Brandon Swanson | |
|---|---|
 Image of Swanson distributed in the wake of his disappearance | |
| Born | January 30, 1989 Marshall, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Disappeared | May 14, 2008 (aged 19) Porter, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Status | Missing for 16 years, 4 months and 23 days |
| Education | Marshall Senior High School |
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (168 cm) |
| Parents |
|
Shortly after midnight on May 14, 2008, Brandon Swanson (born January 30, 1989)[1] of Marshall, Minnesota, United States, drove his car into a ditch on his way home from celebrating the end of the spring semester with fellow students from Minnesota West Community and Technical College's Canby campus. Uninjured, he got out and called his parents on his cellphone. Unsure of his exact location, he told them he believed he was near Lynd, and they drove out to pick him up; however, they were unable to locate him. Swanson remained on the phone with them until he went silent 47 minutes later after exclaiming "Oh, shit!" He has not been seen or heard from since.[2]
In the morning, Swanson’s parents reported him missing to police, who advised them to wait as such behavior was not uncommon for young men his age.[3] Later that day, the circumstances of his disappearance became more complicated when his cell phone records showed he had been near Porter, 25 miles (40 km) from where Swanson had said he was, in a different direction. That information led to the discovery of his car, near Taunton.
It is not known whether Swanson was aware of this discrepancy when he talked to his parents. Foul play has not been ruled out, but it has also been proposed that he might have accidentally fallen into the Yellow Medicine River, near where his car was found, and drowned, although extensive searches have not found a body. Land searches, with dogs, have continued in the area for several years. His parents successfully lobbied the state legislature to pass Brandon's Law, which requires that police begin investigations of missing adults promptly.[3]
- ^ "Brandon Swanson". National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. 2013. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
- ^ Divine, Mary (October 13, 2015). "Brandon Swanson search resumes in western Minnesota". St. Paul Pioneer Press. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
- ^ a b Weed, Alexis (January 18, 2010). "Teen drove into ditch, vanished as parents searched". CNN. Retrieved May 2, 2018.