TX TX - Brandon Lawson, 26, San Angelo, 8 Aug 2013 - #5

[LastHistorian]

The truck location. I'm getting conflicts on the exact location of the truck through various places. I know that a cross has been placed on the side of the road by the family, exactly where the truck parked. Can anyone verify where this cross is so we know the exact location of where the truck ran out of gas? Google Map Street view of this area is from March 2013, before this even happened, so you won't find anything there about it. That would be helpful.

I'll be in San Angelo tomorrow for work. If I have time, I was going to drive out there, just to see the location, though I know this part of Texas well, and know already there's really there nothing to see. Might leave something at the roadside marker though. If I go, I'll get GPS from the cross location.

 

[Choochoobella]

One of my favorite podcasts, Generation Why, just did an episode on Brandon Lawson. Jason Watts, a friend of Brandon's, discusses the case.

Brandon Lawson Revisited - 319 The Generation Why podcast

Generation Why did an earlier episode on Brandon (released in August 2016) which can be found here:

Brandon Lawson - 193 from The Generation Why Podcast

 

[JenniferTx]

I'll be in San Angelo tomorrow for work. If I have time, I was going to drive out there, just to see the location, though I know this part of Texas well, and know already there's really there nothing to see. Might leave something at the roadside marker though. If I go, I'll get GPS from the cross location.

That is very nice of you. Safe travels.

 

[PeterJames]

Guys I knew Brandon that is him

Hey Jason, yeah its him talking in the part that you can hear clearly = "..we're not talking to em..." or something along those lines but there is a recording that I posted in which I slowed down the audio just before Brandon speaks. I thought I heard a voice come through - like a whisper - and I just wanted to know if anyone could hear the whisper part and Jennifer did so that was interesting to me (that she heard the whisper voice I mean). I didn't mean that it is not Brandon making the 911 call.

 

[sprybug]

I'll be in San Angelo tomorrow for work. If I have time, I was going to drive out there, just to see the location, though I know this part of Texas well, and know already there's really there nothing to see. Might leave something at the roadside marker though. If I go, I'll get GPS from the cross location.

Terrific, thank you so much for willing to do that. I know it's not like it's just 5 minutes down the road or anything. I grew up in a pretty rural area and the next big town over was about a 30 minute drive so I get the idea of how much of the way it is. I know it's about that (actually a little longer) to get to that point from San Angelo. I've seen a few pictures of the cross but they're always pretty close and I can't tell exactly where it is when I go and compare with street view on Google Maps. The GPS location on the poster always kind of threw me off, because the position is not even on the road. And then people will use that to say, here's where he was when he made the 911 call, and then I see other posts that show a map, that show the truck further up the road, so I have no idea personally, where his truck was actually at. I know he wasn't too far from his truck during the 911 call, and I know that on his last ping, he was much further north, closer to the Colorado River, so he traveled quite a distance from the time he called 911 to the last text message that received, which was a span of almost 30 minutes.

I also listened to that podcast that was posted and I'm pretty sure I heard that one already posted to youtube. Perhaps it just took a little while to get it posted up on that podcast site. Glad I listened to it (again) though because it covered some points that I had questions about in my prior message, although not exactly answering them, but at least a few things were addressed. The thing I found most peculiar though is that Trucker 911 call. Watts said he knew it existed, but couldn't go into details about it for some reason. That I find very strange. My question on that is, why can't it be discussed? And if it exists, could we use a FOIA to get it? Also, I'm curious if the family ever did attempt to get the voicemails from Brandon's phone that night? They're not recorded on the phone, they are actually recorded and saved on some server. Do they still exist?

 

[nannymo]

Google Maps

This is about where the cross is located. You can't tell but it is at the bottom of a hill. If BL ran out of gas at the top he would have coasted to the bottom of the hill.

 

[kai]

Holy Smokes! Someone please screenshot all that in case it goes POOF. I know we can't bring it here but just in case there is a bit o' truth to it, it would be good to have saved... Imo

 

[sprybug]

Google Maps

This is about where the cross is located. You can't tell but it is at the bottom of a hill. If BL ran out of gas at the top he would have coasted to the bottom of the hill.

Thanks for that, and I will be looking out for Last Historians post on it too to confirm, since he's going to be there. Yeah, your position is pretty much almost right in the middle of all the other positions I have seen. I've seen it as far north where there are those two driveways on the left side that are pretty close to each other and as far south as between where that tarped pond is and the picnic area (that's no longer there).
And I just checked out the subreddit and holy hell. If any of that is true from CrazyGirl76, then this just added a whole new layer to this whole thing and now I FOR SURE want to hear that trucker 911 call to see if her story checks out. Apparently she made one too! I want to hear it! Now I know Watts has been taking a peak at this thread, and in the podcast said he couldn't talk about that Trucker 911 call on the podcast. Watts, have you been checking out what's being said on that subreddit and does it sound at all plausible to what she is saying? If we really want to find Brandon, we need as much info and honesty as possible.

 

[LastHistorian]

The truck location. I'm getting conflicts on the exact location of the truck through various places. I know that a cross has been placed on the side of the road by the family, exactly where the truck parked. Can anyone verify where this cross is so we know the exact location of where the truck ran out of gas? Google Map Street view of this area is from March 2013, before this even happened, so you won't find anything there about it. That would be helpful.

I parked across the highway, just a few yards past the cross on the southbound side of 277, and took a picture of Brandons Memorial. I also should point out that I'm not certain that this location is exactly where Brandon ran out of gas, only that this is where I found the cross today. Its not far from the rest area but it's on the other side of the road. I know it's not a great picture, I was limited on time pretty bad today. Also, traffic was kind of an issue...18 wheelers doing 75 mph. Not heavy but regular, so I didn't get out. I did a pin drop at that location but lost it and the screenshot I took of the pindrop (in case I lost it) doesn't have the GPS coordinates in the capture. I was able to extract the GPS coordinates from the picture I took though. 31.831522 -100.291938. Hope this helps!

I did get a pin drop at the rest area. Desolate country out there, like a lot of west Texas, though even that has its own charm. Hard to imagine running in the night across some of that ground. Tons of pear cactus...some areas were completely full of it...very rocky and uneven. Oddly enough, there is a another cross a few miles back towards San Angelo. This one looked like a 2 or 3 inch white PVC cross attached to a fence line, with a cut metal sign next to it with the name "James" on it. Had to check twice on that because I had a little trouble finding Brandons memorial and thught that might be it. Which, btw, is in very good condition, from what I could see. Has a hard hat hanging on it, and it looks like its well attended. But it's a lonely location.

Also drove into Bronte, which was underwhelming. I'll try and upload the pic, in case someone wants to verify the Exif.

 

[sprybug]

I parked across the highway, just a few yards past the cross on the southbound side of 277, and took a picture of Brandons Memorial. I also should point out that I'm not certain that this location is exactly where Brandon ran out of gas, only that this is where I found the cross today. Its not far from the rest area but it's on the other side of the road. I know it's not a great picture, I was limited on time pretty bad today. Also, traffic was kind of an issue...18 wheelers doing 75 mph. Not heavy but regular, so I didn't get out. I did a pin drop at that location but lost it and the screenshot I took of the pindrop (in case I lost it) doesn't have the GPS coordinates in the capture. I was able to extract the GPS coordinates from the picture I took though. 31.831522 -100.291938. Hope this helps!

I did get a pin drop at the rest area. Desolate country out there, like a lot of west Texas, though even that has its own charm. Hard to imagine running in the night across some of that ground. Tons of pear cactus...some areas were completely full of it...very rocky and uneven. Oddly enough, there is a another cross a few miles back towards San Angelo. This one looked like a 2 or 3 inch white PVC cross attached to a fence line, with a cut metal sign next to it with the name "James" on it. Had to check twice on that because I had a little trouble finding Brandons memorial and thught that might be it. Which, btw, is in very good condition, from what I could see. Has a hard hat hanging on it, and it looks like its well attended. But it's a lonely location.

Also drove into Bronte, which was underwhelming. I'll try and upload the pic, in case someone wants to verify the Exif.

Thank you so much for going out and doing that. Very much appreciated it. We should probably pin your post somehow, if that's something that can be done here, for future reference, in case someone needs to know where the truck was exactly located, if they are doing their own sleuthing. It's almost exactly at the same location the last person that posted the location said it was. This verifies it. That James cross was probably someone who died in a car accident at that location. I see crosses that mark those kind of events on the side of the road quite often.

 

[sesamestreet]

The way you describe it is the way I remember, LastHistorian. He would have had to have a compelling reason to get out of the car with:
1. Private property - you do NOT go onto property that isn't yours, at night. Great way to get shot.
2. Rattlesnakes. In the summer, they are rampant. They don't like being messed with.
3. Wild boar - you do not want to cross paths with these creatures.

on the night in question, all 3 were clear and present danger, and Brandon would have known this. Running out of gas is not a good reason on its own to take on the above 3 at the same time. Nope. He got out of the car for a reason that outweighed the 3 I listed above. Plus it was dark - really dark. And hot. It was August in Tx so it was probably 90 degrees at night. It's dry. It doesn't rain in WTX in the summer. That was a dry, hot summer.

This is a very remote spot. I passed through there when I was a kid, a lot. Nothing there then, nothing there now.

 

[LastHistorian]

Thank you so much for going out and doing that. Very much appreciated it. We should probably pin your post somehow, if that's something that can be done here, for future reference, in case someone needs to know where the truck was exactly located, if they are doing their own sleuthing. It's almost exactly at the same location the last person that posted the location said it was. This verifies it. That James cross was probably someone who died in a car accident at that location. I see crosses that mark those kind of events on the side of the road quite often.

It was no problem. i wanted to get a feel for the location myself and pay my respects. As for the second cross, I agree. I see them all the time too. It just surprised me when I saw it and it was a different person, yet so close to where's Brandons was. Couldn't have been more than a mile or so away.

 

[sprybug]

It was no problem. i wanted to get a feel for the location myself and pay my respects. As for the second cross, I agree. I see them all the time too. It just surprised me when I saw it and it was a different person, yet so close to where's Brandons was. Couldn't have been more than a mile or so away.

This is a good starting point. Now that we can pinpoint this location the map, is it possible to get the ping locations of the phone so we can pin it up on the map as well and start charting out his locations from 12:30 to 1:19?

 

[nannymo]

The way you describe it is the way I remember, LastHistorian. He would have had to have a compelling reason to get out of the car with:
1. Private property - you do NOT go onto property that isn't yours, at night. Great way to get shot.
2. Rattlesnakes. In the summer, they are rampant. They don't like being messed with.
3. Wild boar - you do not want to cross paths with these creatures.

on the night in question, all 3 were clear and present danger, and Brandon would have known this. Running out of gas is not a good reason on its own to take on the above 3 at the same time. Nope. He got out of the car for a reason that outweighed the 3 I listed above. Plus it was dark - really dark. And hot. It was August in Tx so it was probably 90 degrees at night. It's dry. It doesn't rain in WTX in the summer. That was a dry, hot summer.

This is a very remote spot. I passed through there when I was a kid, a lot. Nothing there then, nothing there now.

BBM
I agree this area is remote, but it is not without people and homes. I drive this highway all the time. He was within a couple of miles of a town with several hundred people and a 24 hour convenience store. There are probably 3-4 homes from here to the bridge over the Colorado River....which is almost dry. West Texans are usually very helpful. Brandon could have walked into town if he were able. He could have gone up to a house and hollered for help. It's not a deserted desert with absolutely nothing there. It is a busy little community.

I just think someone got to him before he could get any help.....JMO

 

[sprybug]

BBM
I agree this area is remote, but it is not without people and homes. I drive this highway all the time. He was within a couple of miles of a town with several hundred people and a 24 hour convenience store. There are probably 3-4 homes from here to the bridge over the Colorado River....which is almost dry. West Texans are usually very helpful. Brandon could have walked into town if he were able. He could have gone up to a house and hollered for help. It's not a deserted desert with absolutely nothing there. It is a busy little community.

I just think someone got to him before he could get any help.....JMO

I've looked at the whole area on Google Maps, and there are a few homes, especially one directly left (west) where the truck was stopped. One of the questions I had in my initial post was, were these people questioned, were they home at the time, did they hear or see anything unusual that night?

 

[LastHistorian]

BBM
I agree this area is remote, but it is not without people and homes. I drive this highway all the time. He was within a couple of miles of a town with several hundred people and a 24 hour convenience store. There are probably 3-4 homes from here to the bridge over the Colorado River....which is almost dry. West Texans are usually very helpful. Brandon could have walked into town if he were able. He could have gone up to a house and hollered for help. It's not a deserted desert with absolutely nothing there. It is a busy little community.

I just think someone got to him before he could get any help.....JMO

Just wanted to clarify my description of this area being "desolate country " and point out that nannymo is correct. This is not an uninhabited desert by any stretch, and I didn't mean to imply that in my description. There are ranches and homes at relatively frequent intervals along 277 between Bronte and San Angelo. By desolate, I meant more the nature of the terrain, which is rocky, covered in scrub brush , low mesquite, and cactus. Also, I didn't mean toi insult the town of Bronte, which, while small, is still probably three times bigger than the town I'm from, and seemed like a nice enough place. Just a typical small Texas town, nothing remarkable about it

 

[JenniferTx]

I parked across the highway, just a few yards past the cross on the southbound side of 277, and took a picture of Brandons Memorial. I also should point out that I'm not certain that this location is exactly where Brandon ran out of gas, only that this is where I found the cross today. Its not far from the rest area but it's on the other side of the road. I know it's not a great picture, I was limited on time pretty bad today. Also, traffic was kind of an issue...18 wheelers doing 75 mph. Not heavy but regular, so I didn't get out. I did a pin drop at that location but lost it and the screenshot I took of the pindrop (in case I lost it) doesn't have the GPS coordinates in the capture. I was able to extract the GPS coordinates from the picture I took though. 31.831522 -100.291938. Hope this helps!

I did get a pin drop at the rest area. Desolate country out there, like a lot of west Texas, though even that has its own charm. Hard to imagine running in the night across some of that ground. Tons of pear cactus...some areas were completely full of it...very rocky and uneven. Oddly enough, there is a another cross a few miles back towards San Angelo. This one looked like a 2 or 3 inch white PVC cross attached to a fence line, with a cut metal sign next to it with the name "James" on it. Had to check twice on that because I had a little trouble finding Brandons memorial and thught that might be it. Which, btw, is in very good condition, from what I could see. Has a hard hat hanging on it, and it looks like its well attended. But it's a lonely location.

Also drove into Bronte, which was underwhelming. I'll try and upload the pic, in case someone wants to verify the Exif.

I must say that the area where the cross is has blown my mind. For some reason I never knew that the trees and brush were so thick. You know how you sometimes picture certain things in your mind and then when you see what they really are like it kinda shocks you? That is how I feel now. For some reason I was thinking that when Brandon was on the phone with 911 he was actually running pretty fast but looking at how brushy that area is there is no way anyone could run quickly in that. Thanks so much for posting that pic because it has certainly educated me on the terrain in west Texas. I'm from around the Houston area and we don't really have any cactus of thick brush like that. Poor Brandon must have been in a complete nightmare trying to move around and get away from someone in that mess.

 

[LastHistorian]

I must say that the area where the cross is has blown my mind. For some reason I never knew that the trees and brush were so thick. You know how you sometimes picture certain things in your mind and then when you see what they really are like it kinda shocks you? That is how I feel now. For some reason I was thinking that when Brandon was on the phone with 911 he was actually running pretty fast but looking at how brushy that area is there is no way anyone could run quickly in that. Thanks so much for posting that pic because it has certainly educated me on the terrain in west Texas. I'm from around the Houston area and we don't really have any cactus of thick brush like that. Poor Brandon must have been in a complete nightmare trying to move around and get away from someone in that mess.

I'm glad you got something out of it. It does lend credence to the idea that he was fleeing someone or something seriously threatening. There's no way he would left that roadway unless he had to...he knew full well about the snakes and hogs out there in that terrain, he worked in out that environment every day.

 

[sesamestreet]

Just wanted to clarify my description of this area being "desolate country " and point out that nannymo is correct. This is not an uninhabited desert by any stretch, and I didn't mean to imply that in my description. There are ranches and homes at relatively frequent intervals along 277 between Bronte and San Angelo. By desolate, I meant more the nature of the terrain, which is rocky, covered in scrub brush , low mesquite, and cactus. Also, I didn't mean toi insult the town of Bronte, which, while small, is still probably three times bigger than the town I'm from, and seemed like a nice enough place. Just a typical small Texas town, nothing remarkable about it

All true - but still dangerous. And still too dangerous, in my opinion, to leave a vehicle without a compelling reason - especially when you consider that he thinks gas is on the way.

 

[SharonNeedles]

Just so everyone knows this person is a troll they are however a very well thought out and planned troll but nevertheless they are still a troll I have been monitoring the subreddits and I have been looking at this person's responses and answers to questions and based on those responses and answers I have been able to determine that this person is 100% a troll

Hey Jason, welcome to WebSlueths! While this isn’t the place to discuss what we find on other platforms I think it’s allowable for me to say this isn’t the first time I’ve read your writings and will certainly concede that you’re quite familiar with this case. In keeping with WS TOS I don’t want to address rumors. That said...

Do you think it’s possible at all that BL wasn’t alone at the point where his truck ran out of gas? There has always been speculation that perhaps a second person’s voice can be heard on the 911 call. If a second person was indeed with BL, are we talking about someone who was already with him when he ran out of gas or someone he encountered just prior to the 911 call?