On May 14, 2008, 19-year-old Brandon Swanson was driving home from a party when his car ended up in a ditch. He called his parents to let them know he was okay. During the call, about 50 minutes in, he abruptly yelled “Oh, shit!” and then went quiet. He has never been seen or heard from since.
Swanson’s disappearance is a perplexing mystery in Minnesota.
The college student was driving back to Marshall, Minnesota, after celebrating the end of the school year with friends. After midnight, his car went into a ditch on a gravel road near Lynd. He couldn’t get the car out, so he called his parents, telling them he was unharmed and would walk toward a town he thought was close.
His father drove to find him, staying on the phone as they tried to find each other in the dark. Brandon described landmarks and the sound of water, helping his father locate him. About 50 minutes into the call, he suddenly said “Oh, shit!” and the call ended. Repeated calls back were unanswered.
Authorities conducted a large search with police, volunteers, dogs, and aerial searches. His car was found where he said it was, but there was no sign of Brandon. Search teams looked through fields, riverbanks, and woods for weeks. The Yellow Medicine River was a focus after dogs tracked his scent to its edge, but divers and sonar found nothing.
Theories include accidental drowning or foul play, but nothing has been proven. Brandon’s case resulted in “Brandon’s Law” in Minnesota, which requires immediate searches for missing adults. His disappearance remains unsolved.