Brandon Lawson, a 26-year-old man from Texas, vanished under mysterious circumstances on August 9, 2013.
Brandon Lawson called his brother, Kyle, at around 12:30 a.m. to report that he had run out of gas on Highway 277, a desolate stretch of road between San Angelo and Bronte, Texas.
When his brother Kyle got to where Lawson was, he saw his truck but Lawson was nowhere to be found.
He has not been seen by anyone since that day.
Disappearance
On the evening of August 8, 2013, Brandon Lawson returned to his home in San Angelo, Texas.
He lived there with his girlfriend of ten years, Ladessa Lofton.
The couple had a heated argument between 10:45 and 11:00 p.m.
Ladessa was upset because Brandon hadn't come home the previous night and she suspected he was using drugs again.
Although Brandon had struggled with substance abuse, he had been clean for about six months.
However, Brandon’s brother, Kyle, later revealed that Brandon had used methamphetamines shortly before his disappearance.
At around 11:30 p.m., after the heated argument, Brandon called his father, who lived in Crowley, Texas, approximately three hours away from San Angelo, and informed him that he was on his way.
By 11:54 p.m., Brandon left his house in his silver Ford F-150 truck, and drove towards his father's home.
In the early hours of August 9, around 12:30 a.m., Brandon called Kyle and said that he had run out of gas on U.S. Route 277, between San Angelo and Bronte, Texas.
During this call, Brandon mentioned that "the Mexicans in the neighborhood are chasing me out of town"
Kyle immediately asked him if he was hallucinating, but Brandon denied it.
Kyle, his wife, and their 4-year-old child went to Ladessa’s house to get a fuel container and then headed towards Brandon's location.
They tried to keep in touch with Brandon, but he wouldn’t stay on the phone for long, often hanging up after a few sentences.
At 12:50 a.m., Brandon made a 911 call that connected to a local nursing home in Robert Lee, Texas.
He told the operator that he had run out of gas and needed the police. His statements during the call were confused and incoherent.
He said, "Yes, I'm in the middle of a field [inaudible] pulled some guys over, right here going toward Abilene, on both sides," and "My truck ran out of gas. There's one car here. The guy's chasing [inaudible] to the woods. Please hurry!"
Listen to part of the 911 call below
A few minutes later, at 12:56 a.m., a trucker also called 911 to report that Brandon’s truck was parked hazardously on the road.
Between 12:50 and 1:15 a.m., Brandon made and received multiple calls with Kyle, Ladessa, a neighbor, and the 911 dispatcher.
However, due to poor cell phone reception, many of these calls went straight to voicemail.
Shortly after 1 a.m., a sheriff's deputy arrived at Brandon’s truck, but Brandon was nowhere to be found.
Kyle reached the truck around 1:10 a.m. and was on the phone with Brandon, who said, "I can see you; I'm right here," but neither Kyle nor the deputy could see him.
At 1:18 a.m., Kyle spoke with Brandon, who sounded out of breath and claimed he was bleeding.
After 1:19 a.m., all calls to Brandon's phone went directly to voicemail.
Kyle initially thought he was hiding in nearby bushes because he had an outstanding warrant for an old drug charge.
Brandon had been charged with possession of drugs with the intent to deliver, which resulted in a hefty fine that he and Ladessa were saving up money to pay.
After speaking with the officer, Kyle drove a short distance up the road and parked, waiting for Brandon to appear.
After about 30 to 45 minutes without any sign of Brandon, Kyle left, leaving the gas can in the back of Brandon’s truck.
Kyle didn't know how serious the situation was at this time.
Brandon never mentioned an attack or anyone else being present that night when he called Kyle, so he assumed he was hiding from the cops.
When he said he was bleeding, Kyle thought it was probably from tripping and not from an attack.
Kyle returned to the truck around 5 a.m. and was surprised to find that Brandon still had not come back to his truck.
The truck was towed away around 8 a.m.
The Investigation, Theories and Speculation
After several days without any contact or updates on Brandon, Ladessa filed a missing person report for him.
Initially, law enforcement suspected Kyle might be involved, either by helping Brandon run away or through foul play.
To clear his name, Kyle agreed to take a polygraph test, and he passed two separate tests.
The area where Brandon vanished has been thoroughly searched multiple times, both on foot and from above.
Thermal imaging cameras, plane searches, and cadaver dogs were utilized in the days following his disappearance.
Additionally, a private investigator hired by the Lawson family conducted helicopter searches but couldn't find anything.
The terrain where Brandon disappeared is extremely rugged, inhabited by wild hogs and rattlesnakes.
His last known location was near the Colorado River, which was experiencing severe droughts at the time, making the water only knee-deep at its highest.
Some listeners of the 911 call believe they can hear gunshots in the background, but Kyle insists it was the sound of cars driving on the bridge over the Colorado River.
None of Brandon’s belongings, such as his phone, keys, or wallet, have ever been recovered.
So, what happened to Brandon Lawson?
Deputy Neal of the Coke County Sheriff’s Office believes Brandon walked back to the highway and got a ride.
Law enforcement unanimously reports that foul play was not a factor and believes a body would have been found if Brandon was still in Coke County.
However, the Lawson family insists Brandon would never abandon his family, and Kyle denies that Brandon was hallucinating from drugs.
Many think the 911 call suggests foul play, while others believe it indicates drug-induced mania, leading to Brandon succumbing to the elements.
There is no shortage of conspiracy theories, ranging from abduction by drug cartels, the trucker who called 911, to police cover-ups.
Recent Developments
In February 2022, a search party led by advocate Jason Watts located clothing identified as Brandon Lawson's near his last known location.
This discovery led the Texas Rangers to conduct a further search in the area, which ultimately resulted in the finding of human remains.
The family and authorities believe that these remains are likely to belong to Brandon Lawson, although DNA results are still pending as of May 202.
We can only hope that this case is solved with the DNA results.
Until then, we can't help but wonder how a 26-year-old father of four could seemingly vanish into thin air.
Sources:
Comments
Post a Comment