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[Lori Davis]

Print a Poster: http://www.projectja...ndonSwanson.pdf

http://www.ksfy.com/...l/18995564.html

Tri-County Search For Teen

19-year-old Brandon Swanson.

By Drew Sandholm
Story Created: May 15, 2008 at 9:51 PM CDT
Story Updated: May 15, 2008 at 10:14 PM CDT

A tri-county search is underway for a missing Minnesota teen.

(Multimedia Watch The Video on website)

19-year-old Brandon Swanson was reported missing early Wednesday morning. Right now, crews are focusing on an area near the town of Taunton, MN, where searchers found Swanson's car Wednesday. They were able to find it by tracing his last cell phone message.

What makes this search unique is its location -- Yellow Medicine, Lyon, and Lincoln Counties essentially border each other. Consequently, several different law enforcement agencies are working together to find Swanson.

They marched on foot, soared through the sky, and rode on four wheels. More than 75 people searched for the Marshall teen after he had reportedly drove his car into a ditch.

Searchers brought out dogs and trolled in boats, but haven't had any luck. The Yellow Medicine River is so high and moving so fast it's making it difficult for them to do their search.

Still, no one is giving up here.

Speaking on behalf of the Swanson family, Laurar Hundley made a plea. She said, "The family misses him very much. If anyone has any information please contact the Lyon County Sheriff."

If you have information on Swanson's whereabouts, call the Lyon County Sheriff at (507) 537-7666.

KSFY's Drew Sandholm can be reached at (605) 373-7372.

[Lori Davis]

http://www.dglobe.co...08&section=News

Authorities search for missing Marshall teen
ASSOCIATED PRESS, Worthington Daily Globe
Published Sunday, May 18, 2008

MARSHALL, Minn. (AP) - Authorities in southwestern Minnesota are looking for a 19-year-old Marshall man whose car apparently went into a ditch near Taunton.

Brandon Swanson has been missing since early Wednesday, when he called his father via cell phone. Authorities say Swanson told his father he had run his car into a ditch, but that he was not hurt. His father called back, but that call ended abruptly.

Lyon County Sheriff Joel Dahl says he has no reason to think Swanson was impaired at the time of the accident.

Dahl says they're not calling the search a recovery effort yet, although part of the search has focused on the Yellow Medicine River and waters nearby. The waters are 10 feet deep in places. But the sheriff says the water has been receding, and that should help in the search Saturday.

If you have information on Swanson's whereabouts, call the Lyon County Sheriff at (507) 537-7666.

[Lori Davis]

http://www.keloland.....cfm?Id=0,69685
Marshall Teen Missing For Nearly A Week

05/19/2008 5:54 PM


A Marshall teen vanished nearly a week ago.

It's a bizarre missing person case that has two counties searching from the ground, water and now the air.

Nineteen-year-old Brandon Swanson's parents last heard from him Tuesday night. He called them from his cell phone, told them his car was in the ditch and he was walking along a fence line. But his car wasn't where he told them it was, and no one has seen him since.

Lyon County Sheriff Joel Dahl still has more questions than answers.

"I often ask if we're still searching or if we're in a recovery? And we are still searching," he says.

Still searching for 19-year-old missing person, Brandon Swanson.

"We don't believe this is a case where he ran away," Dahl says.

He didn't likely run away. He seemingly disappeared. The mystery began at 2-am Wednesday morning when Swanson called his parents and told them he drove in the in the ditch near Lynd, just a couple miles south of Marshall. His car was stuck and he needed help.

"They searched this area, law enforcement searched this area, and once we were able to trace his cell phone calls..."

It turns out the calls were made nowhere close to Lynd. Searchers found Swanson's car in a ditch near Taunton. That's northwest of Marshall off a highway Swanson traveled all the time.

"He was on the phone with his parents for one time at 45 minutes, explaining to them he was walking," Dahl says.

The best the searchers can do is assume Swanson was walking toward Taunton. So they're searching all nearby streams.

"We've done ground searches, walkers, atvs, horseback, airplanes, today we have the state helicopter up," Dahl says.

Still, 6 days later, no trace of Swanson can be found.

"I wish we could do more. I wish we could give them answers. But I just don't know."

The 19-year-old man has seemingly vanished.

Sheriff Dahl says he's received second-hand and third-hand information that Brandon Swanson was drinking Tuesday night, which could explain why he was confused about where he was. But Dahl says he can't be sure of that.

Monday's search from the air did not turn up anything new.

He was wearing jeans a dress shirt with a black hooded sweatshirt over it. Anyone who may have seen him or has information should call the Lyon County Sheriff at (507) 537-7666.

[Lori Davis]

http://www.startribu..._refer=Homepage

Family calls for volunteers in search for missing man
Associated Press
Last update: May 23, 2008 - 3:26 PM

MARSHALL, Minn. - The family of a missing Marshall man is organizing another group of volunteers to continue the search for him.

Nineteen-year-old Brandon Swanson has been missing since the morning of May 14 after his car went into the ditch along the Lincoln and Lyon County line near Taunton.

The search has focused on areas near the Yellow Medicine River in parts of Lyon and Lincoln counties.

Family member Wanda Scharfe says volunteers should meet at 9 a.m. Saturday in the parking lot of the West End Bar in Taunton.

She says volunteers should wear long pants and long sleeves and bring bug spray and sunscreen. They should be ready to work in different terrains.

Lincoln County Sheriff Jack Vizecky suspects a tragic accident happened. He says if Swanson went into the river, it could take weeks for the body to emerge from the cold water.

[Lori Davis]

http://www.marshalli...5.html?nav=5015

Swanson family hopes for miracle
 
By Rae Kruger
rkruger@marshall independent.com

MARSHALL — Brandon Swanson’s dad Brian Swanson said he believes in miracles and he and his wife Annette know it will take a miracle to find their son alive after more than a week of searching.

“Hopefully he’s alive,” Brian Swanson said. “It’s getting hard ... only a miracle could make that happen. I believe in miracles.”

Volunteers are asked to meet to search today at 9 a.m. at the West End Bar in Taunton.

Swanson, 19, of Marshall, has been missing since the early morning of May 14 when he lost cell phone contact with his parents about an hour after he first called to tell them his car went into a ditch near Lynd, law enforcement said.

The cellular telephone company later traced the calls between Swanson and his parents to within fives miles of cell tower near Minneota. Swanson’s car was found in a ditch along the Lincoln Lyon County line road, near Taunton, which is several miles northwest of Taunton. Searchers have looked in areas along the Yellow Medicine River in parts of Lincoln and Lyon County since Wednesday. Swanson and his father had about a 47-minute phone call that ended abruptly, the Lyon County Sheriff’s Department said.

Brian and Annette Swanson said they’ve heard the theories, the questions and the rumors being talked of in coffee shops, on Internet message boards, missing-persons Web sites and others.

“Of the stuff I’ve heard, the majority is not true,” Brian Swanson said. “People hear something and they’ve gotta make it interesting to people.”

Respondents on various Web sites have suggested Swanson is the victim of the “smiley face” serial killer, a supposed serial killer which some authorities believe may be responsible for several college-age student deaths in Minnesota. Those deaths have involved bodies of water.

Speculation on Swanson’s state of mind, whether or not he was alone and other discussion as also happened frequently over the past eight days.

Lyon County Sheriff Joel Dahl and Lincoln County Sheriff Jack Vizecky have repeatedly said they have no evidence or information to believe Swanson is the victim of foul play and there is no information to believe he was impaired when he made the phone calls to his parents. Dahl has also said it is believed Swanson was alone when he ran into the ditch and made the calls.

Annette Swanson said they’ve not paid much attention to information they receive if friends of family, say they’ve heard something. Annette Swanson said they refer the friends and family to the two sheriff’s department “WE don’t pay that much attention unless we’re getting it from the (sheriff’s departments). If someone really felt the information they have has validity, they should contact the sheriff’s department.”

Today’s search could continue into Sunday, family member Wanda Scharfe said. She said volunteers should wear long pants and long sleeves and bring bug spray and sunscreen. The terrain includes plants, grasses and trees and searchers should be prepared for that, Scharfe said.

Search fund

A fund account has been established at Bank of the West in Marshall to help defray costs of the search for missing 19-year-old Brandon Swanson of Marshall.

Donations may be dropped off at the bank, or mailed to Bank of the West, PO Box 519, 1410 E. College Drive, Marshall, MN 56258 c/o Brandon Swanson search.

[Denise]

http://www.ksfy.com/...l/19239889.html

Volunteers Extend Search For Missing Teen

By Caitlin Haedicke

Story Created: May 24, 2008 at 9:27 PM CDT
Story Updated: May 24, 2008 at 11:14 PM CDT

The search for 19-year-old Brandon Swanson, of Marshall, continued Saturday without help from law enforcement.  It's been ten days since Swanson went missing and authorities in southwest Minnesota say they still don't have any leads. The Lyon County Sheriff's office has ended it's search for Swanson until more evidence is found. But volunteers are helping the family keep the search going.

Multimedia Watch The Video
When the town heard law enforcement was ending their portion of the search, the Marshall paper and a few local churches put out requests for volunteers. Dozens responded and now, have kept the search going strong.

Today was the first day Josh Thoreson has volunteered.  He doesn't know the Swanson family, but wanted to answer their call for help.

"But I just thought I'd come out and help because if I was lost, I'd want somebody to come out and look for me," said Josh Thoreson, a search volunteer. 

Thoreson wasn't alone. Almost 30 volunteers, along with family members, spent the day walking fields about four miles from where they found Brandon's car.  It may be a stretch, but search organizer Jon Scharfe say it's worth a try.

"We're just doing our best for the families sake to try and find Brandon and just trying to get this over with so we can bring closure to the family," said search organizer Jon Scharfe. 

Since the search began ten days ago, only Brandon's car has been found. Believing he didn't get far, based on a call made to his dad, law enforcement searched the area around Brandon's car extensively. But with no leads, ended their search. But even without police, search efforts are still going strong.

"It really pulls your heart strings to see people come out who don't even know the family and working their butts off to go out and try to find him,"  said Scharfe.

A characteristic Josh says, really shows in a small town.

"We just pull together and step up and do what you need to volunteer," stated Thoreson. 

Search organizers are also encouraging land owners in the area to search their fields for any sign of Brandon. And if anyone has seen or heard anything, you're asked to call Lincoln County Sheriff's Department.

[Lori Davis]

http://www.marshalli...5.html?nav=5015

Foundation to help in Swanson search
POSTED: May 29, 2008
MARSHALL — Brandon Swanson’s family will use the help of the Jon Francis Foundation of Stillwater in the search for him.

Swanson, 19, a 2007 Lakeview graduate and student at Minnesota West in Canby, has been missing since May 14.

A news release said the Foundation will provide experienced and certified search, and rescue personnel and search dogs to help with local volunteers in the search for Swanson.

Searchers can meet at 7:30 a.m. Saturday at the West End Bar parking lot on Minnesota Highway 68 in Taunton.

The search has been focused on areas near the Yellow Medicine River in Lincoln County, near the Lincoln and Lyon County line road and between Taunton and Porter. Swanson’s car was found in a ditch along the county road line.

The Foundation is privately funded and will provide a professionally trained search manager, the release said. The Foundation will work with the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department, the release said.

Swanson has not been heard from since he abruptly lost cell phone contact with his father Brian Swanson of Marshall early in the morning on May 14, law enforcement said. Swanson had called to say his car was in a ditch, law enforcement said.

The Foundation was organized by David and Linda Francis after their son Jon disappeared in the Sawtooth Mountains a few years ago.

[Lori Davis]

http://www.marshalli...1.html?nav=5015

Weather conditions, water temps not favorable in Swanson search
POSTED: May 29, 2008

The water temperature in the Yellow Medicine River was at 55 degrees Wednesday when the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department checked it as part of the continued search for Brandon Swanson, 19, of Marshall.

Swanson, a 2007 graduate of Marshall High School and student at Minnesota West in Canby, has been missing since May 14.

He has not been heard from since a cell phone call with his parents ended abruptly early in the morning of May 14, law enforcement said. Searchers have not found the cell phone or any belongings of Swanson’s, law enforcement said.

Search and rescue dogs helped to focus the search in an area near the river in Lincoln County, near the border with Lyon County and a few miles northwest of Taunton.

Swanson’s car was found in a ditch along the Lincoln and Lyon County line road near Taunton and the Yellow Medicine River.

“The weather conditions have not been favorable,” county sheriff Jack Vizecky said.

Cold water hampers the search as well as increases the chances that Swanson could be in a deeper pothole in the river, Vizecky has said.

Although the water level has decreased, there are still deep areas and fast currents which “makes it troublesome to get in there,” Vizecky said.

[Lori Davis]

http://www.marshalli.../id/502086.html

Tuesday search turns up nothing new in Swanson case
POSTED: May 28, 2008

Lincoln County Sheriff Jack Vizecky walked an area near the Yellow Medicine River on Tuesday in search of Brandon Swanson, 19, of Marshall, but “I didn’t find anything new.”

“We will continue to search until we’ve exhausted all our efforts,” Vizecky said.

Swanson has been missing since the morning of May 14 after he lost cell phone contact with his parents, law enforcement said. Swanson had called his parents to tell them his car went into a ditch near Lynd, law enforcement said.

A trace of cell phone calls showed that Swanson’s calls were transmitted by a cell phone tower near Minneota and the calls originated within a five-mile radius of that tower, law enforcement said.

Swanson’s car was found at about 12:30 p.m. on May 14 in a ditch along the Lincoln and Lyon County line road near Taunton, law enforcement said.

Lynd is along Minnesota Highway 23, southwest of Marshall, and Taunton is along Minnesota Highway 68, northwest of Marshall.

The law enforcement search consists of more routine daily checks as time and staff allow, Vizecky said.

Vizecky said there has been no information to indicate any foul play or that Swanson was impaired or intoxicated when he was reported missing on May 14.

Vizecky said while the department is following leads, he still believes the incident was an accident.

“I’m not looking at any change in my opinion as to what (happened),” Vizecky said.

Swanson is a 2007 graduate of Marshall High School and a student at Minnesota West in Canby.

[Lori Davis]

http://www.marshalli...0.html?nav=5015
Support for Swanson family
By Rae Kruger POSTED: May 30, 2008

MARSHALL — Brian and Annette Swanson are getting help from parents who know what it’s like to have a missing son.

The Swansons of Marshall are still searching for their son Brandon, 19, who has been missing since May 14. Swanson has not been heard from since he lost cell phone contact with his father about an hour after he first called to say his car was in a ditch. Swanson’s car was found in a ditch along the Lincoln and Lyon County road line, between Taunton and Porter.

David and Linda Francis were with the Swansons this week and offered the help of their foundation, the Jon Francis Foundation. Jon Francis disappeared in the Sawtooth Mountains in Idaho.

“We ran out of places to go,” Brian Swanson said of the family’s search for Swanson. “We’ve exhausted everything. “(The Foundation) is able to get us in contact with people certified in search and rescue, professionals who volunteer.”

More than two weeks since their son called, he is still missing. Swanson’s parents will talk of their son in the present and past tense. And because he hasn’t been found yet, there is still some hope he’s alive.

But that optimism is surrounded by a more likely reality, they said.

“Of course we dream he’s alive, anybody would do that,” Brian Swanson said.

But if he’s not, “we still want to bring him home,” Annette Swanson said. “We want to bring him home.”

That’s why the help from the Francises and the Foundation has been welcomed, the Swansons said.

Not only are the Francises providing search help through the Foundation, they are also providing support, Annette Swanson said.

“This is a family who knows what it’s like to have a missing child,” Annette Swanson said. “They understand what it’s like to search for their child.”

The Swansons said local volunteers, their family members, and law enforcement and emergency personnel in Lyon and Lincoln counties have worked hard to find their son.

“We know law enforcement is still searching, but they can’t continue to invest personnel and resources like they did (early in the search),” Annette Swanson said.

The Francises understand what it’s like to search when law enforcement must scale back its efforts, the Swansons said.

The two counties continue to cooperate in the search for Swanson, officials said.

Lincoln County Sheriff Jack Vizecky said this week he and deputies continue to search along the Yellow Medicine River, near where Swanson’s car was found, as time and staff allow.

The Foundation will provide another “set of eyes” in the search, Lyon County Deputy Mark Mather said. “There is nothing wrong with it. We are glad to see (people) are continuing to search. We’ll continue with our own investigation and follow up on leads. The goal is to find him.”

Many times, the leads aren’t fruitful.

“We turn up new leads. A lot of them are (not successful),” Mather said. “Our main focus is the immediate area of the vehicle and where the (search and rescue) dogs led us,” Mather said. “We have to follow our instincts. We believe we are on base there.”

The Swansons said they know there are many theories about where their son could be, or how he may have disappeared or the circumstances leading to his being missing.

They don’t pay much attention to them unless they hear it from law enforcement.

In response to questions from the Independent on theories of circumstances of the incident, Mather said most are highly unlikely, specifically, that someone is hiding him, foul play involving another person or another person being in the car.

“We’ve heard different rumors,” Mather said.

Swanson told his parents his car was in the ditch near Lynd, but it was really in a ditch northwest of Taunton, law enforcement said. Lynd is located along Minnesota Highway 23 between Marshall and Russell, while Taunton is on Minnesota Highway 68 between Canby and Marshall.

Swanson was apparently on his way home from Canby to Marshall on May 14, law enforcement said.

“To be honest, I was kind of confused, too, until I went out there at one o’clock in the morning,” Brian Swanson said of where his son’s car was found.

At that time of the day the light pattern near Taunton is similar to the light pattern near Lynd, Brian Swanson said.

“Other people have looked at the two spots and they see how similar they are,” Brian Swanson said.

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.

Their son was looking forward to starting college in Council Bluffs, Iowa, this fall. He wanted a four-year degree and a career in science, his parents said.

Swanson was in the wind turbine program at Minnesota West, but his year in college helped convince him he should get his four-year degree, his parents said.

“He was focused on the environment,” Brian Swanson said.

When watching TV, he was usually watching the Discovery Channel, the History Channel or something similar, they said.

A Minnesota Twins fan, Swanson was wearing a white Twins baseball cap on May 14.

That hat, his cell phone and other personal items he may have had with him have not been found.

The Swansons have been searching for their son each day and said they couldn’t cope without the support of family and friends.

Their daughter Jamine is scheduled to graduate this weekend. A graduation reception has been postponed until the family can fully celebrate, Annette Swanson said.

“We are very proud of her and her accomplishments,” Annette Swanson said. “A celebration should be about her successes and accomplishments and (be) her time. Given where we are at right now, I talked to her, she agreed to put it off until it can be about her.”

“She is (very mature),” Annette Swanson said.

Annette Swanson has returned to work on a part-time basis, trying to “test the waters.”

Friends and family still encourage them to eat, to rest and offer other support.

“It’s tough. That’s all I can say, it’s tough,” Brian Swanson said.

“We want to continue to remind people that Brandon is still missing. Brandon is not at home,” Annette Swanson said. “We are still working on bringing Brandon home.”

When that happens, the Swansons will be able to turn off the porch light they turned on on May 14.

[Denise]

http://ksax.com/arti...shtml?cat=10230
Missing Man-Marshall 
 
The family of a Marshall man who went missing in western Minnesota nearly three weeks ago is calling for volunteers for another search.

Gary Peterson is working with the family to coordinate the search for 19-year-old Brandon Swanson this weekend. Peterson has experience searching for missing people.

Swanson has been missing since the morning of May 14 after his car went into the ditch along the Lincoln and Lyon County line near Taunton.

Previous searches have focused on areas near the Yellow Medicine River.

Peterson says he intends to focus to an area to the south and east of where Swanson's car was found. He's hoping for at least 1000 volunteers to help.

If you would like to volunteer on Saturday

Volunteers who want to participate Saturday should go to the first intersection past the intersection of Highway 68 and the Lyon-Lincoln County line. Take a right off Highway 68 and travel about one-and-a-half miles on a gravel road and the farm site will be on the left with a long driveway.

[Denise]

http://www.marshalli.../id/502334.html

Offering help, seeking answers: Brandon’s searchers

By Dana Yost POSTED: June 7, 2008

It's what you go through when you are searching for life-and-death answers.

"The dirt and mud and bugs. It's some rugged area in there — not only the wooded areas and swamp, but then you've got the actual river and you never know the debris that's fallen in there."

Sharon Root of Marshall was talking about the makeup of the land in the area where searchers have been looking for missing Marshall 19-year-old Brandon Swanson in a quest that moves into its fourth weekend today and Sunday.

It is rugged — land that hugs a branch of the Yellow Medicine River northwest of Taunton.

Not the kind of land you jaunt through easily, yet dozens have turned out every weekend and on some weekdays in hopes of finding any sign of Brandon.

"It's the heart-felt human aspect — this is real," said Root. "When you're in some place and you see posters or see it on TV, your heart goes out to the people, but they're usually farther away. But this is home."

Root, a neighbor of Brandon's parents, Brian and Annette, was explaining why volunteers keep searching. She has helped coordinate and assist with some of the searches, even to the point of handing out bottles of water to those in the fields.

Closure, certainly — where is Brandon? But even any sort of answer that moves toward that closure.

There is a big yellow X spray-painted on a telephone pole at the gravel-road site where authorities found Brandon's car in mid-May. But there is no other firm evidence that says he was there or where he might have gone.

"The searchers, I think they feel, imagine how hard it is for the family," Root said. "So they try to do what they can. Otherwise, they feel helpless. They want to help in some way, so walking, riding the ATVs, or riding horseback ... you can tell this is something they want to help with."

Root said she knows the Swansons take heart in the support of friends and volunteers and also their faith, and says her faith sustains her as well. Still, the not knowing is almost intolerable.

"You just pray to God you never have to experience anything like that, or have someone you know experience it," she said. "There are nightmares in the sense of how do you get it out of your head?"

Family member Wanda Scharfe sees the agony his parents are fighting and that drives her back to the mud and dirt and fields and river beds.

"Throughout the years I have watched Brandon grow up and it agonizes me to think that he is unaccounted for and possibly out there hurt or in pain," Scharfe said. "Seeing the pain and anguish his parents and sister go through each day not knowing what has happened to him — well, I can't find the words to adequately define it.

"It's a roller coaster of emotions when you are out there, because in a sense you are relieved at the end of a walk because we didn't find him, but yet crying because we didn't find him. Nor can I begin to describe what you feel when you look up from probing the river seeing your family members looking for one of their own... and the intense look on each person's face."

Scharfe has taken vacation days to help with the search and also has helped promote search and fund-raising efforts through flyers and a Web site.

"So many people have given of themselves in similar ways," she said.

Allan Hoseck of Porter isn’t a relative, but has continued to search all the same from the moment he heard volunteers were being sought.

“I’ve got three kids of my own and I guess if something happened I’d appreciate all the help I could get,” Hoseck said.

“It’s just one of those things, it hits pretty close to home. We’re just down the road here.”

While some volunteer out of a simple desire to help, Scharfe is also motivated by being family.

"I guess the fact that we don't know where Brandon is is what keeps me going back — the family is in an 'hour of need' and we need each other, and I guess being together at a time like this is a comfort in a way," Scharfe said.

Even when she isn't physically doing a search, Scharfe said Brandon and the scene ride tough in her mind.

"It's not like you ever 'leave the search,' as it's always in your mind — you go through scenarios, wondering what we could've missed or perhaps haven't thought of yet," Scharfe said. "We have been very fortunate to have volunteers, friends and family members who continue to come and search.

"They truly are a gift from God whether they are aware of it or not. Their genuine compassion, caring and generosity is very overwhelming. We need to find him and bring him home."

Volunteers are asked to meet at 8 a.m. today and Sunday at the West End Bar in Taunton to help with the search. People with ATVs are needed in particular. For more information, call 532-9115.

[Lori Davis]

http://www.keloland.....cfm?Id=0,70462
Search Continues For Missing Marshall Teen
06/07/2008

Emergency personnel, family friends, even strangers gathered this morning in the little town of Taunton, Minnesota to help search for Brandon Swanson.

Nancy Boogaard says, "We hear bits and pieces of what's going on and you just wanna help out."

Brandon's dad was the last person to speak with him on his cell phone the night he disappeared.

Gary Peterson says, "He and his father had a good conversation for that 45 minutes, trying to locate each other."

And that conversation may be the biggest clue to finding him.

"I think what he heard was a disconnect and he said that he kinda likened the sound of slipping or something," Peterson said.

Because of that, volunteers focused their search efforts on the river areas and drainage ditches, trying to see if there was any sign of Brandon out there.

"Anything...a cap, baseball cap, jacket, piece of jewelry, wallet, key, anything that would identify him," explained Peterson.

One problem is that Brandon was confused about where he was while talking to his dad on the phone. Searchers have been out several times in the last month, and still haven't found a trace of evidence.

The volunteers may not find Brandon alive, but they say it's necessary to keep looking.

Sharon Root says, "because it matters and for another thing, I know Brandon and his family and his sister and it's a hard situation for them and I want to do what I can do for them, this is something you pray to God you never have to go through."

They're still searching for closure.

[Lori Davis]

http://kaaltv.com/ar...shtml?cat=10217

100 People Search for Missing Man
Posted at: 06/08/2008 07:30:29 PM
 
TAUNTON, Minn. (AP) - Another weekend search and still no sign of a 19-year-old Marshall man.

About 100 searchers gathered in Taunton over the weekend to look for Brandon Swanson. Authorities say he was last heard from in a cell phone call to his parents on May 14.

His car was found in a ditch near Taunton.

Private investigator and search organizer Gary Peterson says this weekend's search focused on an area previously scoured by volunteers and law enforcement.

The search included cadaver dogs, people on horseback and all-terrain vehicles, searchers on foot, a special horse group, and a parachute, or special aviation vehicles, that can travel close to the ground.

Volunteers included a former dive official in Winona County, a volunteer firefighter from Arco, members of the Jon Francis Foundation from Stillwater, and members of the nonprofit Minnesota Search and Rescue and Recovery unit.

[Denise]

http://www.twincitie...8082?source=rss

Family of missing Marshall man asks for search volunteers

Associated Press

Article Last Updated: 06/09/2008 07:17:17 AM CDT

MARSHALL, Minn. — The family of a Marshall man who went missing in western Minnesota nearly three weeks ago is calling for volunteers for another search this weekend.

Brandon Swanson, 19, has been missing since the morning of May 14 after his car went into the ditch along the Lincoln and Lyon County line near Taunton.

Previous searches have focused on areas near the Yellow Medicine River.

The focus of this search will be on an area to the south and east of where Swanson's car was found. Organizers are hoping for at least 100 volunteers.

Swanson's last contact with his family was a phone call the ended abruptly early that May morning.

[Denise]

http://ksax.com/arti...shtml?cat=10230

Missing Teen
 
A search for a missing Marshall teen has turned up nothing.

This weekend, around 100 people showed up to search for 19-year-old Brandon Swanson. Swanson has been missing since May 14th. His car was found near Taunton, but there has been no sign of the Marshall teen.

This weekend's search included cadaver dogs, people on horses, and an air search. Private investigator and search organizer Gary Peterson says this weekend's search focused on an area previously scoured by volunteers and law enforcement.

[Denise]

http://www.marshalli.../id/502391.html

Private Brandon Swanson search suspended

POSTED: June 9, 2008

MARSHALL — The search for Brandon Swanson, 19, of Marshall will suspend for about 10 days, search organizer Gary Peterson said Sunday evening.

Peterson said organizers involved in the privately funded search which started about two weeks ago want time to re-assess the progress of the search. The organizers will not conduct a search this weekend, Peterson said.

Swanson has been missing since May 14. He has not been heard from since he abruptly lost cell phone contact with his parents in the early morning of May 14. Swanson’s car had went into a ditch along the Lincoln and Lyon County line road near Taunton. The search has included fields and wooded areas near the Yellow Medicine River in Lincoln and Lyon Counties.

About 100 volunteers searched for Swanson Saturday and a smaller group searched Sunday and no physical evidence of Swanson was found, Peterson said.

The Jon Francis Foundation of Stillwater, a privately funded organization that helps families of missing persons conduct searches, is working with Swanson’s parents Brian and Annette Swanson of Marshall.

The searches conducted by law enforcement and the private organizers have included search and rescue dogs, boats on the river, rescue personnel in the river, ground walkers, horses, all-terrain vehicles, cadaver dogs,planes and other aviation equipment.

[Kelly]

Let me first say my prayers are with you on this but is there any way a map of the area can be posted? Also, in which direction the river runs and the proximity of Brandon's car to the river and where he was walking? Do authorities think he suffered a head injury as he was confused about where he was? I wold just like to hep bring him home not matter what the circumstance.

Hello,

Thank you for your interest in Brandon's case. It may help you to understand the following:

Project Jason is not an investigative agency. The majority of postings here are 'courtesy" posts, cases found by the volunteers online. We do not have contact with this family, nor the law enforcement agency handling this case. Therefore, we do not have the info you request.

We are a small organization, and do not have the manpower to research cases in this manner. Our main goals are awareness and support for the families.

If you have additional questions about the forum and how we function, please feel free to post it in the general questions subforum.

Kelly

[Lori Davis]

http://www.dglobe.co...ection=homepage

Team searches for Marshall teen
ASSOCIATED PRESS, Worthington Daily Globe
Published Tuesday, June 24, 2008

MARSHALL, Minn. (AP) - A search and recovery team from Texas is headed to Minnesota to help in the search for a missing Marshall man.

Lincoln County Sheriff Jack Vizecky says the team from TexasEquSearch will bring a remote control aircraft, underwater sonar detection and other equipment to the Taunton area to help in the search for 19-year-old Brandon Swanson.

Swanson disappeared after telling his parents over cell phone that his car had gone into a ditch near Lynd south of Marshall. Swanson is a 2007 graduate of Marshall High School and had graduated from Minnesota West college in Canby.

[Denise]

http://www.ksfy.com/...l/22199154.html

Still Searching For Brandon

By Drew Sandholm
Story Created: Jun 27, 2008 at 9:46 PM CDT
Story Updated: Jun 27, 2008 at 10:59 PM CDT

It's been six weeks since 19-year-old Brandon Swanson of Marshall, MN went missing.

On Saturday, volunteer crews will continue to look for the missing teen. They plan to expand their search and concentrate on the Yellow Medicine River. Brandon's dad Brian says that every weekend dozens of people volunteered their time and he couldn't be more thankful.

"In our society, you know, just sometimes it seems everybody is out for number one, but this has proven to me that people care about others and they'll do anything for you," said Brian. The Swansons welcome volunteers to join their search this weekend.

Anyone interested in looking for Brandon this Saturday should report to the Taunton Fire Hall in Taunton, MN around 8:00 Saturday morning. Outdoors clothing is encouraged.

Stay with KSFY for continuing coverage on the efforts to find Brandon Swanson. On Saturday's KSFY Live At 10:00, KSFY will explain how crews are expanding the search to located the Marshall teen.

[Lori Davis]

http://www.keloland.....cfm?Id=0,71266

Swanson Family Still Searching For Brandon
06/28/2008
6:00 PM

Another day searching the Yellow Medicine River, another day without a trace of a missing Marshall man.

19-year-old Brandon Swanson has been missing more than six weeks now.

Volunteers headed back to area surrounding where Swanson's abandoned car was found, north of Taunton, to walk up and down the river banks.

Authorities believe Swanson fell into the river in the dark as he tried to walk from his car toward the light of a town on the horizon.

Swanson's parents realize their son is probably no longer living, but they hope searchers find Brandon's body soon so they can finally begin to move on.

“We're just sort of stuck in an in-between space. We can't move forward and we can't move back. And you're exhausted. But all the rest of your life is going on around you and you're expected to keep up with that. So you do the best you can, but closure is what we pray for,” Brandon’s mother, Annette Swanson said.

The search for Brandon Swanson is funded by the family, but there is a fund set up at the Bank of the West in Marshall.

The bank's address is:

P.O. Box 519
1410 E. College Drive
Marshall, MN 56258
C/O “Brandon Swanson Search”

[Denise]

http://ksax.com/arti...shtml?cat=10230

Missing Man-Marshall
 
The Lincoln County sheriff says that a missing Marshall man probably died accidentally in the Yellow Medicine River.

After weeks of searching, Sheriff Jack Vizecky says he's convinced that 19-year-old Brandon Swanson's body is in the river somewhere. There's no evidence of foul play.

Swanson disappeared on May 14th. He car was found near the river on the Lincoln and Lyon county line in western Minnesota.

Since then, law enforcement officers have been searching. Volunteers groups have gone out nearly every weekend. They've found nothing, not even a piece of clothing or cell phone.

Still, Vizecky says there's no evidence to suggest Swanson is alive or that Swanson is anywhere other than in or near the river.