TX TX - Brandon Lawson, 26, San Angelo, 8 Aug 2013 - #4

[Criminal Justice mom]

I'm still baffled at they rent a helicopter the day after he went missing, but didn't file a report until about a week later. What was in their minds to make them think they needed to do an aerial over the fields?? Remember, the 911 call still was not discussed at this time


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I wondered about the multiple rentals of the helicopters. Is it that easy to rent or pay to have someone fly you our over certain areas at that short notice? I remember LL mentioning the cost, and thinking that it was pretty steep per hour. Where I live, it would be nearly impossible to hire someone with a helicopter on such short notice, and definitely isnt anyone local to us. The only helicopters I've known to go out looking for missing person's right away is from SAR. I recall that at somepoint, LL had stated her reason for getting the helicopter searches, were based on where the truck was found, the absence of Brandon turning up or contacting anyone, along with the vast and potentially dangerous terrain, combined with the lack of cooperation from land owners to allow them to search on foot, it was felt it was the only way to search the area surrounding where his truck was.
As Ive stated, I have always thought it was odd how she went and stayed in a hotel near where the truck was located, when it wasnt all that far from her own home and money was and has been an issue for them. I too would have gone to where his truck was and search that area until it was too dark to do so, but, then, I would have gone back to the home that I shared with him in hopes HE WOULD COME HOME! Since it hadn't even been 24 hours, no one knew about the 911 call, my 1st instinct would be to think that if he'd run out of gas, hadn't connected with his bro for whatever reason, that he'd probably got ahold of one of his oil field buddies, maybe someone from the area he was headed to, had possibly gone off with a friend, hitch hiked, or walked even, but he would likely walk through the front door AT HOME, at any point that next day or even two days, considering they had a big fight, that being the reason why he left that night. It seems a big leap to me, to automatically think something sinister must have happened, with no sign of struggle, no blood, no personal belongings (like he purposefully took them with him). I would also want to keep things as routine as possible for the children, especially knowing that their father wasnt home, had left after a big fight the children had witnessed, a very stressful and potentially life altering experience. (She was thinking something terrible must have happenedor she wouldn't have spent the money for the helicoptersame, in my opinion, all the more reason to keep things as "normal" as possible for the kids.) If I'd still heard nothing that next night, the following day I would have most likely started to worry more. Their relationship had been rocky. They'd broken up multiple times, and fought about his drug use and money issues. He'd gone off with friends, in the past... idk, just like lots of other things in this case, the actions over the 1st 24 hrs, into weeks, then months, has always raised questions for me. However, I must say, that I don't truly know how I would respond being in LL's shoes, as thankfully, its not something I've had to deal with. It's crazy that not one clue has been found.
*Btw, does anyone recall a cell phone that was found by an aunt during one of their 1st searches? It was posted and removed rather quickly. I was wondering what ever came of it? Was it turned over to LE? Was the owner ever located? Was it ever made public what kind of phone it was, compared to the cell phone that Brandon had on him that night??

 

[Criminal Justice mom]

I actually just had another cell phone thought... Does anyone know if it was ever PROVEN where his cell phone pinged last and exactly when that happened? I know that multiple people claimed that his phone had pinged at different locations, thone changing as well. Was a call/text log for Brandon's phone ever obtained? If so, would LE have that? If it hadn't been done back then, is it too late to have that information collected now? Who would need to initiate that process? I know that the cell carrier would require a subpoena, but could only LE request it, or could anot attorney be retained to gather that information? Could a PI obtain that info? The same with the 911 call, it wasn't released in its entirety, only to a parent for voice verification. Could an attorney obtain that raw uncut call, or not because it's still an open case? If an attorney could help with those things, could assist in moving things forward, well to me, that would seem like a good use of funds if it were possible!

 

[Karmin]

Yes I recall the cell phone the aunt found, and it being removed very fast. I also recall people asking about that post and getting cussed out and called all kinds of names for asking. Yet another thing I still am not grasping was LL found a bag in the closet that had a rabbits foot in it, she claimed he had it on him the day he went missing. First off why was that bag in the back of the closet if it had belongings from that night? How did she get them? Why throw it in the closet? I am sorry but too much isn't adding up!


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[SavetheQueen]

Yes I recall the cell phone the aunt found, and it being removed very fast. I also recall people asking about that post and getting cussed out and called all kinds of names for asking. Yet another thing I still am not grasping was LL found a bag in the closet that had a rabbits foot in it, she claimed he had it on him the day he went missing. First off why was that bag in the back of the closet if it had belongings from that night? How did she get them? Why throw it in the closet? I am sorry but too much isn't adding up!


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I remember that. And the phone. The phone had been found on the shoulder of the road maybe (?), and had been ran over.

 

[doris5]

Joined websleuths to follow this case, which I find impossibly haunting and strange. It's real Blood Simple stuff.

Firstly: it's bizarre that no professional audio engineers and analysts have studied the call and published their findings (correct me if I'm wrong). Even with my own basic tinkering with the audio, I can say with certainty that a second (and quite possibly even a third) voice is discernible in the background. I'm wondering if we can reach out to anyone who could give the audio serious professional analysis. If we can reach a reasonable consensus about what's actually being said, we'd be in a better position than we are now -- nobody seems to agree on what's being said and by who, whether or not parts of the call have been redacted, etc.

Secondly, my opinion is that we should entirely discount LL's take on anything. Too many inconsistencies, which themselves are highly telling (perhaps).

also, in case nobody's pointed this out -- there's one place (not close to where the truck was found) where the road heads "towards Abilene on both sides" and contains numerous fields and wooded areas... https://www.google.com/maps/dir/31....m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!4m4!1m1!4e1!1m1!4e1?hl=en

I wonder if Brandon was given a ride from where his truck ran out of gas, which ended up turning sour somewhere in that area beyond Bronte -- a chase ensued across the fields and through the woods between those two roads heading to Abeline on both sides. The area hasn't been searched... Just a thought.

 

[SavetheQueen]

May be nothing at all, but the first thing that I notice when I clicked on your Google Maps link is that my Google Maps says that the distance between where the truck was found, and where your pin drop is is 9 minutes.... "I'm 10 minutes up the road."

 

[doris5]

May be nothing at all, but the first thing that I notice when I clicked on your Google Maps link is that my Google Maps says that the distance between where the truck was found, and where your pin drop is is 9 minutes.... "I'm 10 minutes up the road."

ah, sorry..! this was the area I meant...

It's basically beyond Bronte where the 277 divides and heads "towards Abilene on both sides". Many fields and woods between those roads. Which makes me wonder if he got a ride from his truck that turned into some kind of trap he "totally ran into". He managed to escape the car and get chased. Just a thought...

 

[Hatari2u]

In response to some points made on here:

1. Filing a missing person's report -- have you ever filed one? I have. We filed it in the county where the person went missing. We actually met the officer at the location where the person was last seen. You want to file and talk to law enforcement who are familiar with the area and people. Also, if they have specific questions for you that they feel are relevant, they will have the info right away. If you needed to BOLO someone in your area would you want a second hand report from another LE agency, or would you like to make sure you get the info yourself upfront? I don't find this unusual at all.

2. Why would Kyle have brought several gas cans?
Maybe he wasn't for sure how close the nearest gas station would be (I don't know if Stripes is 24 hour or not) or maybe he just wanted to make sure Brandon put more than a gallon or two in his gas guzzling truck. Also, Ladessa urged him to get Brandon to stay at his house for the night. If he was going to suggest Brandon head back to San Angelo, he would have been easier to convince with enough gas already in his tank. Or maybe he wanted to make sure his brother had enough to get to Abiline - after Bronte there may not be more gas stations b4 Abilene. As for why he would drive on "E"? I used to do that a lot in my younger years too. And yes, pushing my luck sometimes in places and at times where running out of gas would not have been a good thing. Fortunately I was never wrong about how far I could go on Empty, but I was really sweating it sometimes. It was dumb, but many of us have done it. Especially if you're upset and just wanting to drive and get the hell outta town.

3. Ladessa's hotel stay - it was 35 min or so to get home. She stayed out there and was doing searches out in the Texas heat. It was far more practical for her to be a few minutes drive rather than 35 min (depending on traffic). As for her being too broke to do that --- I would not be at all surprised if his parents or her parents made the offer to pay for it.

4. Brandon's conversation with his brother and brother's girlfriend ---- you have to consider that first off all the connection wasn't good, but secondly they were operating under wildly different assumptions. Kyle heard Brandon was hiding in the woods and the only explanation he can come up with is the warrant. Brandon hears that Kyle has arrived and the cops are there, and he's thinking its in response to his 911 call. So he is babbling about hiding in the woods because he is in the middle of some kind of crisis and apparently injured. A terribly unfortunate situation....

I think it's important not to make assumptions and remember there may be totally logical explanations for many things.



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[doris5]

Another thought that needs to be addressed: if LL has Brandon's cellphone call log, that'll say the length of the 911 call. Surely by comparing that runtime to the runtime of the recording online will reveal conclusively whether or not the call has been edited. Surely? LL I'm sure still has this information and should make it known.


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[SavetheQueen]

In response to some points made on here:

1. Filing a missing person's report -- have you ever filed one? I have. We filed it in the county where the person went missing. We actually met the officer at the location where the person was last seen. You want to file and talk to law enforcement who are familiar with the area and people. Also, if they have specific questions for you that they feel are relevant, they will have the info right away. If you needed to BOLO someone in your area would you want a second hand report from another LE agency, or would you like to make sure you get the info yourself upfront? I don't find this unusual at all
...........

I think it's important not to make assumptions and remember there may be totally logical explanations for many things.


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Respectively snipped by me to answer just the parts included.

Missing person's report. Yes, actually, I have filed one. On a spouse that disappeared under unusual circumstances while being involved in drug related activities. It involved the entire West Texas and Southeastern New Mexico areas per the law enforcement agencies who issued the alert. I know exactly how it works. I was instructed by the members of law enforcement in my family and friends to go to the law enforcement agency that had jurisdiction over our home and file it there. That agency would then coordinate with other agencies, which they did. Yes, I went out to the areas he was last scene, etc. with officers. But they coordinated it. The agency in charge instructed me what I could and could not say on social media about my now ex-spouse's disappearance and such. They worked closely with me every step of the way. I let them do their job, and my spouse was located in another city. I would have never thought to file a report at a random town along the route someone may or may not have taken.

It's also important not to make assumptions about some of the information that keeps going back and forth, and about those of us that have followed this case since the beginning. What is new information to people who are new on the scene here, some of us old timers, if you will, have questioned and asked and been cussed out, and never gotten straight answers on. And we still wonder. There is a wealth of knowledge and information about this case and all right here on WS in those of us posting. This guy is out there somewhere, and needs to be found.

 

[ZooSleuth]

Another thought that needs to be addressed: if LL has Brandon's cellphone call log, that'll say the length of the 911 call. Surely by comparing that runtime to the runtime of the recording online will reveal conclusively whether or not the call has been edited. Surely? LL I'm sure still has this information and should make it known.


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I'm surprised nobody has done an FOIA request for the 911 call yet.

 

[Hatari2u]

Please, enlighten. Because I think your understandable eagerness to help find this guy is causing some to see complicity everywhere. As for your missing guy - if there was an active drug investigation going on, that's a different animal. Also - I don't think reporting him to Coke county was "random". It was his last self reported location.


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[Hatari2u]

Also - procedures are not uniform in every city, county, or state. I'm sure I could call my county and get two different answers from two different people.


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[Hatari2u]

I'm sorry, but by these standards, driving on E, staying in a hotel nearby where I will be driving and searching in the Texas heat and wanting someplace close to have a rest or regroup, I probably engage in "suspicious" behavior all the time...


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[SavetheQueen]

Please, enlighten. Because I think your understandable eagerness to help find this guy is causing some to see complicity everywhere. As for your missing guy - if there was an active drug investigation going on, that's a different animal. Also - I don't think reporting him to Coke county was "random". It was his last self reported location.


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At that time, in my spouse's case, there was no active drug case going on at the time of his disappearance. It was discovered that was the reason he disappeared after he was located.

There is so much he-said/she-said in this entire case. If you go back and read and research, you'll find a few legitimate facts. The rest of it, who knows?

I'm not really sure what you mean by my "eagerness to find this guy" is "causing some to see complicity everywhere". As I said previously, there are those of us who have been with the case since the beginning and have heard it, mulled over it, and know what is what, what still is questionable - which is most of it, and still have questions.

 

[SavetheQueen]

Please, enlighten. Because I think your understandable eagerness to help find this guy is causing some to see complicity everywhere. As for your missing guy - if there was an active drug investigation going on, that's a different animal. Also - I don't think reporting him to Coke county was "random". It was his last self reported location.


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And since Ladessa was not aware of the 911 call until days later when law enforcement told her about it (contrary to what is common belief), yes, it seems random to file a report in Coke County. My opinion.

 

[ZooSleuth]

I'm sorry, but by these standards, driving on E, staying in a hotel nearby where I will be driving and searching in the Texas heat and wanting someplace close to have a rest or regroup, I probably engage in "suspicious" behavior all the time...


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Ya the hotel is not suspicious at all IMO. If it's 35 minutes away, that's 70 minutes a day spent driving to and from the area. That's roughly an hour every day that could be spent searching instead of driving. And big deal if it was more expensive to stay at a hotel than it was to stay at home. Maybe the extra hour+ of searching she could get in every day outweighed the expense to LL. I'm not even sure what people are even trying to suggest when they say it's suspicious she stayed in a hotel.

I also agree with you that it's not suspicious that the missing persons report was filed in the county he went missing. There's no "universal policy" on where the missing persons report gets filed (at least none to my knowledge).

 

[QueenBea13]

Wow lots of new posters!!! I got some catching up to do!!
Sad to see another anniversary has come & gone & still no sign of Brandon, but very glad to see more people getting involved. Brandon deserves to be found but more so his kids deserve to know what happen to their daddy!


The thoughts & opinions stated above are that, MY random thoughts & opinions.

 

[nannymo]

Ok folks, I've just gotta show ya'll the "hotel" everyone is talking about!



If you knew the area, you would not think a thing about staying there while you looked for your loved one. It would be a gathering place for family to regroup and not have to stay out in our Texas heat in August!

I am glad to see some new eyes on this case. It never hurts to hear what eveyone else is thinking!

 

[doris5]

Casting suspicion on LL is barking up the wrong tree, so to speak. I'm sure she has extremely ambivalent feelings about BL and may in fact feel relieved he's gone. Their relationship, we can safely surmise, was volatile and he may not have been the nicest chap to be around. I'm sure it's a highly complex situation she's in, and she's probably feeling a lot of conflicting emotions, and thus behaving in a way that doesn't immediately follow the script we'd expect.

There's a brilliant moment in Gone Girl where Nick Dunne smiles for the camera -- he must be guilty! Why would he smile!? He killed her! Whereas in reality, there's no rational explanation for it... people behave in unexpected ways sometimes. The truth is, I'm sure she was in a desperate situation and is probably feeling glad BL is out of her life. Obviously the circumstances were atrocious, but I'd imagine she feels a glimmer of liberation amidst all the confusion and sadness. Human behaviour is not binary.

I've followed many cases like this, where the wife has acted 'suspiciously' -- only for it to be revealed she's had no part in her husband's disappearance/murder/abduction. Worth bearing in mind before venturing down too many rabbit-holes vis-a-vis LL's movements.

Consider the Henry McCabe case, which bears many similarities to this (garbled scary voicemails, man vanishing into the wilderness at night) -- his wife was torn apart on forums because she didn't cry in her interviews. She moved from Minnesota to California. She seemed to contradict herself. Eventually McCabe's body surfaced. Someone had drowned him. Obviously the wife had no involvement. I'm certain the same can be said for LL.

Let's move on and consider the case from another angle.

I think we can rule out the warrant being a factor in this. BL called the police. Whatever happened was clearly more pressing than the warrant and the potential legal woes that would ensue.

The key here is the call itself. I strongly believe it holds the solution to this mystery. Firstly, we'd need LL to compare the runtime listed in BL's call log to the runtime of the version heard online. A discrepancy in runtime would conclusively reveal whether or not the call has been edited. If it hasn't, we can then rule out LE interference and close the door on a lot of 'state trooper'/cover-up/conspiracy nonsense.

Then if the call is legit, we need a professional audio engineer to clean it up and analyse it thoroughly.

For now, I'd urge everyone to open the call on VLC Player and slow down the playing speed. The clarity is exceptional (far superior to the slowed version currently available on youtube). There is definitely someone else in increasingly close proximity to BL in the call. He whispers "please help me" and then "help me" when the operator is saying "hello?" at the end. Gunshots are almost certainly discernible. You folks should give it a listen, I'd love to hear your take on it.