Brandon Swanson was a normal, nineteen-year-old man living during what should have been the best years of his life. However, something tragic happened to him, but thatâs not what is debated about his disappearance. The major question that lingers on everyoneâs mind who hears his story is how. How did a young man disappear into the night while on the phone with parents within miles of his childhood hometown? How did this happen right here in Minnesota and not everyone knows about it? Too many questions and not enough answers have been given.
February 3rd is National Missing Persons Day to commemorate those who have left the lives of their loved ones without any inkling to where they may have gone. Brandon Swanson is one of these cases.Â
During the night hours of May 13th in 2008, Brandon was having a few drinks with his friends to celebrate the finalization of the semester at Minnesota West Community and Technical College ( like many college students do). Every person at the party was confident in Brandonâs state of mind and saw no issue with Brandondriving himself home around 11:00 PM. He wasnât drunk, high, or inebriated.Â
Even with these great odds, Brandon still ended up having to call his parents around 1:45 AM for a ride home. He originally got stuck around 1:15 AM and spent the first thirty minutes trying to call friends, before relying on his parents for help when none of his friends answered. He claimed to his parents, over the phone, that he was okay and so was his car. What had happened was he had tried to make a U-turn on a gravel road and the road was too narrow, causing part of his car to go into the ditch and become stuck. He stated that all he needed was a push out of the ditch and then he would be fine. His parents told him they were on their way and even stayed on the phone with Brandon the entire drive to him.Â
Brandon had told his parents over the phone that he was between Marshall, Minnesota (MN) and Lynd, MN. Marshall, MN was Brandonâs hometown, meaning he should know where he is located along the route homeâa route he most likely took every single day.Â
This didnât seem to be the case when his parents showed up at the exact location Brandon had mentioned, and he was nowhere to be seen. They spent time trying to find each other: walking up and down the road, blinking Brandonâs hazards, brights, etc. None of it was effective.Â
They tried and tried but were still unsuccessful. Finally, Brandon became frustrated with waiting and talking back and forth. So, he told them he saw town lights ahead that must be for Lynd, MN, and then told them that he would walk the 10-15 minute walk and meet them at Lynd Tavern which is at the edge of town.Â
Brandonâs father still insisted that they stay on the phone while Brandon walked. Brandon would update them periodically on where he was and what he was seeing. He told them he was cutting through farm fields as a shortcut, how he heard water, and that he hopped multiple fences. As his father is listening to his son walk through the dark night, he hears Brandon say, âOh s***â before going silent.Â
The call didnât hang up; there was no static or no rustling noise. It was dead silent. While his parentssat in silence, they yelled his name over and over again, hoping he would answer. They tried calling him over and over again, hoping he would hear the call or see the light. But he never answered and would never be seen again.Â
Even through the efforts of friends and family who organized search parties, there was little to no help from the police department. They believed that, as an adult, Brandon had the ârightâ to go missing. Because of this, no search party was sent out until cell phone records showed that Brandon was actually near Porter, MNânot Lynd. This shocked his parents and friends because there should have been absolutely no reason as to why Brandon was outside of Porter and not Lynd. This shock and concern is what led to them creating search teams to canvas the area. Around 12:30 PM, on May 14th, they found Brandonâs car abandoned and in a ditch. There was no obvious damage to the car or blood indicating a terrible accident happened, which lined up with Brandonâs story that everything was okay.Â
One major aspect of the vehicle that stunned Brandonâs friends and family was the fact that his glasses were still in the vehicle. This was seen as weird because Brandon was legally blind in one eye. He didnât go anywhere without them. They also were never able to find his cell phone or any other evidence. Even with the work of police dogs, helicopters, police task forces, and volunteer search groups, the only evidence they ever found was Brandonâs scent through multiple fields, then through a creak (which he mentioned on the phone call), and ending at a farming combine on a farm nearby. The farming combine was never taken for evidence and tested for Brandonâs blood, so we may never know what happened with the equipment or how it was involved.Â
The scent also showed he trekked through the river before coming out the other side. Even though it was May, temperatures dropped to 39 degrees, which means he could have also succumbed to hypothermia.Â
There has never been any foul play found, body parts, or any other type of evidence. Brandonâs last words that he will have ever spoken to his parents will be âoh s*hit,â and they will have to forever live with the question: where is Brandon Swanson?
The aftermath
Due to the negligence the police originally showed in Brandon’s case, Brandonâs parents were able to get a law passed in Minnesota requiring police to file a missing Person report no matter the age of the person and expedite it if the circumstances are seen as dangerous. It now no longer matters how old the person is or if they have the ârightâ to go missing; every Missing Person report will be taken seriously from the beginning. This initial response could have saved Brandonâs life.
If anyone has any information about Brandon Swansonâs disappearance, please contact the proper authorities, such as the MN State Patrol, so perhaps one day, questions will be answered. This information was found on the podcast Morbid: Where is Brandon Swanson? hosted by two sisters, Alaine Urquhart and Ashleigh Kelley.