Delzer suggested the teen may have fallen into an unmarked cistern or well, which are not uncommon in rural areas. It would be the last word anyone heard from Brandon Swanson. You dont have to be speeding to hit someone and leave. It set up a tip line; by 2015, 90 leads had been reported that way. He could also hear water running in the distance. [3], Shortly after 2:30a.m., 47 minutes into the call, Brandon suddenly interrupted himself on the phone and said "Oh, shit!" I think he saw someone that he knew (and was afraid of) dropped the phone, and ran. Swanson stayed in Canby for the evening to celebrate with friends. This is one of the strangest things and it should change. It would be maddening tokeep turning and turning and trying to make sense of farm roads. Good point! I've created a map of the area. At approximately 1:15 a.m., Swanson's vehicle got stuck in a ditch. While I was just listening to the True Crime Garage current coverage of this case I thought the same thing about leaving my vehicle if I was stranded. However, Brandon was said to be in Porter. https://linktr.ee/brewcrime We are talking about very rural, very deserted, farms and farm roads and pastures and fences. No personal property or clothing belonging to Swanson was discovered on the route to the river, or alongside the two-mile stretch of the river in the area, which takes roughly six hours to walk. It's really just process of elimination. Officers said Swanson could be wherever inner a 122-rectangular-mile location. Click hereto hear the Audio File of this case. Submissions should outline a mystery and provide a link to a more detailed review of the case such as a Wiki article or news report. And ask them call taxi, police, or drive him to nearest town. For anyone who took the time to read this whole post: thank you! If you have any more theories feel free to share them. -His vehicle was found abandoned hours later near the Tacoma Narrows Bridge Hi Todd. Brandon's phone immediately hung up and his parents tried to call him back several times. To better focus the search, the sheriff's office obtained Brandon's cell phone records, which revealed that Brandon had been calling from the vicinity of Taunton, along State Highway 68, the main route to Canby, northwest of Marshall25 miles (40km) from Lynd. However, he turned into now not completely certain of his region. Brandon Swanson stated he may want to see flashes inside the distance, which he idea had been coming from the town of Lynd. As explained by Minnesota's Unsolved Cases, it is possible that the teen left the area on his own and is now living under a new identity. The bloodhounds did find that the trace continued on the other side of the river. They are narrow and dark. I think it is very possible that they are looking in the wrong area lead by the sheriff saying that he could see the Taunton Elevator light from the spot where the car was found. Insurance/Liability is also a possible motive for no remains being found if his death was accidental. Continuing on this line of thought I dont think he would have been taking the back roads to get to home from Canby to his home in Marshall it just doesnt make sense. However, their calls were never answered. What are the chances that he would have that response and then the phone drops? And at that hour in that area no one is going to be awake or driving around, so foul play is vanishingly unlikely. His parents successfully lobbied the state legislature to pass Brandon's Law, which requires that police begin investigations of missing adults promptly. . Another theory is that Brandon committed suicide. While there is no clear evidence linking him to any specific crime, some people think hes been kidnapped by the mafia. Are there bears or or other animal predators in the area? It clarifies that the agency taking the report be the lead agency in the investigation (Brandons Law). However, it is not likely. -, Press J to jump to the feed. Thanks for reading and for sharing your insights. Brian and Annette attempted to call their son back numerous times. But that night, instead of taking Minnesota State Highway 68, the most direct route between Canby and Marshall, Swanson chose to drive through rural farming roads, perhaps to avoid police. And in most circumstances if some young idiot kid wanders lost and scared onto a farmer's property he's not going to shoot him on site. Heres a link. By May 15, the call had been determined to have come from within 5 miles (8.0km) of the tower; searchers were concentrating their efforts there. Brandon's Law also clarifies that the agency taking the report is the lead agency investigating the case;[11] the absence of that distinction had created some problems in the later phases of the initial search when three different counties were involved. If he had given coordinates to his parents, they could have known that he wasnt where he thought he was. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-N5JZRo-XS8, Press J to jump to the feed. Honored to have @chanel__ali on this week. You can follow her on Facebook and Twitter. To date, no physical evidence related to Brandon Swanson has been recovered, including his cell phone, car keys, or clothing and all his parents have left are memories and that last, chilling phone call. Some facts about Brandon are as follows: he was born in 1984, he has a degree in music from the University of Utah and he currently resides in Los Angeles. Photo taken 11/24/22 location in previous post. Brandon Swanson. Or go to nearest farm house and just ask the exact address. The True Crime Files reports the search dogs also indicated there were human remains near Mud Creek, north of Porter. Brandon said to meet him at a Lynd tavern parking lot. However, it is not likely. I have no idea why he wouldnt take them if he was willingly leaving the area. They zig and they zag everywhere and a lot of them are nothing but dead ends. The True Crime Files reports Brian and Annette continued driving around looking for their son, but they did not find any signs of him or his car. Perhaps they could have missed something? Hi Dave Thanks for reading and sharing all of your great insights! Either in the duck reserve where its all thicket and fences and wetland for the ducks straight south. One is that he didnt have a good sense of direction and was lost as a result. However, he likely died of hypothermia, as the temperature was just under 40 degrees that morning. What do they say and have they been interviewed? I couldnt agree more. it is an absolutely heartbreaking case. There was no physical damage to the vehicle or evidence of bodily injury. And his parents are still searching for answers. Brandon Swanson, a 20-year-old from Massachusetts, went missing on July 5th. Swansons father heard his son walking along, then abruptly shout, Oh, st! as the call dropped out. Upon reaching Lynd, his parents found no sign . lamentably, they still could not see each differently. One dog picking up a scent means nothing. Others think he simply left town for personal reasons. There had been many speculations as he may additionally have determined refuge in a deserted construction, he fell into the river and made it back out or he deliberate his disappearance. I just read somewhere that it was connected to foul play but it must've been wrong. [3], Searching in that area, deputies discovered Brandon's abandoned car in a ditch off a gravel road along the Lincoln County line a mile north of Highway 68, bringing the office of that county's sheriff, Jack Vizecky, into the investigation as well. Hi Doug. [2] Vizecky said he could not rule out foul play, even though there was no evidence of it. Brian said he stayed on the phone with his son while he was walking. He was not hurt and asked them to come to where he was and pick him up. Just the trees and stuff in the distance. Why not go to nearest house for help? While driving, Brian and Brandon talked via their cell phones. -He was last seen leaving his home in Tacoma, Washington on September 8th, 2016 The basics are this: Brandon was in a fight with his long term girlfriend, Ladessa, and . At two different parties, he was observed to consume some alcoholic beverages but, his friends said, not enough to make him seem visibly intoxicated. Foul play has not been ruled out, but it has also been proposed that he might have accidentally fallen into the Yellow Medicine River, near where his car was found, and drowned, although extensive searches have not found a body. And so Swansons father dropped his wife off at home and continued toward Lynd, remaining on the phone with his son. Your email address will not be published. Brandon Victor Swanson was last seen on May 15th 2008 in Canby Minnesota. Ugh! But upon watching the Nancy Grace segment where his mother is interviewed (of which only 3 minutes seem to exist -does know where I can find the full version?) I call some friends to come get me. It sure is a heartbreaking case and I hope hes found soon. Brandon and his dad and mom consented to flash their headlights in a try to find every other. Some of the best coverage Ive heard of this case lately is True Crime Garage podcast did three episodes on the case earlier this month. She ended up using the GPS on my phone to get directions and wrote the directions for herself so she could continue. [3], Brandon had mentioned passing fences and hearing nearby water, his father recalled. I knew a young woman on Facebook who was driving in the city where she lived when the battery on her GPS died. I start walking towards the street and town lights (not thinking about leaving the car doors open) . On July 1, 2009, a bill called Brandons Law passed in Minnesota. What I theorize happened is that he maybe got tired on the way home, pulled off to a side road, fell asleep for a moment or two and then woke up confused as to where he was other than in his car. As a whole, were living more and more urban lives where we just follow what the GPS tells us, but that only makes the need to understand direction more important in those circumstances when we are lost, particularly lost in a rural area. Secondly I am trying to find information on where it is stated the car doors where open and does open mean Open or just unlocked? Another theory suggests Brandon Swanson may have orchestrated his own disappearance. if you can grow grain you can grow pot and pot has a much better return on investment. Who knows-there are so many unknown variables and once again, a complicated case. -When he realized the parents can't find him, why he didn't look the street signs and tell them the street names? [3] He attended a couple of local gatherings that evening, first in Lynd, near his home in Marshall, then in Canby, roughly 35 miles from home. Search dogs picked up the scent of human remains a few times, specifically in an area north of Porter near Mud Creek, but no body has ever been found. Brandon Swanson, a 19-year-old from Marshall, Minnesota, went missing on May 14, 2008. Brandon Swanson is a 24-year-old man who has been missing since September 8th, 2016. We reached a fence line and werent sure which way to go. Before his disappearance, Brandon Swanson had no history of mental illness. That would put him in range of the cell tower (CR 3 and 10) and put him within hearing distance of water the pond. Hi. The True Crime Files is dedicated to all things #TrueCrime. In this part, we'll go over some of the theories that have been brought up over the years. Hi Jim. My theory also is that he fell into water and then continued on. I really want to apologize for this being extremely long and redundant, but I find this case incredibly interesting and I think some of those facts can contribute to an interesting discussion. Or he might have gotten to a town (Porter?) There have been several theories about what may have happened to Brandon. I've always had an eye on the farmer who doesn't want any searches done on his land, you've painted a very plausible scenario for why that is. Here is the exact quote: Interviewer: "did you try to call him after that? Maybe the dogs weren't able to pick up on his scent, as weird as that may sound, because of circumstances that only Brandon could tell us about. I had another friend with a similar problem. But he believed he was going towards Lynd. I grew up on a farm and I would feel sorry for any person who turned onto our farm roads trying to get somewhere else. [4], Dahl noted that from the area, a red light atop a Taunton grain elevator could be seen. If you add up information about the call, the search dog tracks, the path of travel, the lay of the land, and the time of day and season of the year, it all paints a pretty compelling picture - that Brandon passed out in a field and was run over by a farm vehicle, and his death was covered up afterwards. More than 14 years have passed, and searches by Emergency Support Services and the Yellow Medicine County Sheriffs Office continue when harvesting season allows. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. A lot of theories have been proposed as to what became of Brandon, such as that he . He was walking through wetland where the river also goes by which explains hearing the running water. Not a trace of Brandon has ever been found, and his car was found 25 miles from where he said he was, which is interesting since Brandon was familiar with the area. Theories Regarding Brandon's Disappearance #1: Brandon Swanson fell into a river and made it back out Since the river was examined and Brandon's body was never found, officials believe that he made it back out of the water and resumed walking. If course, a lot of teenagers smoke pot and this doesn't really prove anything, but it at least somewhat helps support the theory. I'm not familiar with search dogs. Of course (and I have done this myself ) if he was rummaging through the vehicle looking for stuff to use to get the car off the verge, he may have just left doors open, I have listened to hundreds of podcasts about missing persons cases,and this one gives me the chills for some reason or otherjust a sad story with no ending..hopefully they will find his remains one day. Trick is to remember Lawson called 911 aka the Law while people believe Swanson drowned in the river. Annette Swanson specifically recalled that one of the officers said it was Brandon's "right to be missing". We went his way and didnt get to the car for ninety minutes. Although he may have sought shelter in an abandoned building, most, if not all, of the abandoned buildings in the area were searched and neither his remains, nor his personal belongings were ever found. He left his home in Tacoma, Washington to go running and never returned. I think it's reasonable to assume that he either had had more alcohol than people were aware, and my next thought last night was, I wonder if there were drugs of some sort involved - either knowingly or unknowlingly. Brandon's Law, which was sponsored by former House Minority Leader Marty Seifert and Senator Dennis Frederickson, was signed into law by Minnesota's then-Governor, Tim Pawlenty, on May 7, 2009. He told them he was near Lynd, about 10 minutes from their home in Marshall. Unless he lost his glasses in the car sometime that evening and was attempting to drive without them (I discover all sorts of things weeks later in my own car!) The glasses being left behind truly is odd! Debbie is the owner of the blog True Crime Diva where she has been writing on unsolved murders and missing persons cases since 2010. Thanks for reading and for taking the time to comment. They could have left the doors open. [2], In 2010, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension took over as lead agency on the case. Despite this been the most logical answer at first glance, the pieces just don't seem to fit into place with ease no matter how you flip it since there were no remains found in the river or nearby. However, later that day cell phone records showed Brandon was near Porter, Minnesota, not Lynd, when he phoned his parents. He has not been seen or heard from since.[2]. "[9], Image of Swanson distributed in the wake of his disappearance, Last edited on 22 February 2023, at 02:09, Minnesota West Community and Technical College, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, List of people who disappeared mysteriously: post-1970, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, "Brandon Swanson search resumes in western Minnesota", "Teen drove into ditch, vanished as parents searched", "Five years after Brandon Swanson's disappearance, the porch light's still on", "The search for Brandon Swanson continues seven years later", "Gaining ground in the search for missing adults", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Disappearance_of_Brandon_Swanson&oldid=1140848120, This page was last edited on 22 February 2023, at 02:09. It's all walking distance. Police told them to wait a while because it wasnt unheard of for young males to go off the grid for a bit. I've been researching the disappearance of 19 year old Brandon Swanson for a while now and these are the top few theories I've encountered. Hi Sheena. Over the months following Brandons disappearance, volunteers, emergency personnel and law enforcement utilized walkers, boats, horseback, and all-terrain vehicles to search areas of Lincoln, Lyon and Yellow Medicine Counties and bodies of water including Yellow Medicine River. Email : [emailprotected]. We checked a compass, and I realized we needed to go left. Positive reviews really help others find our show. Does anyone know when he was reported missing and when the police got to the scene? In my opinion, that is the only reason I can see for a farmer to kill him, hide the body, and refuse to allow searches of his equipment. Prayers to his family. Before his disappearance, Brandon Swanson had no history of mental illness. Great point! We empower millions of people the world over to enhance their knowledge about celebrities people life style and net worth with our smart content. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. At that level of trouble you're easily in Umbrella territory and im sure not everyone has those levels of coverage protection. But, their calls had been by no means replied to. Even years later, there are still no answers regarding what happened to Brandon Swanson, though theories abound. I can't help but think that either A. Brandon had had more alcohol than people said or saw him consume, or B. since a pipe was found in his car he might have been smoking something at the party, because he drove in the wrong direction, left the Highway and then ran into a ditch on a gravel road, then later walked across the fields in the pitch dark and apparently without his glasses. However, the bloodhounds continued the trail on the other side of the river so it is unlikely he drowned there. The sheriffs' office obtains Brandon's cell phone records and it revealed that he had been calling from the vicinity of Taunton, 25 miles from Lynde. In the 80s, a friend and I came out of cave at night and became lost getting back to my car. Surely he could swim? It is possible that he got into some of what my dad used to call loon sh*t or as we would now call it a bog around the pond or even further along that path there is also another swamp area that he could have stumbled into I have hunted in that stuff before and you have to be very careful where you step because what appears to be solid ground can be water or floating grass and then next thing you know youre up to your neck in mud and water and cant get out. At 6:30 a.m., Brandons parents called police to report him missing. The general consensus seems to be that, following the fateful "Oh shit!" Brandon Swanson had some intellectual Breakdown. "She knew it wouldn't help in her son's case, but that it could help others in the future", Seifert recalled in 2015. Here hoping that one day they can get some answers. Distinguishing characteristics for Brandon include Caucasian male. However, in the morning he went disappeared, he forgot to take his glasses from his vehicle. His final words to his parents on the phone were a chilling, Oh st!. He wasn't injured in the crash. On May 14, 2008 Brandon Swanson, age 19, drove towards Marshall, Minnesota. Search teams also have to contend with the swirling southwest Minnesota winds, which have further complicated their efforts. Walking by the fence this will get me there faster. If someone did go looking through it while leaving the doors open, prints would help in that case. Later that same night, he and his buddies celebrated at domestic in Canby, in which in addition they had a send-off party for certainly one of their classmates. Brandon's mother explicitly states otherwise. However, if he had fallen into the river and had been walking all night, exposure and/or exhaustion were probably factors. Something just seems off about that. Not only was Brandon in contact with his brother, Kyle, moments before he disappeared, but they were also in the same area, possibly yards apart. At around 12:30 p.mHis Chevrolet Lumina turned into position in a ditch at the borders of Lincoln and Yellow medication. He attempted to call his friends for help but nobody answered. If nothing else, Ill enjoy the look of panic as the young person tries to figure out what to do with a map. Refusal to permit searches on private land should not be allowed legally. He told his father to head for the parking lot of a local bar and wait for him there. I reached into her car to pet the dog while she continued writing.). This could explain his disorientation. The Main Theories I've been researching the disappearance of 19 year old Brandon Swanson for a while now and these are the top few theories I've encountered. And get out from there. Its very likely he fell down an old well with an overgrown opening. The hunt puppies headed their handlers to the brink of Yellow remedy River, which made government suppose that Swanson in all likelihood slipped into the water. [3], At 6:30a.m., his parents reported Brandon missing to the Lynd police. But, no one received his calls. "I consider it one of the most important bills I authored in my 14 years. I know that there have been at least a few threads on Brandon, as well as a sub, but the sub isn't very active and there hasn't been a post on him for a couple of months. The theory that he fell into the water, and either made it back out or drowned, has also been criticized, as his phone seemed to be working after the call with his father was disconnected. 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