported missing in Minnesota. Search, Rescue and Recovery Resources of Minnesota is a source of information about a wide variety of established organizations that exist to provide search, rescue and recovery services. He disappeared outside of Marshall when he was 19. It`s called Brandon`s Law. ", "Search management is a real soul-sucking job, said Hasse. Brandon was a 2007 high school graduate of Marshall Senior High School. I think he continued walking. He disappeared outside of Marshall when he was 19. Minnesota's Unsolved Missing Person and Homicide Cases, Age: 19Vanished: 5/14/2009From: Taunton, MNHeight: 56Weight: 125 lbsEyes: Blue. While traveling along the 3900 block of Lyon Lincoln Road, Brandon Swanson veered off the road and became hung up in the ditch. Because it was assumed Brandon had fallen into the river, the search focused around the Yellow Medicine River and the surrounding area. Risk-taking young adults? It is important to note is that, due to an eye injury he suffered as a child, Swanson was legally blind in his left eye, leading him to have depth perception issues, and had to wear glasses. Annette says he was on the phone with his folks the whole time. Search dogs were brought in from the Twin Cities, and a team of bloodhounds from nearby Codington County, South Dakota were utilized. He told his parents he was walking toward the small town and made plans to meet them at a local business. They called out to him and heard nothing. The search for Brandon is unprecedented and still active. Moving the search to the Taunton area, authorities quickly located Brandons abandoned car. Row One. . Photo courtesy . A 19 yr old makes a call to his parents after a crash and then disappears. I mean, you could place a call and it would ring before turning over to voicemail, Lyon County Sheriff Eric Wallen said. 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. In a ditch on the side of the road, just as he said. There are resources available to provide assistance to families with missing loved ones. It was a straight shot down Highway 68, so what was different that night? So we are really confident that hes somewhere in this watershed. And the law makes it clear who has jurisdiction. What did that mean? A college boy not coming home after a night out is not unusual, they told them. You can find out more information about the Jacob Wetterling Resources Center here. Brandon started walking. "When he initially called them he said I am between Marshall and Lynd, come get me, said Hasse. Swanson wears black wire-framed eyeglasses. Marshall was a relatively quiet area, a population of around 13-14,000 but it was an area focused primarily on agriculture. Brandon Swanson was 19 years old when he went missing from rural roads near Marshall, Minn. in the early hours of May 14, 2008. 19 year old Brandon Swanson was last seen in Marshall, Minnesota on May 14, 2008. 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. But still, nothing. The temperature at the time of his disappearance was 46 F, or 8 degrees Celsius, and dropped to 39 F, or 4 degrees Celsius. Its searching. While Brandons Law doesnt necessarily help the Swanson family and the search for their son, it does correct an issue they believed hindered what could have been a search conducted much sooner. Armed with this new information, the search moves to the area where they finally find Brandons car in Porter, stuck in a ditch. Missing. 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. Current searches are focusing on a specific area of Mud Creek, which is also located in the vicinity where Brandons car was found. Brandon Swanson. 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. 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. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. When Brian and Annette arrived at the location described by Brandon, neither Brandon nor his car was there. Did he fall into a ditch? Brandons parents piled into their car, not too worried, and headed out to rescue their son. Brandon was only 19 years old when he went missing. The dogs followed his trail across an abandoned farm, and then along the Yellow Medicine River. One popular theory is that he was the victim of a hit and run and someone hid his body. The basics are this: Brandon was in a fight with his long term girlfriend, Ladessa, and . Nevertheless, drowning was the immediate fear, and so two miles of the river and the riverbank were thoroughly searched for 30 days. Sheriff running out of answers in disappearance of Marshall teen. 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. If he fell into the water along with his cellphone, all calls would have gone straight to voicemail. Dont you see me? he asked his parents, exasperated. "You know what were doing with Brandons situation says Annette Swanson. Is it possible that Brandon met with foul play? Maybe you`ve heard of it. Of Mud Creek, which is also located in the ditch, he said am. 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