In May 2008, a college student in rural Minnesota called his parents for help after driving into a ditch. He was calm, clear-headed, and chatting with his dad while walking toward what he believed was the nearest town. Then, mid-conversation, Brandon Swanson suddenly exclaimed, “Oh, shit”—and was never heard from again. What followed is one of the most baffling and frustrating missing persons cases in recent history, raising questions about search efforts, rural landscapes, and how someone can vanish without a trace… even while on the phone.

https://www.reddit.com/r/UnsolvedMysteries/comments/1hmvopc/brandon_lawsons_dna_has_confirmed_his_remains/

https://www.grandforksherald.com/news/the-vault/rural-roads-of-minnesota-remain-last-known-location-of-19-year-old-brandon-swanson-1

https://medium.com/the-shadow/vanished-in-the-dark-where-is-brandon-swanson-d5d99bfde9a7

https://kroc.com/brandon-swanson-minnesota-missing/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Brandon_Swanson

https://www.reddit.com/r/UnsolvedMysteries/comments/1d5zq8v/disappearance_of_brandon_swanson/?rdt=61686

https://allthatsinteresting.com/history-uncovered/brandon-swanson

https://discover.hubpages.com/politics/Missing-Since-2008-Brandon-Swanson

In 2016, a man’s luxury car gets banged up in a bizarre accident—and what starts as a dispute over repair costs spirals into one of the most disturbing criminal conspiracies we’ve ever covered. This episode dives into an unhinged scheme involving revenge, deception, and a plot so twisted it sounds like a TV crime drama. But it’s all real. And it all happened in a small town in Mississippi. Buckle up.

https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/ms-court-of-appeals/2118244.html

https://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/story/news/crime/2019/09/24/trial-begins-man-accused-plot-kill-mississippi-billionaire/2427209001/

https://www.wdam.com/story/34032730/court-files-plans-to-kidnap-rape-and-kill-ihl-board-member/

https://www.columbianprogress.com/local-news/trial-set-duff-case

https://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/story/news/crime/2019/09/26/man-guilty-all-charges-plot-against-mississippi-businessman/2439069001/

https://themississippilink.com/news/3-charged-with-plotting-death-of-mississippi-businessman/

https://www.wdam.com/2019/09/26/suspect-plot-kidnap-extort-prominent-businessman-found-guilty/

In 2002, 11-year-old Shawn Hornbeck vanished while biking to a friend’s house in rural Missouri, triggering a desperate, years-long search. Four years later, a break in an unrelated case led authorities to a shocking discovery—Shawn was alive. This episode unpacks the chilling details of his abduction, the incredible rescue sparked by another boy’s kidnapping, and the dark truth about Michael Devlin, the man behind both crimes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shawn_Hornbeck_Foundation

https://fox2now.com/news/15-years-since-the-missouri-miracle-how-two-kidnapped-boys-were-found/

https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna26876426

https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a32945636/michelle-mcnamara-shawn-hornbeck-kidnapping-case-true-story/

https://people.com/crime/shawn-hornbeck-ben-ownby-today-anniversary-abduction-confession/

https://www.thenortherner.com/news/2007/01/17/kidnapped-mo-boy-apparently-posted-photos-of-himself-online-contacted-his-parents-site/

https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna16632968

https://www.newsweek.com/what-shawn-went-through-98799

https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=3711106&page=1

https://www.npr.org/transcripts/6898805?ft=nprml&f=6898805

https://www.riverbender.com/news/details/missouri-miracle-today-marks-14-years-since-shawn-hornbeck-and-ben-ownby-found-46988.cfm