Minnesota Man on FBI’s ‘Most Wanted’ has Been Missing Since 2008
When I think of the FBI's 'Most Wanted' I've always thought this list was reserved for criminals. Turns out, there are missing people on a 'Most Wanted' list, too, and one of those people is a Minnesota man missing since 2008.
What Happened to Brandon Swanson?
The man's name is Brandon Swanson and he was last seen the night of May 14th, 2008. He was 19 at the time and in college at Minnesota West Community and Technical College in Canby, according to The Crime Wire.
That night, Brandon had hit up two parties in celebration of the end of the spring semester. One party was in Canby and the other was in Marshall.
Friends say he was drinking but he wasn't drinking enough to be "overly intoxicated".
After leaving the party in Marshall, Brandon was on the road when he suddenly swerved and ended up in the ditch. He needed help, so he called his parents at around 2 AM. He said he had "high centered" the car, the car wasn't damaged and he wasn't hurt but he needed to be picked up.
He was on some back roads and told his parents he was pretty sure he was near Lynd.
His parents agreed to come help and they decided to flash their brights at each other to confirm their identity.
His parents couldn't find him.
Brandon, on the phone with his parents, then decided to get out of the car and start walking toward the town and that they'd pick him up there. They were on the phone for 47 minutes when Brandon said "Oh, s***!" and then there was silence.
His parents tried to call him back but he never picked up, so they decided to call the police. It was 6:30 AM at the time.
They Didn't Search for Brandon Right Away
At first, police wouldn't search for Brandon. The Crime Wire reports that the local police told Brandon's parents that "it wasn’t at all unusual for a young man his age to stay out all night. ... 'It's his right to be missing.'"
Looking for Brandon
The search for Brandon did eventually begin and police discovered something interesting with Brandon's cell phone records. Brandon had said that he thought he was near the town of Lynd that night. However, cell phone records actually put him near the town of Porter.
Sure enough, that area is where the car was located in a ditch near Taunton. The car showed no obvious signs of foul play and the keys were missing.
During the search process, police used search dogs who did end up picking up Brandon's scent on a trail near Yellow Medicine River and also in a part of the river, causing police to think maybe Brandon walked through the water at some point.
They also picked up the scent of human remains near Mud Creek but nothing was found. Dogs also picked up his scent on a nearby piece of farm equipment, but that's about where police had to stop searching.
That's because in order to search on private property they need permission from the land owners, which the land owners did not give. Actually, many farmers in the area didn't give them permission to search their land.
So What Happened to Brandon?
Other than the car, no physical evidence has been found.
So what happened to him?
Something that The Crime Wire noted is that Brandon was legally blind in one eye because of a childhood injury. He had glasses to help but those glasses were left in the car. A possible scenario is that he didn't see one of many unmarked cisterns in the area and fell in.
Another possible scenario goes back to the dogs finding his scent in the river. Maybe he walked through or fell in and then ended up dying from hypothermia. The temperature that night was 40 degrees, so it's possible.
Or maybe there truly was foul play and there just isn't any evidence right now that can point to that.
To this day, police are still getting tips sent in about Brandon's disappearance. Unfortunately, none of them have led to anything but if you do know something that may be helpful, contact your local FBI office or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate. You can also submit an anonymous Tip online through the FBI's site.
How Brandon's Disappearance Affected the Law
Because of how police first responded to Brandon's disappearance, his parents took action and got 'Brandon's Law' signed into law by Governor Pawlenty in May of 2009. The Crime Wire writes that this law "requires law enforcement to immediately begin a preliminary investigation when an adult goes missing under dangerous circumstances, regardless of their age."
