19-year-old Jason Jolkowski went missing during a half-mile walk to the nearby high school on June 13, 2001. It was their way of turning their intense grief, pain and frustration into something useful for other families in the future. 37 Matt Mervis Chc. Kelsea Schneider is a senior at the College of St. Benedict/St. Giants lefty Sam Long, the second-fastest worker in the majors last season, had already delivered a couple pitches to start the at-bat. 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. 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. 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. 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. The spring semester had just come to an end and on the night of May 13th, 2008, Swanson attended two different parties to celebrate. Listen to this episode to hear what happened leading up to the accident, his phone calls with his parents and the investigation that ensued after. He was cold and wet and actually walking in the opposite direction of his home and where his parents were looking for him. The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers to this website may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Around 12:30 a.m. Brandons car went into the roadside ditch and he placed a call to his parents, Brian and Annette Swanson, asking them to pick him up. Armed with this new information, the search moves to the area where they finally find Brandons car in Porter, stuck in a ditch. Brandon was legally blind from his left eye and had left his glasses in the car the night he disappeared, so he could have missed something in his peripheral, causing him to shout that expletive and fall. Also, his phone was still taking calls. Photo courtesy of National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Thats a troublesome issue for those leading the search party. While remaining on the phone with their son, Brian Swanson and Annette Swanson headed out to locate him near Lynd, Minn., where Brandon Swanson believed he was stranded. Retrieved Nov. 18, 2010, from http://articles.cnn.com/2010-01-18/justice/grace.coldcase.swanson_1_searched-phone-father?_s=PM:CRIME. The call didnt end at that point, though. Did he fall into the river? Brandons phone went immediately dead as if he hit the hang up button. 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 Brandon Victor Swanson was born January 30th 1989 in Marshall Minnesota to mom Anette, and dad Brian. Brian drove Anita home, and promised to meet Brandon in the parking lot of a bar at the edge of town. Brian and Annette Swanson never forgot about the nonchalance from law enforcement they encountered when they first reported their son missing. At the time of his disappearance Brandon was 19 years old, 5'6" and 120 lbs. A hastily abandoned vehicle, a 911 call placed by a panic-stricken man, and a disappearance spanning 6.5 years. Once we hit one clue well have it solved. He wanted to blow off steam and eagerly went to a party in Canby on May 14, 2008. . Distinguishing characteristics for Brandon include Caucasian male. Up and down side roads and gravel paths, and even the bar in Lynd. Your email address will not be published. So we are really confident that hes somewhere in this watershed. On Wednesday, May 6, 2009, Gov. Lynd, where Brandon thought he was, is southwest of Marshall. On May 14, 2008, Brandon Swanson left for home at midnight shortly after the celebration had ended. Around 1 a.m., he headed home to Marshall, about 30 miles away on Highway 68. 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. The temperature at the time of his disappearance was 46 F, or 8 degrees Celsius, and dropped to 39 F, or 4 degrees Celsius. Cloud Times. More than Ive ever seen in any other search. They use GPS technology to track the dogs and handlers, which provides great detail of where theyve searched. Dont you see me? he asked his parents, exasperated. There are resources available to provide assistance to families with missing loved ones. I have also written about a bit of a trend which tries to make disappearances more mysterious than they are. Not knowing what else to do, Brian continued driving up and down the roads calling and looking for Brandon. He and his wife began calling Brandons friends, who also rushed to the area to search for him in the dark night. The drive from Canby to Marshall in total is about 35 minutes. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. A mental breakdown does not seem like a plausible cause of Brandons disappearance, although it cannot be ruled out entirely. 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. No keys were found in or around the scene and no obvious signs of foul play were present. We try and work out a method that would make it acceptable, and weve not been able to come up with a working compromise.. He has pierced ears and a small scar above his left eye. He was last seen in Marshall, MN, on May 14, 2008. Brandon Swanson was born on January 30, 1989, in Marshall, Minnesota, U.S., a son to Brain and Annette 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. Hasse says Brandon hasnt been seen since. Search dogs were brought in from the Twin Cities, and a team of bloodhounds from nearby Codington County, South Dakota were utilized. In many circumstances, this is third-hand information. . On the law enforcement investigation end of the case, Wallen said tips continue to come in. Hasse points to a map showing where Brandons car was found. CNN Justice, 1-3. His phone call pinged off of a tower near Taunton, another small town 25 miles away from Lynd along State Highway 68, the main road that connects Canby to Marshall. The Record. MARSHALL Ten years have gone by and Brandon Swanson is still missing. We only need one.". It's a complication they're still trying to solve today. "But I believe all our physical clues are probably located within a 15 foot radius, said Hasse. Last updated February 13, 2023. Rosenblum, G. (2009, July 2). So he did what I think most 19 year olds on their way home would do- he called his friends!! They got a hold of Brandons cellphone records, which revealed something intriguing. Search dogs picked up his scent on a trail near the river, which they followed to the water and which lead them to the other side of the river (lending credence to the idea that he had, at some point, fallen in), after which they continued north along the riverbank, towards the Yellow Medicine County line, where the trail suddenly ended. On April 15, 2005, Centre County, Pennsylvania, District Attorney Ray Gricar went out for a drive and was never seen again. Cruel? 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. "They know their property, and they search it and look around as well," he said. 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. ", "Its a straight shot down Highway 68, said Search Manager Jeff Hasse with Midwest Technical Rescue Training. Eventually, the dogs pointed them to farm fields north of Porter. Searchers work an area just west of Taunton along Highway 68 and to the north, June 21-22, 2008. He told his parents he would walk the rest of the way and meet them in the parking lot of a Lynd tavern. Brandon's Law requires police to make a report whenever a person, of any age, is reported missing, and an investigation must start immediately. VOICE OF ANNETTE SWANSON, MOTHER OF BRANDON SWANSON: Well, just very briefly, Brandon`s Law is Minnesota missing . They continued to search for him on their own throughout the morning. 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. Credit: Google Maps Police said it wasn't uncommon for young men to drop off the grid and to wait a while, in case he turned up. Shortly after midnight on May 14 Brandon left Lynd to head back to his parents home in Marshall, where he lived. No problem, his dad said, I know exactly where what youre describing is. (2010, January 18). Though Brandon was barely 19 years old, the police response did not match the alarm his family and friends felt. 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. Numerous examinations were done, and his folks revealed a Brandon missing case to the Lynd Police. They called out to him and heard nothing. Brandon Swanson, 5' 6", 120 pounds. You can find out more information here. "We believe that he got disoriented, said Hasse. At this occasion, Brandons friends report that the alcohol was flowing a little bit more, and that they remember Brandon having one or maybe two drinks. Firstly, Brandon was legally blind in one eye. 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. And where did he go?? The focus of the search moved to this area after bloodhounds led searchers there in March 2010. Im so sussed out that mans was so close to Porter after traveling for like 2 hours very intriguing. 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. While on his way, he accidentally drove his car off of the road and got it stuck in a ditch. Its heavily debated in the armchair detective web groups, but the police have not given an official stance as far as I found. He loved his car, he loved to drive, said Annette Swanson. Brian and Annette waited for their son to tell them what was wrong, but he never did. Weed, A. Her work is primarily featured on The Vault. Sheriff running out of answers in disappearance of Marshall teen. Brandon told them he was somewhere on the road between Lynd and Marshall. In May of 2008 Brandon Swanson went missing after driving his car off the road into a ditch. The Jacob Wetterling case came to a sad conclusion this past November with the sentencing of his killer 27 years after Jacob was abducted. Right on the border between Lincoln, Yellow Medicine and Lyon counties, said Hasse. They later reported that Brandon seemed certain of his whereabouts and did not seem too disoriented (Divine, 2010; Weed, 2010). It's a puzzling case for many reasons. The vehicle they were driving was found in "The Desert," shown here on this map. 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. Pictured above: Map pinpointing the geography of Brandon Swanson's disappearance timeline Picture source: Killer Hangover Podcast He tells his parents that he does not see or hear anything at all. As of 2021, Brandon Swanson is still a missing person. 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