Katharina Buczek
In 2008, Brandon Swanson of Marshall, Minnesota, was just starting out his adult life. The 19-year-old graduated from Marshall Senior High School in 2007. Then, following that milestone, he enrolled as a freshman in a one-year Wind Turbines program at Minnesota West Community and Technical College in Canby.
So, by May 13, 2008, Brandon’s academic year had finally ended. And to celebrate finishing his program, he decided to attend two parties being thrown by friends.
The first gathering was held in Lynd, Minnesota, which was about seven miles away from Brandon’s home. Later, after spending some time at that party, he left to attend a different get-together that was a 40-minute drive away in Canby.
According to friends who were at both parties, Brandon did consume alcohol that evening. However, they also claimed that he was not visibly intoxicated.
So, by midnight, Brandon decided to leave the party and drive home by himself. He grew up in the area, so he knew the directions to get back.
However, at one point during his drive, he got into a minor car accident. While driving his Chevy Lumina, Brandon accidentally crashed into a small ditch.
The 19-year-old was uninjured. But he was also unable to get his car back on the road.
This prompted Brandon to phone his parents, Brian and Annette, at 1:45 a.m., asking to be picked up. He provided directions and claimed that he was located midway between Lynd and Marshall– which was a 30-minute drive from his house.
So, both Brian and Annette hopped in their car and drove to the area Brandon directed them to. Once supposedly arriving, though, they could not see their son.
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