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 doesnt see any lights. 38 Bobby Dalbec-3B Bos. His dad makes multiple attempts to call for his son, but receives no answer. 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. I have covered a few cases that are not exactly unsolved murders but could be. Its believed he died of exposure. Brandons Law was passed in Minnesota later that year in 2008 and it requires police to begin an immediate search for missing adults under 21, as well as older adults who are missing under suspicious circumstances. but some landowners have refused to allow access to search parties working to find Swanson, missing since 2008. Taunton is approximately a 15 minute straight drive from the party in Canby. The vehicle simply looked like it was stuck in the ditch, or partially in the ditch, He said. Helicopter and ground searches commenced, covering all the fields and areas Brandon may have attempted to make his short cut going toward what he incorrectly assumed was Lynd. Brian drove Anita home, and promised to meet Brandon in the parking lot of a bar at the edge of town. Brandon described his location as being on a rural road outside Lynd about 10 miles from his parents home. I have also written about a bit of a trend which tries to make disappearances more mysterious than they are. I think he continued walking. 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. The likelihood that an offender especially one with homicidal fantasies happened to be driving in rural Minnesota at 3 a.m. on the same road Brandon was on is remote, but still needs to be considered. The spring semester had just come to an end and on the night of May 13th, 2008, Swanson attended two different parties to celebrate. Forty-seven minutes into the call, Swanson suddenly exclaimed: Oh, shit! Then there was silence. We dont dispute the reason why. 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. Both Swanson and his parents had agreed to flash their headlights on and off in order to signal to each other. At the time of his disappearance Brandon was 19 years old, 56 and 120 lbs. One officer in particular even stated that, at his age, Brandon, had a right to be missing, a remark that has stuck with Annette Swanson years later. No physical evidence in his case has been uncovered. I also think its extremely unlikely considering he was excited about his fall plans. Being a native of Marshall, he graduated from Marshall High School in 2007. Hasse says Brandon hasnt been seen since. It was almost as if he vanished into thin air. She writes about missing persons, unsolved murders, and human rights. He was seen drinking at both parties, but according to his friends, he didnt drink enough to become intoxicated, at least not overtly. Brandon told them he was somewhere on the road between Lynd and Marshall. Trying to explain how Brandon could have mixed up his location has proven challenging. In many circumstances, this is third-hand information. We were able to use the cellphone tower technology to have an idea of where his last communications or phone calls came from, so that put us on a cell tower up in that area, Wallen said. Thats a troublesome issue for those leading the search party. #1. Where is that unaccounted for hour and a half to two hours? 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. Retrieved n.d., from http://www.kare11.com/news/ts_article.aspx?storyid=511468. (Photo: AP). And you cant find it. Brandon Swanson The Disappearance Nineteen year old Brandon Swanson lived in Marshall, Minnesota with his parents. That is near freezing, and indeed, anyone soaked through the bone by having fallen into the river would have suffered from . 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. While alcohol was being consumed at the gatherings, his friends indicated to law enforcement that he did not appear to be intoxicated when he left the party. All possibilities should be investigated in Guimond case. On May 14, 2008 Brandon Swanson, age 19, drove towards Marshall, Minnesota. Brandon Swanson was 19 years old when he went missing in the state of Minnesota. I have also heard rumors, though nothing to verify, that there may have been a bowl in his car- a cannabis pipe. 2023 The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers on this website. This prompted Brandon to. Her work is primarily featured on The Vault. He ended up in Porter, which is only 10 minutes away from Canby. 01:13:04. He was 19 years old at the time. Now Minnesota BCA will review the case. Another possibility is that this could be a case of vehicular homicide. As his parents were on their way to help, the cell phone connection went dead at 3:10 a.m. 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. So then the search was focused there, and the car was located.. He assured them that both he and the car were fine and that he merely needed them to pick him up. Current searches are focusing on a specific area of Mud Creek, which is also located in the vicinity where Brandons car was found. The Night of the Disappearance The present search is now focusing on another body of water in the area, Mud Creek. According to official statistics, in the US alone 2,300 people go missing every day. They chatted as he walked and Brandon referenced fences in his way, and the sound of running water as he continued walking toward the lights of Lynd. The spring semester had just come to an end and on the night of May 13th, 2008, Swanson attended two different parties to celebrate. . He attended a small gathering at a house, where it is said that there was alcohol, however, Brandon did not appear to be drunk. Leaving the car and navigating dark fields, Brandon called his parents for help. The dogs did follow what was believed to be Brandons scent to the river and that was it, Wallen said. February 17, 2022. . Its all based on science. 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. Brandon Swanson. Monday is Brandon Swanson's 28th birthday. Brandon Victor Swanson was last seen on May 15th 2008 in Canby Minnesota. 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). Required fields are marked *. They later reported that Brandon seemed certain of his whereabouts and did not seem too disoriented (Divine, 2010; Weed, 2010). 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. "You know what were doing with Brandons situation says Annette Swanson. Annette and Brian Swanson were there when it was signed by the Governor in 2009. Hmm, thats strange so they begin driving up and down the road. Unfortunately, authorities were unable to find footprints to indicate in which direction Brandon ventured on foot (Brunswick, 2009; Weed, 2010). 19 year old Brandon Swanson was last seen in Marshall, Minnesota on May 14, 2008. A mental breakdown does not seem like a plausible cause of Brandons disappearance, although it cannot be ruled out entirely. 37 Matt Mervis Chc. 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. On May 14, 2008, Brandon Swanson left for home at midnight shortly after the celebration had ended. 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. Yellow Medicine County Sheriff Bill Flaten has worked closely with Emergency Support Services throughout the years, particularly when it comes to seeking landowner permission. Though they hear it through the phone, they hear nothing locally. No big deal, nothing out of the ordinary. At the time of his disappearance Brandon was 19 years old, 5'6" and 120 lbs. Many tips revolve around the events leading up to Brandon Swansons disappearance, including claims that he was involved in an argument at the time he went missing. Yup, it definitely sounds like murder. 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. Its searching for answers, its searching for where, who, what, were, when, why? 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. This is a trip that he made practically daily, considering he would drive from Marshall to Canby and back for classes all the time. Its his right to be missing, one officer reportedly said to the worried parents. It seems that every tip that we receive, we investigate and we run into a dead end, he said. Still on the phone with their son they say ok, were going to flash out lights, can you see us? The Swansons then contacted Brandons friends and they searched the surrounding rural areas for any signs of Brandon. Brandon Swanson, a missing high schooler kid, was never found after he disappeared in 2008. He was cold and wet and actually walking in the opposite direction of his home and where his parents were looking for him. The law is named after Brandon Swanson, whose car got stuck in a ditch near Taunton along the Lincoln and Lyon county line in southwest Minnesota on May 14, 2008. I dont know. Nevertheless, drowning was the immediate fear, and so two miles of the river and the riverbank were thoroughly searched for 30 days. For unknown reasons, he left his glasses in his car that night. . 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). Now, geographically speaking it makes perfect sense that Brandon and his car would be in Taunton. Chang, B. (2010, January 18). In May of 2008 Brandon Swanson went missing after driving his car off the road into a ditch. Minnesota's Unsolved Missing Person and Homicide Cases 2023. Brandon s parents, Brian and . Around 10:30 pm, he left the gathering to drive to Canby, which is 30 miles away . He can see its lights in the distance, so it should not be too far of a walk. He is legally blind in his left eye. It was a straight shot down Highway 68, so what was different that night? 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. He cannot understand why his parents are so confused and are struggling to find him when he told them exactly where he is. Brandon was 5 feet 6 inches and weighed 120 pounds at the time of his disappearance. The initial search for Brandon Swanson included trained search dogs, hundreds of volunteers and air surveillance. The dogs also tracked him off the road to the water. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children works to help find missing children, reduce child sexual exploitation, and prevent child victimization. Annette, tell us about Brandon`s Law. He was returning from a party when he crashed his car in a ditch and called his parents for help. Jason Chen, her boyfriend and accused killer, is currently being held without bond. Brandon did not call to report being stuck in a ditch until nearly 2am. Cloud Times. 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. I can say that his phone was functioning into the next day. 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. After some attempts to free the car himself and trying to call some friends, Brandon decided to give his parents, Brian and Annette Swanson, a call at around 1:54 a.m. to let them know what happened. After initially attending a gathering in Lynd, located roughly seven miles southwest from his home, he made his way to his Canby destination, roughly 35 miles northwest of his home. 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. 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. "So weve got huge amounts of scent in here, said Hasse as he points at a map. Unsure of what else to do, they hung up and tried calling him again multiple times, each time getting no response. These have been discounted as well. 19-year-old Jason Jolkowski went missing during a half-mile walk to the nearby high school on June 13, 2001. 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. The most popular theory among authorities is that Brandon fell into the river. Brandon Swanson would never be seen or heard from again. Unfortunately, no one has been able to answer that for certain. His last search was for Deb Hendrichs, 56, of Star, Idaho, who went missing on Jan. 11, 2021, in the Blue Mountains near Meacham, Ore., when her Toyota RAV-4 ran out of gas. One popular theory is that he was the victim of a hit and run and someone hid his body. KSTP-TV, LLC Calls back to his phone indicated the phone was still on, but Brandon Swanson did not answer. Last updated February 13, 2023. Change). Its important to note that this particular river is not one thats notably deadly. With the search area located among plenty of farmland, Emergency Support Services has worked diligently with farmers to create an access schedule that works around the shifting planting and harvest seasons. It requires police to take a report whenever a person, of any age, is reported missing in Minnesota. Shortly thereafter, his car was located in a ditch near Taunton. 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. Brandon did not have a history of emotional instability, nor did he show any signs leading up to his disappearance that he was suicidal or depressed. Unfortunately he would never make it there. With the wild animals and rural farmlands of Minnesota, it is a real possibility that Brandon had some kind of accident, and his body was quickly removed by either wild animals or farm equipment. He was born on January 30, 1989. He disappeared while driving home after spending the night with friends celebrating the end of spring semester classes. This is so well-written & I WILL be back Thursday for your next story! Eliminating those roadblocks for other families was the goal behind Brandons Law, a Minnesota law passed in 2009 that requires law enforcement to immediately take a missing persons report and begin an investigation for all situations, regardless of the age of the person believed to be at risk. It's a puzzling case for many reasons. Shortly after midnight on May 14, 2008, Brandon Swanson mysteriously vanished in Marshall, Minnesota. 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. Brunswick, M. (2009, June 29). Brandon got mixed up in direction and met a tragic accidental end, with his body lost in nature-. Brian and Annette waited for their son to tell them what was wrong, but he never did. 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. 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