MN MN - Bryce Borca, 23, college student, seen at 2AM, search focused near Minnesota River, Eagan, 30 Oct 2022

[Audrina]

Have this poor boy's parents still not said anything?

 

[D@NK0NE]

Thanks D@NKONE for sharing your insight and personal knowledge.

In reviewing maps of Letendre Street, it would seem that Bryce traveled west toward Hwy 13. There are a few houses between Hill Ridge Drive (where the Lyft dropped he and his friends off) and Hwy 13 that could have captured him on surveillance video.

I'm curious for those local, if you think Bryce traveled south along Hwy 13 until Yankee Doodle or if he may have cut through one of the businesses there and intersected Terminal Drive and then headed south to the location of his last phone ping? As an observer, I would think the "cutting" through route may have been more confusing and disorienting to where he was. I would think (imo) if he traveled right along Hwy 13, he may have recognized the Yankee Tavern when he hit Yankee Doodle. Just trying to get a better sense if he felt "lost" even prior to facetiming his friends.

Based on initial reports, Bryce was spotted on Coachman and Yankee Doodle (YD). This is what is confusing to me. The reports made it sound like he was heading home and then took a right turn, instead of a left turn to home on YD from Coachman. When I drove Letendre the other day, I specifically looked for doorbell cameras. I only spotted a couple on the houses you mentioned GMS, west of Donald Ave on Letendre, towards 13. I'm not sure where his tie was found, or the Nike shoe they haven't ruled out as being his or not. I also remember reading him being spotted walking towards 13 on YD from Coachman as well, but now I have to double back and check the articles.

Essendant has a huge number of cameras on all corners of their building. I counted three on one corner from Google street view. I wonder if that could have been where he was spotted as well, walking towards the river area. That could be why LE & SAR are sticking to those holding ponds behind that area. Dogs picked up a scent there, from what other people mentioned pages ago in this thread.

Does anyone know how the ping works with the phone? I was talking with a co-worker who mentioned the last ping isn't always exactly where the person was, just a general area. Can anyone confirm this?

 

[lassy]

Unfortunately, no. I came up with so many questions after we parted ways. I'm kicking myself

Maybe you will run into him again

 

[lassy]

Thanks D@NKONE for sharing your insight and personal knowledge.

In reviewing maps of Letendre Street, it would seem that Bryce traveled west toward Hwy 13. There are a few houses between Hill Ridge Drive (where the Lyft dropped he and his friends off) and Hwy 13 that could have captured him on surveillance video.

I'm curious for those local, if you think Bryce traveled south along Hwy 13 until Yankee Doodle or if he may have cut through one of the businesses there and intersected Terminal Drive and then headed south to the location of his last phone ping? As an observer, I would think the "cutting" through route may have been more confusing and disorienting to where he was. I would think (imo) if he traveled right along Hwy 13, he may have recognized the Yankee Tavern when he hit Yankee Doodle. Just trying to get a better sense if he felt "lost" even prior to facetiming his friends.

I have wondered where he crossed 13 also. Or if he was looking for street signs. Or if he was too intoxicated. No matter where he crossed 13, one would think he might know that wasn’t Yankee Doodle or the streets he normally walked home to his apt. I have heard he walked home dozens of times from that house. So not sure how he got so turned around and over in those woods/fields. He would know that was not the right way.

 

[lassy]

Based on initial reports, Bryce was spotted on Coachman and Yankee Doodle (YD). This is what is confusing to me. The reports made it sound like he was heading home and then took a right turn, instead of a left turn to home on YD from Coachman. When I drove Letendre the other day, I specifically looked for doorbell cameras. I only spotted a couple on the houses you mentioned GMS, west of Donald Ave on Letendre, towards 13. I'm not sure where his tie was found, or the Nike shoe they haven't ruled out as being his or not. I also remember reading him being spotted walking towards 13 on YD from Coachman as well, but now I have to double back and check the articles.

Essendant has a huge number of cameras on all corners of their building. I counted three on one corner from Google street view. I wonder if that could have been where he was spotted as well, walking towards the river area. That could be why LE & SAR are sticking to those holding ponds behind that area. Dogs picked up a scent there, from what other people mentioned pages ago in this thread.

Does anyone know how the ping works with the phone? I was talking with a co-worker who mentioned the last ping isn't always exactly where the person was, just a general area. Can anyone confirm this?

I think the initial reports of Coachman and Yankee may have been referring to where they caught the rideshare. From what I’ve read he started walking from Hill Ridge and Letendre (friend’s house), and instead of going east on Letendre, he went west toward 13.
If there are so many cameras on Essendant, they must have him on them if he passed by. I also don’t know how he didn’t make it back to the parking lots and roads by that building if he was at the ponds behind it…you can hardly miss that building it’s so huge and light colored. JMO

 

[GMS]

I think the initial reports of Coachman and Yankee may have been referring to where they caught the rideshare. From what I’ve read he started walking from Hill Ridge and Letendre (friend’s house), and instead of going east on Letendre, he went west toward 13.
If there are so many cameras on Essendant, they must have him on them if he passed by. I also don’t know how he didn’t make it back to the parking lots and roads by that building if he was at the ponds behind it…you can hardly miss that building it’s so huge and light colored. JMO

Bear with me, but I've been re-reading MSM articles and user posts and hoping to clarify a couple things about Bryce's route of travel and last known location.

Early in the search, a post upthread included a map from a fellow sleuther that referenced the last phone ping @ 2:46am near Outdoor Images at the end of Yankee Doodle. Was this specific location ever verified? All the MSM reports I've found were never this specific and only referenced along Highway 13 including this KARE 11 report that included the below:

"Cell phone records obtained by police show Borca traveled through a small industrial area near Highway 13 before heading into heavily wooded terrain with several marshes and ponds, according to the search warrant."

I only ask, because I've always gone on the assumption that he was near BCBS and Outdoor Images and then worked his way back North towards the ponds, etc. What if he actually crossed over Hwy 13 near Terminal or Alexander? And never traveled as far south as Yankee Doodle? I know there have been references to the general area of YD, but never saw a specific location noted outside the Coachman reference which may been a general area description or maybe as @lassy indicated a rideshare pick-up point.

The KARE 11 article also references the tie and surveillance video which they identify as from a business, but don't name the business. It sounds like the neighbors video may have been additionally discovered when LE requested people to check.

"The search warrant affidavit reveals later that morning a searcher found a tie believed to belong to Borca in the roadway along his suspected route of travel. Eagan Police Detective Desiree Schroepfer added that Borca was also seen on nearby business surveillance video walking alone."

 

[Trino]

If he was highly intoxicated, it would seem he would just want to lie down. Maybe he passed out. Just cannot think of him continuing to walk through the tall grass, burrs, etc., and it doesn't seem he fell into the edges of the holding ponds (not certain). Dog (Sophie) tracked him along the pond behind Essendant, and I can see him drowning, but did he come back out, keep walking near businesses along Hwy 13? He should be obvious, easy to find, but he's not. Did he maybe crawl into or under something? Temp was around 30 degrees.

 

[savagewoman]

IMO
Another thought... maybe he wasn't drunk but possibly a type of drug. Only from my own experiences with drinking, I can't image walking home with cognitive and balance issues. Certain drugs can pump you up and/or make you anxious, afraid, and/or overwhelmed or paranoid. I say this because of him talking to his friends and being afraid and not understanding how to get out of woods. I too think a dumpster is an option because all those businesses and it was cold. If that is the case, he probably wouldn't be found.

 

[lassy]

If he was highly intoxicated, it would seem he would just want to lie down. Maybe he passed out. Just cannot think of him continuing to walk through the tall grass, burrs, etc., and it doesn't seem he fell into the edges of the holding ponds (not certain). Dog (Sophie) tracked him along the pond behind Essendant, and I can see him drowning, but did he come back out, keep walking near businesses along Hwy 13? He should be obvious, easy to find, but he's not. Did he maybe crawl into or under something? Temp was around 30 degrees.

As I walked the tracks the other weekend, there were many culverts, and I checked some of them, thinking he crawled in one for protection/get out of wind. There were lots of trucks and semis in the industrial lots, and wondered if he found one of those to be open and crawled in. But guessing most of those were checked. If he found protection and didn’t freeze, he would have woken the next morning and headed home, IMO. I just can’t figure out how no one has found him yet.

 

[sunshine1980]

If he was highly intoxicated, it would seem he would just want to lie down. Maybe he passed out. Just cannot think of him continuing to walk through the tall grass, burrs, etc., and it doesn't seem he fell into the edges of the holding ponds (not certain). Dog (Sophie) tracked him along the pond behind Essendant, and I can see him drowning, but did he come back out, keep walking near businesses along Hwy 13? He should be obvious, easy to find, but he's not. Did he maybe crawl into or under something? Temp was around 30 degrees.

It seems unlikely- but back when I was younger, I was a heavy drinker. If I mixed beer with liquor, or alcohol and weed, I would block out. So I would seem drunk, but have virtually non recollection for parts of nights. One of those- I walked to a store to get something, in an unfamiliar area, then decided to take a shortcut through the woods. I have only bits and pieces of memories but walked at least two miles through a creek, brush, and fell down a hill. I am so incredibly fortunate that I didn’t die that night. But just to give an idea of what can happen

 

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[Spartygirl]

Based on initial reports, Bryce was spotted on Coachman and Yankee Doodle (YD). This is what is confusing to me. The reports made it sound like he was heading home and then took a right turn, instead of a left turn to home on YD from Coachman. When I drove Letendre the other day, I specifically looked for doorbell cameras. I only spotted a couple on the houses you mentioned GMS, west of Donald Ave on Letendre, towards 13. I'm not sure where his tie was found, or the Nike shoe they haven't ruled out as being his or not. I also remember reading him being spotted walking towards 13 on YD from Coachman as well, but now I have to double back and check the articles.

Essendant has a huge number of cameras on all corners of their building. I counted three on one corner from Google street view. I wonder if that could have been where he was spotted as well, walking towards the river area. That could be why LE & SAR are sticking to those holding ponds behind that area. Dogs picked up a scent there, from what other people mentioned pages ago in this thread.

Does anyone know how the ping works with the phone? I was talking with a co-worker who mentioned the last ping isn't always exactly where the person was, just a general area. Can anyone confirm this?

I wish I could remember the name of the cell tower/pings experts on here so I could tag one of them.

I do remember in other cases reading about how phones ping on towers and it doesn't always mean that it pings on the closest tower, but the first available. Now, if there is only one tower within a large radius, it would more than likely ping only on that one.

A tower is essentially nothing more than a line-of-sight instrument and is computer controlled to “hand off” a call as it passes from one tower’s radius area to another. Inner-city towers are typically good for up to one to two miles; however, the towers’ cell signals can be blocked by tall buildings, more so by a newer, predominantly “steel” type of skyscraper.

The most important factors to understand when reading cell towers are the traffic, the pitch of the tower, and the landscape or terrain. For example, it would not be uncommon for a call in San Jose to cross the San Francisco Bay and get picked up an Oakland or East Bay tower, some 20 miles away, again, depending on the traffic.

Hope that helps.
I am not an expert but I did learn and I remembered a lot of the info discussed here on WS in other cases.

 

[megs1477]

I wish I could remember the name of the cell tower/pings experts on here so I could tag one of them.

I do remember in other cases reading about how phones ping on towers and it doesn't always mean that it pings on the closest tower, but the first available. Now, if there is only one tower within a large radius, it would more than likely ping only on that one.

A tower is essentially nothing more than a line-of-sight instrument and is computer controlled to “hand off” a call as it passes from one tower’s radius area to another. Inner-city towers are typically good for up to one to two miles; however, the towers’ cell signals can be blocked by tall buildings, more so by a newer, predominantly “steel” type of skyscraper.

The most important factors to understand when reading cell towers are the traffic, the pitch of the tower, and the landscape or terrain. For example, it would not be uncommon for a call in San Jose to cross the San Francisco Bay and get picked up an Oakland or East Bay tower, some 20 miles away, again, depending on the traffic.

Hope that helps.
I am not an expert but I did learn and I remembered a lot of the info discussed here on WS in other cases.

Not the expert, but I have researched this before and don't mind a little googling to find accurate info. What you said was accurate.

How does a phone choose a tower?
Generally, a cell phone connects to the nearest tower. However, if a phone were to be perfectly between two cell phone towers, or “equidistant,” there is no way to know why one tower was picked over the other tower.

Can a further tower be chosen over a closer tower?
Yes. This can be due to an occlusion, or something blocking the signal, such as a mountain or a really tall building. It can also be due to the fact that all the channels on the close tower are busy, resulting in the phone choosing a different tower.

Cell towers, Cell Phones and Pings: The Ability to Track Your Every Movement

Did you know that your cell phone, and cell phone company for that matter, has the ability to track your every movement? Sure, maybe you did, but did you know how or why this is possible? If not, I will break down the basics for you here. What is a call detail record? Cell phone companies keep...

www.willdefendyou.us

There is additional information in the link above about how much area a cell phone tower can cover. Which basically depends on the area and the type of signal used. The maximum is 35 miles away from the tower, which seems crazy to me.

 

[lassy]

<modsnip - quoted post was removed for not an approved source>

In the past few weeks, I think we have come up with ever possible scenario of what could have happened to Bryce. I just hope he didn’t suffer too much all alone out there. I feel horrible every time I drive over by 13, up 77, or by his apt building. Hope he is found soon.

I am at a loss with the lack of updates or info from LE. I don’t know if they are still searching or whether people should go out looking on their own. Not very respectful of the community’s concern or safety IMO.

 

[Veronica Sawyer]

I find myself checking this thread periodically every couple of hours for an update. Out of all the types of cases there are to be read on this site, even the most gruesome, it’s always the ones with someone (especially a young someone!) disappearing without a trace that get to me most.

@lassy @InternetGhost91 — you both are rockstars for venturing out into those woods as many times as you have.

That there has been no physical sign of Bryce aside from his tie is heartbreaking. I can only keep hoping and praying that LE has good reason to be laser focused on the specific areas they have been searching recently.

 

[lassy]

I find myself checking this thread periodically every couple of hours for an update. Out of all the types of cases there are to be read on this site, even the most gruesome, it’s always the ones with someone (especially a young someone!) disappearing without a trace that get to me most.

@lassy @InternetGhost91 — you both are rockstars for venturing out into those woods as many times as you have.

That there has been no physical sign of Bryce aside from his tie is heartbreaking. I can only keep hoping and praying that LE has good reason to be laser focused on the specific areas they have been searching recently.

It’s not very hard to be looking out there during the day. Pretty wide open after the small wooded area between the businesses and the river valley area. I did not venture too far out in the brush/valley, but walked a lot of the tracks looking. If he isn’t in the water, I don’t know how all the ground searches and K9s haven’t found him yet. The couple times I’ve been out, it was crawling with search teams and dogs.

I also keep checking multiple times a day for updates on here and the Eagan police FB site. I have unfortunately even started looking for an obituary because I no longer expect any update from LE

 

[GMS]

I've always thought there was something "off" about the lack of information provided by LE. I know it may have not changed the outcome, unfortunately, but may have provided more clues. LE indicated foul play wasn't suspected early on, so why not release where the tie was found, what business recorded him on surveillance, etc. They (LE) always just indicated "his suspected route of travel," etc. What's the harm in sharing that with the community?

 

[lassy]

I've always thought there was something "off" about the lack of information provided by LE. I know it may have not changed the outcome, unfortunately, but may have provided more clues. LE indicated foul play wasn't suspected early on, so why not release where the tie was found, what business recorded him on surveillance, etc. They (LE) always just indicated "his suspected route of travel," etc. What's the harm in sharing that with the community?

Agree. Could have helped all the people from the community focus on certain areas. I still wonder if there is so much more to the story and the reason for the silence after the first couple of days. But they have said no foul play and no reason to think he was in any MH crisis. Makes no sense to not release information on his route of travel then.

Although with as much as LE knows and all their K9s, drones, sonar, staff, etc, they haven’t even found him in almost a month, so may not have helped us either.

 

[Trino]

I'm beginning to consider he may have crawled into something. Initial searches were confined to terrain, but perhaps he accessed a dumpster, culvert, trailer, shed either near a business not considered or on private property - something that wasn't searched or was missed.

 

[inmyhumbleopinion]

I'm beginning to consider he may have crawled into something. Initial searches were confined to terrain, but perhaps he accessed a dumpster, culvert, trailer, shed either near a business not considered or on private property - something that wasn't searched or was missed.

Completely agree. Or if the individual was under the influence, on a rooftop (this does happen from time to time, unfortunately).

Pretty sure it has been reported drones have been used, so I hope it’s safe to assume this is being looked at.