Searchers, family remain hopeful

By Rae Kruger


rkruger@marshallindependent.com



The search for Brandon Swanson, 19, of Marshall is expected to continue Saturday in Lincoln County near the border with Lyon County, Lyon County Sheriff Joel Dahl said late Friday afternoon.

Brandon Swanson has been missing since early Wednesday morning.

Dahl said he and Lincoln County Sheriff Jack Vizecky were not calling the search a recovery effort yet, although part of the search has focused on the Yellow Medicine River and water areas near it.

“By this weekend, we will probably be at that point,” Dahl said. “We can hold out hope, but he’s just not making contact...We’re actually searching the water because we are thinking he could be there.”

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

“We’re hopeful; we’re still hopeful we’ll find him,” his father Brian Swanson said Friday morning. “There is still a chance. Maybe not a great chance, but there is still a chance.”

Dahl said the search and rescue dogs had returned to the Twin Cities Friday afternoon, and he was not sure if a boat would be used today.

The water had receded, and that would help with the search today, Dahl said.

Brandon Swanson was reported missing by his parents after two cell phone calls between him and his father, Dahl said. Brandon Swanson had told his father he ran his car into a ditch near Lynd, the sheriff’s office said.

The second phone call, made by Brian Swanson to his son, came to an abrupt end, Dahl said.

Brandon Swanson was not near Lynd, it was learned later Wednesday morning, but had been in the ditch along the Lincoln and Lyon County border line road, the sheriff’s office said.

Search and rescue dogs on Thursday drew the search west toward water and the Yellow Medicine River in Lincoln County, just across the road from where searches had been focused on Wednesday afternoon and part of Thursday, Dahl said.

Searchers continued to look east along the Yellow Medicine River toward Taunton in Lyon County on Friday, as boat and other searchers looked west along the river in Lincoln County, Dahl said.

The family had first started to search for Swanson near Lynd, Dahl said.

When the family did not find him a few hours later, the sheriff’s office was contacted, Dahl said.

It was learned later through cellular telephone company records, Brandon Swanson was closer to the Taunton and Minneota area because the tower that handled the two phone calls was near Minneota, Dahl said.

Brandon Swanson had called his parents between 1:30-2 a.m. Wednesday and said his car had gone into the ditch near Lynd, Dahl said. Brian Swanson called his son back and they were to meet at the Lyndwood, a bar and grill in Lynd, Dahl said. Brandon Swanson was apparently returning to Marshall from Canby, Dahl said. He had apparently been driving on a field road when his car went into the ditch at the Lincoln County line road, Dahl said.

Dahl said Brian Swanson said his son told him he was not hurt and Brandon Swanson was coherent during the phone conversations.

“(Brandon) was talking about fences and water,” Dahl said. “So that is consistent with the area (searched on Friday) There are fences in the area, there is water in the area.”

The water in the Lincoln County search area is about 10 feet deep in some areas, Dahl said. There are river areas where the water depth is less and some “where it’s fairly easy to (get through),” Dahl said.

Dahl said he has no reason to believe Brandon Swanson might have been impaired at the time of the accident or the phone calls.

Brandon Swanson had been in Lynd, and went from Lynd to Canby and was apparently returning from Canby when his car went into the ditch near Taunton, Dahl said.