05/13/08: Brandon Swanson, 19, Taunton, MN

BRANDON IS STILL MISSING
Brandon Swanson, 19, from Marshall, Minnesota has been missing since 5/13/08 when he called his father around 2 am because his car was stuck in a ditch and he needed help. He talked to his father for 47 minutes as he walked on gravel roads thinking he was south of Marshall when in reality he was Northwest of Marshall. Brandon's family, friends, and many volunteers have not given up searching for him. Brandon was wearing jeans a dress shirt with a black hooded sweatshirt over it. Anyone who may have seen Brandon Swanson or has information should call the Lincoln County Sheriff at 507-694-1664, the Lyon County Sheriff at 507-537-7666 or 911.

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Details
Brandon had been in Canby, MN visiting a friend. On his way home to Marshall, MN, his vehicle became stuck on a washed out field approach from heavy rains. He called his parents from his cell phone for help at 12:30am. When his parents were unable to find him he indicated he was going to walk to town of Lynd where he could see lights. While on the phone with his father and walking for approximately 45 minutes, the call ended abruptly at 3:10 a.m. When his parents couldn't find him, the called the police at 6:30 a.m. The following day--using cell phone records--Brandon's vehicle was located 1-1/2 miles north on Lyon Lincoln Rd., off Hwy 68 west of Taunton (nowhere close to Lynd). According to information received second-hand and third-hand sources, Swanson was drinking on the night he disappeared, which could explain why he was confused about his location.


The Search for Brandon
Since Brandon’s disappearance, the Swanson family, friends and volunteers have repeatedly searched the area where Brandon had been walking in the early morning of May 14 and have searched the nearby Yellow Medicine River by foot and in boats.

The family continued to fund and organize the search on their own after the Lyon County Sherriff's department had officially called off the search. The Sherriff's Department had conducted ground searches, walks, and searches by ATVs, horseback, airplane and helicopter, but did not find anything.

New search organizer
The Marshall Independent reported on March 20, 2009 that Jeff Hasse of Search Rescue and Recovery Resources of Minnesota is the new search organizer for the Swanson family. Hasse reported the following facts about the search efforts so far:

• The searches for Swanson this past summer did not turn up physical evidence and early in the search, they didn't go far enough in distance, Hasse said. Search results show that 5.6 miles is a common distance of location in 95 percent of searches, Hasse said."That's about 100 square miles. We maybe have searched 60 of those 100 square miles," Hasse said.
• It sounds that search effort has switched to looking for remains. "'Here we have something unique in this search,' Hasse said. 'Early on in the search, the body would have been in maximum decomposition and would have been giving off a huge amount of scent. We have a wide open space with driving, constant wind.' Data shows that in those conditions, search dogs can detect a scent from six to eight miles away, Hasse said. Search organizers looked at one possible scenario this summer, Hasse said. 'The trail led to the Yellow Medicine River and we believe that is accurate. It's assumed he went into the water but there is the possibility he came out of the water,' Hasse said."
• At this point, no physical clues or investigative clues have been found in the search.
• We have 134 canine clues that point toward the northwest, toward Porter.

An update on the search for Brandon can be found at:
http://www.thesearchforbrandon.blogspot.com/.

Brandon's Law
On March 12, 2009, Brian and Annette Swanson spoke before the House to help expand the Minnesota's Missing Children's Act so it can help missing and endangered adults. The bill would be named Brandon's Law and would eliminate waiting periods when adults disappear under suspicious circumstances, or when young adults up to age 21 are reported missing under most circumstances. On Wednesday, May 6, Gov. Tim Pawlenty signed the bill into law.

Facts of Interest in This Case
Name/age: Brandon Swanson, 19
Physical Description: 5’5,’’120-130 pounds, brown hair, blue eyes
Last Seen Wearing: Baggy Blue Jeans, Blue Striped Polo Shirt, Black Hooded Zip Front Sweatshirt w/Emblem on Back, White MN Twins Baseball Cap, Glasses, Sterling Silver Chain carrying a Black Motorola SLVR Cell Phone, Wallet/Identification, Keys
Last Seen: 05/13/08 in Canby, MN. His car was found near Taunton, MN.