Brandon Swanson, a 19-year-old student, disappeared in rural Minnesota in 2008 after a phone call with his parents that ended with him exclaiming "Oh, s***!" His case led to a change in state law.
The Night He Went Missing
On May 13, 2008, Swanson, a student at Minnesota West Community and Technical College, was celebrating the end of his spring semester with friends. Those at two parties said he had drunk alcohol but did not appear visibly intoxicated. He headed home shortly before midnight, driving his green Chevrolet Lumina through the 30-mile route to his hometown of Marshall.
At almost 2am, he called his parents, Annette and Brian Swanson, saying he had driven off the road and was stuck in a ditch, asking them to pick him up. They began driving toward where they believed he was, near Lynd, a small town seven miles away.
A Frustrating Search
Brian told CNN that Brandon was "absolutely positive he knew where he was," but when they arrived, there was no trace of him. They tried flashing their car headlights to locate each other. Annette recalled hearing Brandon click his car's light switch and asking, "Don't you see me?"
Brandon then decided to abandon his car and walk toward what he thought were lights in the distance. Brian dropped Annette home and went back out alone. The two stayed on the phone for about 47 minutes while Brian drove and Brandon walked through the countryside. Shortly after 2:30am, Brandon exclaimed "Oh, s***!" and the line went silent.
Discovery and Aftermath
Brian and Annette tried to reach their son, calling "at least five or six more times," Brian later told CNN, but there was no answer. At around 6:30am, they contacted Lynd police. Annette was enraged when an officer suggested a 19-year-old had "a right to be missing."
Investigators later found through mobile records that Brandon had been near Porter and Taunton, about 25 miles from Lynd. Police found his car abandoned in a ditch near Taunton. Lincoln County Sheriff Jack Vizecky said the vehicle had been stuck on a sharp incline, leaving its wheels unable to gain traction.
With bloodhounds and aerial support, police found a scent trail that stretched three miles, passed an abandoned farm and a river, and then faded. The route led investigators to believe Brandon might have drowned, given the river was high and fast-flowing. After 30 days of searches, no body or belongings were recovered.
Brandon's Law
Annette told CNN, "There really is nothing to indicate that he's in the river." The couple kept their porch light on for years, hoping Brandon might find his way home. They campaigned for legislation requiring authorities to investigate missing-adult reports without delay. Brandon's Law was amended to Minnesota's existing missing-child legislation and came into effect in 2009. Annette said: "You know people don't vanish into thin air, but it sure seems like he did."
