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

[mayelf]

Is there cougars or wild animals in the area? I keep wondering about his phone just abruptly turning off. That would be consistent with dropping it forcefully or a dropped signal, or out of fear he just accidentally hit the off button. If it was in the water it probably would have gone directly to voicemail from the beginning, but they were saying it would ring and just go unanswered. The last comment he made to his dad was basically a statement of trouble right?

 

[RubyRed]

Is there cougars or wild animals in the area? I keep wondering about his phone just abruptly turning off. That would be consistent with dropping it forcefully or a dropped signal, or out of fear he just accidentally hit the off button. If it was in the water it probably would have gone directly to voicemail from the beginning, but they were saying it would ring and just go unanswered. The last comment he made to his dad was basically a statement of trouble right?

"I talked to him for 47 minutes, and all of a sudden, he said, 'Oh, s--!' and the phone went dead," Brian Swanson said.

It was 3:10 a.m.

"I'm looking for the 'Oh, s---!' spot," he said. "Where in his walk he might have slipped into the river, an abandoned cistern or a trench. I'm looking for the spot where we believe we had a mishap."

http://wcco.com/local/missing.sons.fathers.2.748693.html

 

[fran]

What bothers me is, Brandon was walking for 45 minutes from his car. How far can one walk in the dark, even swiftly, in 45 minutes? Wouldn't the circle of that area from his car be the most likely locale of him being located?

I've watched this case for almost two years and can't believe they haven't been able to locate Brandon yet.

I pray they're successful in this current search.

fran
:rose:

 

[webrocket]

What bothers me is, Brandon was walking for 45 minutes from his car. How far can one walk in the dark, even swiftly, in 45 minutes? Wouldn't the circle of that area from his car be the most likely locale of him being located?

I've watched this case for almost two years and can't believe they haven't been able to locate Brandon yet.

I pray they're successful in this current search.

fran
:rose:

it is a bit more complicated than that Fran. there was a post a few months ago from a guy from the search team. The problem is that they are assuming (probably correctly) that Brandon walked into some obstruction like a fence post and lost the phone. They further assume that he kept on walking and with the weather conditions that night he would have succumbed to hypothermia no later than a certain time.

so the search area is much wider than a 45 min radius from the car.

 

[fran]

it is a bit more complicated than that Fran. there was a post a few months ago from a guy from the search team. The problem is that they are assuming (probably correctly) that Brandon walked into some obstruction like a fence post and lost the phone. They further assume that he kept on walking and with the weather conditions that night he would have succumbed to hypothermia no later than a certain time.

so the search area is much wider than a 45 min radius from the car.

Oh, thanks webrocket. I hadn't seen that scenario where he may have dropped the phone. So they think he just left the phone where it was and continued on?

I'd never thought of that, I guess it could be. I personally thought he may have fallen into a well or cave or something.

JMHO
fran

 

[Truthful Lies]

Can't really rule out mental illness, either...just a thought. He was the right age for it to "peak" or become worse. This may have no bearing on the case, but if he had eaten very little or didn't sleep for days preceding this, his bearings would be altered. I think he would have been too tired/weak to walk like that, but there are various forms of schizophrenia that could cause distortions and not just hallucinations....no idea. Just a thought.

 

[ThePhantom]

I'm with ya, Fran...

 

[helpful]

The thing is, I just can't believe he made it too far. I'm just stunned he hasn't been found by now.

I'm basically just a lurker, but I've been following Brandon's case since it happened, and I can't believe it either. With all the flooding this year and last, if he was in the river, you'd think he'd have been found.

Having driven in that part of the country at night, I can see how easy it would have been for him to think he was in one place but actually be in another altogether. It's dark on those country roads late at night, and there aren't many landmarks by which to orient oneself. Poor Brandon.

 

[RubyRed]

I'm basically just a lurker, but I've been following Brandon's case since it happened, and I can't believe it either. With all the flooding this year and last, if he was in the river, you'd think he'd have been found.

Having driven in that part of the country at night, I can see how easy it would have been for him to think he was in one place but actually be in another altogether. It's dark on those country roads late at night, and there aren't many landmarks by which to orient oneself. Poor Brandon.

Welcome, I hope you stick around. Have you heard anything about the recent search they had?

 

[MTRTA Search Manager]

Sorry I haven't had a chance to post recently--we are very busy with multiple cases. The search for Brandon is indeed ongoing. We have been back three weekends since March and plan to go back this weekend. We are again obtaining interest in the scent of human remains from the canines northwest of Porter, but haven't been able to pinpoint the source. Check the blogspot for more details. Updates should be posted within a couple of days.

 

[RubyRed]

Wow, Jeff! I feel like I just took Search Techniques 101 and passed with flying colors! Thanks so very much for your time and information.

To any Mods out there ... these post are so valuable and pertain to pretty much everything we look at at WS. is there somewhere, somehow that the posts can be combined and made into a sticky or put in a 'reference manual'??

I would be happy to participate in such an effort. I have been perusing the forums on my cases for years, but finally decided to post when it became clear to me that the general public just doesn't have access to the standards and best practices that have been around in the search and rescue community for years.

Jeff

I think this is a great idea.

 

[RubyRed]

The 2010 Search for Brandon

April 17-18 Searches:

A team of nine people and three HRD canines searched on the weekend of April 17-18, 2010. We again obtained significant findings in Mud Creek. This suggests that spring runoff is moving scent into the creek from the scent source. This further reinforces our belief that Brandon’s remains are located somewhere in the Mud Creek Watershed.

Some General Thoughts:

This has been an exceptionally difficult and frustrating search. While there have been consistent and reliable indications that human remains are present in the area, we have yet to pinpoint the source (Brandon’s remains). There are several possible explanations for this.

One of the main reasons why this is such a difficult search lies in the fact that the region receives nearly constant winds which can come from any direction. These winds move scent from the source and deposit it into “scent pools” such as wind breaks around farmsteads, tall grass in CRP land, and along ditches and creeks. When the dogs alert on an area of “hot” scent, it is often very difficult to differentiate whether we are near the remains or searching yet another scent pool.

We also may be facing the difficulty of locating remains that have been moved and/or scattered over a wide area. It is possible that predators such as coyotes, raccoons, and the like have scattered the remains. It is also possible that they have been inadvertently scattered or moved by human activity such as farmers tilling their fields or baling hay or cornstalks.

It is also possible that Brandon attempted to seek shelter from the wind near the end of his journey and crawled into an outbuilding or under old machinery and perished there. Because we are trying to avoid disrupting landowner’s lives as little as possible, we have only searched a few farmsteads.

These are only a few of the issues that make this a very difficult search.

We need help from local landowners.

We respectfully request that landowners within a corridor between Porter and Canby keep their eyes open for anything unusual on their property. While Brandon’s remains are now fully skeletonized, there is still a decent chance that keen eyes would spot them. Brandon’s tennis shoes and hat especially should still be readily identifiable. We also ask that anyone who feeds hay or uses cornstalk bedding from this area keep an eye out for human remains baled into the bales.

Jeff Hasse

Search Manager

More at link ,Very informative

http://thesearchforbrandon.blogspot.com/

 

[ThePhantom]

I think he was attacked -- but then I've been wrong before

 

[RubyRed]

Leaving a light on for hope: Couple's search for missing son may be nearing resolution​

Two years after Swanson disappearance, search goes on​

​

Brandon Swanson has been missing for six light bulbs.

His parents, Brian and Annette Swanson of Marshall, Minn., turned the porch light on for him on May 14, 2008 — the night he disappeared while driving home from a party in Canby.

When the porch light burns out, Brian Swanson replaces the bulb immediately. "We're leaving it on till he comes home," said Annette Swanson.

After two years, the couple say they realize their son probably won't be found alive. But they cling to that thread of hope.​

http://unsolveditn.blogspot.com/2010/05/leaving-light-on-for-hope-couples.html​

 

[RubyRed]

Brian Swanson said he had a 47-minute cell phone conversation with his son, and his son sounded coherent and did not sound intoxicated or impaired. There is no way his son could fake that for 47 minutes, Brian Swanson said.​

He told them he went off the road between Marshall and Lynd, but his car wasn't there. The cell call was traced to a tower near Minneota, and the car was found soon after.​

http://oxymoran.blogspot.com/2008/06/x-files-smiley-face-killer-how-to.html​

 

[Truthful Lies]

Rubyred, thanks for posting what his dad said about Brandon not being impaired. I think a parent would definitely know if something was "off" in a 45 min. conversation. Thanks again.

 

[marshall]

The Swanson family is a very sweet family. I so wish we could have found Brandon long ago to put their minds and hearts at ease. I pray that in the coming days, Brandon is found and brought back home. My thoughts and prayers continue to be with the Swanson family!!

 

[Carmen29]

just saw this story on cnn cold case's. its really puzzling... even if they do find their son I would still always wonder what happened at the end of the call. I do hope they find him. It must be extremely frustrating. I do think he fell into something and his phone was not in water to continue ringing. Unless there was some crazy landowner that attacked him because he was trespassing but I highly doubt that.

 

[Truthful Lies]

just saw this story on cnn cold case's. its really puzzling... even if they do find their son I would still always wonder what happened at the end of the call. I do hope they find him. It must be extremely frustrating. I do think he fell into something and his phone was not in water to continue ringing. Unless there was some crazy landowner that attacked him because he was trespassing but I highly doubt that.

Carmen...that was the first time I thought of perhaps someone attacking him because he was "trespassing" (like he KNEW or did it on purpose!!!....I like that idea, though. It's very possible...just like anything else in these cases =P

 

[RubyRed]

It is very puzzling what happened.