On a quiet night in rural Minnesota, 19-year-old Brandon Swanson drove into the darkness—and was never seen again. After crashing his car on a gravel road, Brandon called his parents for help. Calm, coherent, and sure of his location, he set off on foot to meet them. But somewhere along that silent stretch of highway, Brandon vanished.

In this episode of Dark Side Diaries, we retrace Brandon’s final known steps, unpack the chilling 47-minute phone call with his father, and explore the baffling clues—along with the heartbreaking silence that followed. Was it a tragic accident? Foul play? Or something stranger?

Join us as we dig into a case that continues to haunt investigators, fuel theories, and leave a family searching for answers in the dark.

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Brandon Victor Swanson was last seen on May 14 th 2008 in Canby Minnesota. At the time of his disappearance Brandon was 19 years old, 5’6” and 120 lbs. Distinguishing characteristics for Brandon include Caucasian male. Naturally curly Brown hair, blue eyes. Swanson wears black wire-framed eyeglasses. He has pierced ears and a small scar above his left eye. He is legally blind in his left eye.

At the time of his disappearance he was known to be wearing A white t-shirt under a blue striped Polo sweatshirt, baggy blue jeans, a black hooded zip-up jacket with an emblem on the back, a white flat-billed Minnesota Twins baseball cap twisted to the side, white sneakers, a heavy sterling silver necklace and one stud earring in each ear.

Brandon’s disappearance has classified him as an endangered missing person. Dental records and DNA are available for comparison, though fingerprints are not.

If you have any information, please contact:

Agency Name: Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office

Agency Phone Number: 507-694-1664

Agency Name: MN Bureau of Criminal Apprehension

Agency Phone Number: 651-793-7000

References

Day, J. (2022, January 26). Missing in Minnesota: The case of Brandon Swanson. Lost Souls of America. https://lostsoulsofamerica.wordpress.com/2022/01/26/missing-in-minnesota-the-case-of-brandon-swanson/

Day, J. (2022, May 13). Missing in Minnesota: The case of Brandon Swanson. True Crime Journal. https://truecrimejournal.com/2022/05/13/missing-in-minnesota-the-case-of-brandon-swanson/

Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2020, July 22). Seeking information: Brandon Swanson. https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/brandon-swanson

Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2020). Missing persons: Keeping the community informed. https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/violent-crime/missing-persons

Minnesota State Legislature. (2009). Brandon’s Law (Minn. Stat. § 299C.5655). https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/299C.5655

Missing Persons of America. (2022, March). Brandon Swanson – Missing since 2008 in Minnesota. https://www.missingpersonsofamerica.com

Reddit. (2023). r/UnresolvedMysteries: Brandon Swanson discussion thread. https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/

The Charley Project. (n.d.). Brandon Swanson. https://charleyproject.org/case/brandon-vincent-swanson

Websleuths. (n.d.). Brandon Swanson discussion thread. https://www.websleuths.com/forums/threads/mn-brandon-swanson-19-marshall-14-may-2008-4