MN MN - Brandon Swanson, 19, Marshall, 14 May 2008

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You know he might have dropped his phone too - lost it in the water - and then continued on... So using the "he must be" xx number of miles due to a 47 minute phone call might be wrong too. Impossible to know right now.
 
I've been following this case for awhile.
This is so scary and hard to understand.

I hope he is found safe.
 
My prayers are with the family. What an absolutely horrible thing to have happen to a child. I hope people continue to volunteer to search for Brandon.
 
marshall said:
Wow- today was a long day or so it seemed. We continued the search yesterday and again today. When I left at around 4:30 today, we hadn't found anything. There were some people/searchers that were able to stay a little longer so if I hear anything on it I'll send a post out. We will continue the search...it's tiring but it's just something that people need to help with so we can bring Brandon back home to his family.

Not much to report for now and I'm wiped out from walking all day. Keep them in your prayers.
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Marshall, thank you for everything you are doing-including posting here. Your first hand knowledge is very helpful. Big hugs to you and all who have their hearts set on finding Brandon!!
 
marshall said:
You cannot even being to understand. It's not like he drove off onto a field approach, got stuck, called his dad and everyone should just be able to "find him". The gravel roads in the area are confusing..winding, twisting, t-intersections, etc. This happened out in the country in the dark. There are many heavily wooded areas near and around the area Brandon's car was found. There are several ponds, swamps and rivers near where Brandons car was found. There are many fence lines (barbed or otherwise) in the area, there are many sink holes in the area. I am one of the ground searchers in the search for Brandon so I know first hand what the terraine in like and trust me, it's aweful. Some of the wooded areas we searched were so dense we could hardly see our own hands in front of our faces. The river winds and twists...searching in and around the river is by far no in no way an easy task physically... ..if you have ever had to search for a needle in a haystack, then you will have some idea of how we feel when we're out searching. It's not easy to just find someone. The river has gone up 5 feet and back down again and up again and down again, etc. We're not dealing with a wide section of land around the car that is cleared out, no trees, etc. Texas Equusearch is now joining in to help us in the search (Bless their hearts!!). I believe they arrived here in Marshall today. I hope and pray we find Brandon this weekend.

Please keep his family and friends in your prayers. I never knew Brandon or his family before Brandon went missing but since the first time I volunteered (among many) to help in the search and interacting with his immediate and extended family, I soon learned how special of a man Brandon is ..and also how special his family is.
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Greetings Marshall:

From what you describe ... regarding the terrain ..... why does LE and other parties of the search believe that Brandon would go through the woods or apprach the river in the pitch of dark ?? If he was lost ... stay on the trail ... the raod you came in on ...as I understand it ... this was not unfamiliar territory for Brandon ..... as he had driven these roads many times. So would he head into a thick forest area with no trail ???

I am more afraid of the other scenarios that may have happened. The well theory is not realistic as those would have been identified by now. Sink holes are possible ..... but why would he go off the road ??? Cell phone battery going dead is a very REAL possibility and I say what Brandon said all the time when my phone goes off at the worst possible time.

My fear is that cell phone went dead ... Dad is on his way .... not sure where Brandon's car is ..... and a motorist or trucker saw Brandon walking on the road and offerred a ride.

Peace
 
For those following this case .... I listened to the heart breaking video telecast of the family ..... and they are in my prayers.

However ... a comment was made ... and I went back and read the conference press release and I do not understand this ... does anybody ??

Comment from father :

"When we said do you see us flashing our lights, his response was don't you see me flashing my lights?" Brian says.

Brandon told them he was walking along a gravel road, taking a shortcut through a field, walking along a fence line, before saying something about water. And that's when the phone call ended with curse word, then silence.

If Brandon was walking ??? And not on a road traveled by vehicles .... what flashing lights would either of them be referring too? I understand the short cut ... and the terrain looks nothing like I pictured after Marshall's post .... appears relatively safe ... except for the water .... but "flashing lights" ... what is Brandon talking about?

Peace
 
fran said:
:(

http://www.keloland.com/NewsDetail6162.cfm?Id=0,71434

07/03/2008
Sheriff: Brandon Swanson Is Probably Dead

The Lincoln County, Minnesota sheriff says that a missing Marshall man probably died accidentally in the Yellow Medicine River.

<<<<<<<<<more at link>>>>>>>>>
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Thank you Fran ... I did read this link ... interesting though ... Sheriff stated "probably" ... yet not signs of any kind that lead to the river .. no body .. no clothing articles ... nothing. Even the cell phone was working after reported missing ... taking calls and forwarding to voice mail after several rings with no answer. Is that possible if the cell phone was damaged by the water or if the battery was dead? Not sure.

Thanks.

Peace.
 
Peace261 said:
Thank you Fran ... I did read this link ... interesting though ... Sheriff stated "probably" ... yet not signs of any kind that lead to the river .. no body .. no clothing articles ... nothing. Even the cell phone was working after reported missing ... taking calls and forwarding to voice mail after several rings with no answer. Is that possible if the cell phone was damaged by the water or if the battery was dead? Not sure.

Thanks.

Peace.
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I would think if the cell phone was damaged by water into not working, it would go directly to voice mail like when it is 'off.' So I'm more thinking he fell into a sink hole or some such thing. I'll be really surprised if he turns up in the water.

Either way, it's a sad case. :(

JMHO
fran
 
Peace261 said:
For those following this case .... I listened to the heart breaking video telecast of the family ..... and they are in my prayers.

However ... a comment was made ... and I went back and read the conference press release and I do not understand this ... does anybody ??

Comment from father :

"When we said do you see us flashing our lights, his response was don't you see me flashing my lights?" Brian says.

Brandon told them he was walking along a gravel road, taking a shortcut through a field, walking along a fence line, before saying something about water. And that's when the phone call ended with curse word, then silence.

If Brandon was walking ??? And not on a road traveled by vehicles .... what flashing lights would either of them be referring too? I understand the short cut ... and the terrain looks nothing like I pictured after Marshall's post .... appears relatively safe ... except for the water .... but "flashing lights" ... what is Brandon talking about?

Peace
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Hi Peace--I have been following this and I went back to find the link--I think it was in the video in post #1 which is no longer avaiable for veiwing, because I did not find reference to it in the other available links.

But the dad originally said when Brandon called home about 1.30-200 am, he told them he was stuck in a dich. He was to wait in the car until they came (and this time Brandon thought/said he was located near a town just a couple of miles from their home). After the dad was talking to him for a while, Brandon suggested that he would meet them at a local bar/grill (can't remember the name) So brandon got out and walked toward the lights--in total stayed on the phone for 47 minutes with dad.

But Brandon's car actually went off the road somewhere else...so the blinking of lights should have happened in first 10-15 minutes if they were circa 2 miles apart.

Just heartbreaking.....:(
 
I think of Brandon and his parents because they did everything basically right. He called them. They went out to get him-all thinking it was just a couple of miles....staying on the phone talking, etc.

We do this with our kids, who all live thousands of miles in different directions. If they are a little scared going home late from work or school, or feel uncomfortable on a drive or waiting for transport, they call us..we call them back and just talk and talk until they feel comfortable.

I have no idea what I would do if I suddenly heard an..oh sh...and then phone rings or goes to voice mail. My stomach is in knots thinking about this happening to Brandon and his dad. It is terrifying to me.

Bless the family and all the searches who have put in so much energy and time. May Brandon come home to his family soon.
 
petra said:
Hi Peace--I have been following this and I went back to find the link--I think it was in the video in post #1 which is no longer avaiable for veiwing, because I did not find reference to it in the other available links.

But the dad originally said when Brandon called home about 1.30-200 am, he told them he was stuck in a dich. He was to wait in the car until they came (and this time Brandon thought/said he was located near a town just a couple of miles from their home). After the dad was talking to him for a while, Brandon suggested that he would meet them at a local bar/grill (can't remember the name) So brandon got out and walked toward the lights--in total stayed on the phone for 47 minutes with dad.

But Brandon's car actually went off the road somewhere else...so the blinking of lights should have happened in first 10-15 minutes if they were circa 2 miles apart.

Just heartbreaking.....:(
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Thank you Petra: I understand ... it was before he got impatient and decided to get to a place where father and son could connect. Yes very heartbreaking. Thank you for the clarification.

Peace.
 
petra said:
I think of Brandon and his parents because they did everything basically right. He called them. They went out to get him-all thinking it was just a couple of miles....staying on the phone talking, etc.

We do this with our kids, who all live thousands of miles in different directions. If they are a little scared going home late from work or school, or feel uncomfortable on a drive or waiting for transport, they call us..we call them back and just talk and talk until they feel comfortable.

I have no idea what I would do if I suddenly heard an..oh sh...and then phone rings or goes to voice mail. My stomach is in knots thinking about this happening to Brandon and his dad. It is terrifying to me.

Bless the family and all the searches who have put in so much energy and time. May Brandon come home to his family soon.
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Oh Petra, I totally understand! I am 33 years old and when I get scared about doing something on my own, I call my mom who talks with me or just hangs on and listens while I do whatever.

I feel so bad for this family. I cannot even imagine the grief and fear they must have.

I pray he is found safe.
 
Brandon thought he was outside of Lynd which was a short drive from where the family lived. Brandon thought he knew where he was in relation to the town. He felt like his father should be able to see Brandon's headlights when Brandon flashed them. The car was found North of Taunton, 30 or so miles from Lynd.
 
What exact road was his car found on? DId they ever bring in dogs?
 
It was a dirt or field road without a name. The car was found close to the Lyon/Lincoln County Road. Yes, they have brought in dog teams. Tracking and cadaver dogs were used. Dogs are still being used to search from what I understand.
 
Ok, thanks. I was trying to google earth it to see the terrian etc. Did the dogs hit on anything?

RememberTara said:
It was a dirt or field road without a name. The car was found close to the Lyon/Lincoln County Road. Yes, they have brought in dog teams. Tracking and cadaver dogs were used. Dogs are still being used to search from what I understand.
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This case just bothers me so much (all of them do), but for him to just disappear right in the middle of a conversation with his dad, that is just so sad. A dad's worse nightmare. :( I pray they find him soon and have some answers.
 
I've been following this case also, Tranaice. I check daily to see if there's any news. I unfortunately don't believe they'll find him alive.:(

I still think he fell into something unexpected, like an unnoticed well or something like that. I don't think he met with foul play as there wasn't an indication that he'd met up with anyone. Just the expletive and silence. Almost as if he tripped or something of that sort.

Too sad not to know.

JMHO
fran
 
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