'Following his second semester at Minnesota West Community and Technical College in Canby, Minn., Brandon Swanson gathered with his friends to celebrate. He was last seen in the early hours of May 14, 2008 before making the drive home to his home in Marshall, Minn.
Photo courtesy of The Search for Brandon Swanson.''
'Before disappearing in the early hours of May 14, 2008, Brandon Swanson of Marshall, Minn. attended gatherings in Lynd, Minn. and Canby, Minn. Prior to his disappearance, he called his parents to state he had veered off into the ditch. While attempting to locate him, the phone went silent. He has not been heard from since.
Photo courtesy of Google Maps.'
Lengthy article
By
Trisha Taurinskas January 30, 2023
Rural roads of Minnesota remain last known location of 19-year-old Brandon Swanson
''Editor's note: This archival article was first published on Dec. 16, 2021. It was featured in a recent episode of the popular true crime podcast "My Favorite Murder," which aired Thursday. Forum News Service checked with law enforcement on Monday and was informed there remain no new updates in the Swanson missing persons case.
Editor's note: This archival article was first published on Dec. 16, 2021. It was featured in a recent episode of the popular true crime podcast "My Favorite Murder," which aired Thursday. Forum News Service checked with law enforcement on Monday and was informed there remain no new updates in the Swanson missing persons case.''
''After initially attending a gathering in Lynd, located roughly seven miles southwest from his home, he made his way to his Canby destination, roughly 35 miles northwest of his home. While alcohol was being consumed at the gatherings, his friends indicated to law enforcement that he did not appear to be intoxicated when he left the party.
The drive from the gathering in Canby to Marshall is one he had made nearly every day during his commute to and from his college campus. Yet in the early hours of May 14, 2008, Brandon Swanson chose to drive on the back roads, rather than on the commonly traveled Minnesota State Highway 68.''
''While traveling along the 3900 block of Lyon Lincoln Road, Brandon Swanson veered off the road and became hung up in the ditch. Unable to move his vehicle, he reached out to his parents for help.
The couple remained on the phone with their son until they heard him yell a swear word, followed by silence. They called out to him and heard nothing. Calls back to his phone indicated the phone was still on, but Brandon Swanson did not answer.
“I can say that his phone was functioning into the next day. I mean, you could place a call and it would ring before turning over to voicemail,” Lyon County Sheriff Eric Wallen said. “That much I can say.”
“We were able to use the cellphone tower technology to have an idea of where his last communications or phone calls came from, so that put us on a cell tower up in that area,” Wallen said. “So then the search was focused there, and the car was located.”
No keys were found in or around the scene — and no obvious signs of foul play were present.''
“In at least a couple of circumstances, that (problem) is still in existence,” Anderson said. “They will not allow us on their property. We don’t dispute the reason why. We try and work out a method that would make it acceptable, and we’ve not been able to come up with a working compromise.”
That’s a troublesome issue for those leading the search party. While sympathetic to the concerns of cattle farmers, Anderson acknowledges it still leaves holes in a search that has received the dedication of many.
Emergency Support Services, an organization out of Minneapolis that specializes in search and rescue efforts, has identified a 140-square mile radius of interest in the search for Brandon Swanson. The organization is still seeking permission from some landowners to access all the land in this area.
Photo courtesy of The Search for Brandon Swanson.
Yellow Medicine County Sheriff Bill Flaten has worked closely with Emergency Support Services throughout the years, particularly when it comes to seeking landowner permission. He said most landowners are more than willing to make it work, as they're dedicated to their community and the Swanson family. In situations where landowners have declined, Flaten said probable cause has not existed for law enforcement to step in.
"They know their property, and they search it and look around''
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