Subject: Re: [MSAR] Request for Help--Brandon Swanson Search
Date: Sat, 30 Jan 2010 17:59:25 -0800 (PST)
So far, I agree with all the ideas I've heard.
My .02 would be:
-I'm still curious about if that Bastard Search probability was investigated.
-check the local "rivers" as was suggested above, their levels at that and later times of the year. Hydrodynamics should be taken into consideration. Direction of flow, downstream hang ups and dams, etc.
-the "Oh shi---" was heard reportedly by the father. This denotes a certain level of surprise and/or fear by the caller. If it is expected he exclaimed that because he fell, then what elevation changes are in the area should be looked at. Something higher than 10ft in the dark that could've made him say such a thing and for the phone to "go dead". Did the phone strike something and quit working or was it submerged in water
and shorted out? Either way there are some things to look at. IF it was just a fall, not into water, there could still be the phone laying around for an article dog (a really good one after this amount of time) to find.
-the cell phone track is a good idea, but unless during his "47-minute cell-phone conversation" he walked out of range of one cell tower and into the coverage area of another, then you may not get a direction of travel from those logs. Also, I don't know how long those logs are kept. And further, how many of you have attempted on a LIVE search to get a phone company to release their info? Like squeezin blood from a turnip. But I'd still try.
-in regards to the multiple hits by HRD dogs in the area, I'd surmise that is probably due to dismemberment by animals. Parts drug off for eating and decomp scent left in various places by uneaten parts or pieces of clothing. OR, maybe another scent source in the area. Has anyone looked
into previous unrelated incidents of human remains in that area?? Maybe a burial ground of settlers from long ago? Indians? etc... Either way, a fresh set of noses might help (politics and jursidictions aside). Not any noses but look into nationally recognized, certified, and experienced teams.
Good luck on this and thank you for the opportunity for us to help.
Dana McGuire President, LESAR
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I forwarded your request for help, minus the links, to MSAR-Riders.
MSAR-Riders had a similar request for help in 2008, from a member. We handled it by developing a topic on Wikiversity. Although only a few members participated, it allowed us to collaboratively start on a search plan. One problem in the actual search was a narrowing of attention onto just one scenario, involving a search dog track north of town that turned out to be spurious. We did not get far before the subject was found in a cornfield east of town, during harvesting of the corn. In hindsight, the area east of town should have been a high priority, because the subject had been rescued previously in that area. It appears he was in the habit of riding his tricycle to that
area to help himself to corn, and that is what he was doing when he passed away.
Below is a forwarded e-mail from the original sender, Jeff Hasse, dated Friday, Jan 29, 2010. This is my second try; my first try had a typo in the To: field and was undeliverable.
Una
----------------------------- snip here --------------------------------
Colleagues,
We have a very difficult missing person case here in Minnesota that I hope might interest you. On May 14th, 2008, 19-year-old Brandon Swanson of Marshall, MN disappeared while walking in a rural area of southwestern MN. He had been at a gathering of friends that evening and was on his way home when the car he was driving became stuck in a ditch. He contacted his parents to come get him but was apparently quite disoriented and gave them directions
to a location 20 miles away from his position. He became frustrated with the wait and began walking towards what he thought was a nearby tavern and directed his parents there. During a 47-minute cell-phone conversation with his father, he described walking down gravel roads, then leaving the road to travel cross-country. The phone call ended when--according to his father--it sounded like he slipped, uttered "Oh S***," and the phone went dead. He hasn't been seen or heard from since.
The local Sheriff's Offices (there were three counties involved), community volunteers, and the family conducted a large search for approximately two weeks before we were asked to become involved. None of the local resources had any formal SAR training. While a formal Search Manager became involved in the search about a week and a half into the search, he only had had a single search
management course and very little experience. Initial search efforts focused on the Yellow Medicine River. Our teams conducted nine days of searching throughout the summer and fall of 2008 working with the family's Search Manager and the Sheriffs directly. By late fall of 2008, the family had lost confidence in the initial Search Manager and asked that I take over the search with the Sheriff's consent.
We conducted an extensive reconstruction of the search efforts to date throughout the winter of 2008-2009. In February of 2009, a number of experienced Search Managers met for a planning meeting which included a review of the circumstances of his disappearance, subject profile, scenario analysis, containment analysis, etc. A Search Plan was established.
In March of 2009, we resumed our limited continuous search conducting 25 days of searching over
the spring, summer, and fall. At this point, we are primarily using Human Remains Detection (HRD) dogs in the search. The remains are fully disarticulated and likely well hidden by tall grass, water, or possibly even soil as his remains may have been tilled into one of the many farm fields in the area, so HRD dogs are our best sensors for the conditions. The dogs have amassed a huge body of evidence suggesting that his remains are located to the northwest of the LKP (his abandoned car). However, we have not been able to physically locate any remains as of yet. The search is currently suspended due to deep snow in the area.
During this winter, we are taking another look at all our data hoping to narrow the search. This is why I am writing you. This has been a very large search (over 120 square miles searched) with very frustrating results (lots of canine
interest, but unable to pinpoint the source). The management team thought it would be a good idea to add your expertise to the mix. Have any of you ever been involved in a search with this amount of canine interest from so far away? Does the pattern of interest suggest anything to you? Have we missed anything? We would be interested in your thoughts.
All of the briefing materials, search plan, and summary reports are available on a Box.net site.
[Please e-mail Jeff for links. --Una]
Both the family and the Sheriff to whom I report have approved the release of this information. However, since it is an active case, I ask that you treat it as confidential. If you would like to share the links with anyone, please email me.
I will be happy to answer your questions
regarding the case. I am currently working on an overall Case Summary which I will post when I complete it. Your comments can be directed to the list or to me directly at jhasse@comcast.net. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Jeff Hasse President, Midwest Technical Rescue Training Associates Vice-President, Search, Rescue, and Recovery Resources of Minnesota Director, Jon Francis Foundation
There is a 45 minute cell phone track from the vehicle to the "o-shit". This should have given you a very good PLK. The track should also indicate how disoriented he was. It is doubtful at this point that visually identifiable remains will be found after almost 2 years.
It is unlikely that the body is more than a mile from the end of call location unless he was not disoriented or otherwise diminished in capacity. I presume a bastard search has been conducted and no evidence of planned disappearance or transport from the scene has been found.
You mention a river. If the river is within the probable distance from the PLK and you believe he fell in and drowned you will not recover anything at this point unless the water has been cold enough to
stop decomposition.
I find it difficult to believe that a farmer would have driven his equipment over the body if it was reasonably intact at the time. Most farmers are too
protective of their machines to hit anything in a field. A body would really mess up the equipment or possibly hang on the plowshares.
Below is a forwarded e-mail from the original sender, Jeff Hasse, dated Friday, Jan 29, 2010. This is my second try; my first try had a typo in the To: field and was undeliverable.
I was involved in the search worked up on Wikiversity.?This was Una's first attempt at using the website as a colaborative tool for MSAR.?I strongly urge that?the?Brandon Swanson?case use be put in Wikiversity as a way of sharing information and ideas.? While there is a little learning curve, if I could work with the system, anyone can.? This is a powerful tool, which Una has mastered.? She will be able to help the rest of us collaborate.? This web site has the potential of getting the best minds in the country involved in local searches.? Let's learn how to use it.
Lois Guyon LaSalle County, IL Sheriff's MSAR Posse
I forwarded your request for help, minus the links, to MSAR-Riders.
MSAR-Riders had a similar request for help in 2008, from a member. We handled it by developing a topic on Wikiversity.? Although only a few members participated, it allowed us to collaboratively start on a search plan.? One problem in the actual search was a narrowing of attention onto just one scenario, involving a search dog track north of town that turned out to be spurious.? We did not get far before the subject was found in a cornfield east of town, during harvesting of the corn.? In hindsight, the area east of town should have been a high priority, because the subject had been rescued previously
in that area.? It appears he was in the habit of riding his tricycle to that area to help himself to corn, and that is what he was doing when he passed away.
I too am wondering about the cell phone call, and if anyone obtained cell tower records. If he was walking while talking, the records may reflect his direction of travel. Also, they would validate (or not) the story he told his father about getting the car stuck where it was found and walking from there.
What crops are grown in this
area? And how tall were they when the subject disappeared?
My experience digging stuff out of fertile fields is limited, but I have found clothing that is still recognizable years later. So I would look for pieces of cloth in fields that are freshly plowed or freshly harvested. However, Irv has a point about whether someone could drive a tractor or plow over a reasonably new corpse without noticing.
Is it known what the subject was wearing when last seen?
Would the subject's cell phone give a good signal by metal detector?
I would want to be sure the dogs are trained not to alert on dead woodchuck or other field critter.
I agree the likelihood of finding recoverable human remains is very small given the effects of two years of weather and predation. I am also concerned about the numerous indications by the HRD canines, although my experience in this area is very limited. It may be possible to locate other evidence, such as the cell phone. I understand this must be very hard on the family as they were in communication with the
subject.
"In that day there will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, 'Holy to the Lord.' " Zechariah 14:20
> [Original Message] > From: Una Smith <una.smith@att.net> > To: Mounted search and rescue <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org> > Date: 1/29/2010 6:06:53 PM > Subject: Re: [MSAR] Request for Help--Brandon Swanson Search > > I too am wondering about the cell phone call, and if anyone obtained > cell tower records. If he was walking while talking, the records
may > reflect his direction of travel. Also, they would validate (or not) > the story he told his father about getting the car stuck where it was > found and walking from there. > > What crops are grown in this area? And how tall were they when the > subject disappeared? > > My experience digging stuff out of fertile fields is limited, but I > have found clothing that is still recognizable years later. So I > would look for pieces of cloth in fields that are freshly plowed or > freshly harvested. However, Irv has a point about whether someone > could drive a tractor or plow over a reasonably new corpse without > noticing. > > Is it known what the subject was wearing when last seen? > > Would the subject's cell phone give a good signal by metal detector? > > I would want to be sure the dogs are trained not to
alert on dead > woodchuck or other field critter. > > Una > _______________________________________________ > MSAR-Riders mailing list > MSAR-Riders@lists.ibiblio.org > http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/msar-riders -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/msar-riders/attachments/20100129/486e3294/attachment-0001.htm
In addition to what crops were in the fields, not only at the time of disappearance, but subsequently, what other types of vegetation are in the area?? In the middle of May, most mid-western crops would not yet be planted or would just be?sprouting.? Even hay fields would not have been high at that time of year.?
Have river rescue/searchers been used in the river?? What is the history of water levels in the
river and streams in the search area??
----- Original Message ---- From: Una Smith <una.smith@att.net> To: Mounted search and rescue <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org> Sent: Fri, January 29, 2010 6:06:49 PM Subject: Re: [MSAR] Request for Help--Brandon Swanson Search
I too am wondering about the cell phone call, and if anyone obtained cell tower records.? If he was walking while talking, the records may reflect his direction of travel.? Also, they would validate (or not) the story he told his father about getting the car stuck where it was found and walking from there.
What crops are grown in this area?? And how tall were they when the subject disappeared?
My experience digging stuff out of fertile fields is
limited, but I have found clothing that is still recognizable years later.? So I would look for pieces of cloth in fields that are freshly plowed or freshly harvested.? However, Irv has a point about whether someone could drive a tractor or plow over a reasonably new corpse without noticing.
Is it known what the subject was wearing when last seen?
Would the subject's cell phone give a good signal by metal detector??
I would want to be sure the dogs are trained not to alert on dead woodchuck or other field critter.