Vanished: Three Disappearances Nobody Can Explain

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Why Files: Operation Podcast

Episode 636: "Vanished: Three Disappearances Nobody Can Explain"
Date: March 20, 2026
Host: AJ (The Why Files: Operation Podcast)
Duration: ~47 minutes (exclusive of ads, intros, outros)

---

Overview

In this episode, The Why Files explores three unresolved disappearances that remain chilling mysteries years later. Each case is detailed with the signature "campfire" storytelling style—heavy on research, atmosphere, and empathy, but light on hard conclusions. The theme throughout: ordinary people vanish under extraordinary, deeply unsettling circumstances, and despite exhaustive searches and investigations, no clear answers have emerged.

Cases Covered:

1. The disappearance of Brian Shaffer (Columbus, Ohio, 2006)
2. The Jamison family (Oklahoma, 2009)
3. Brandon Swanson (Minnesota, 2008)

---

Case One: Brian Shaffer (Columbus, Ohio, 2006)

Segment Begins: [00:35]

Summary:
Brian Shaffer, a 27-year-old medical student, enters a well-monitored bar—the Ugly Tuna—one night and is never seen again. The case is infamous for the total lack of evidence, even in a location covered by security cameras.

Timeline & Key Points

• Personal Context: Brian's mother had died two weeks prior ("He carried it everywhere, friends said. He handled it well... But those closest to him noticed the exhaustion..." [01:30]).
• Final Night: Out with friends to blow off steam; nothing out of the ordinary per security and eyewitness accounts. He'd planned to propose to his girlfriend, Alexis, on an upcoming trip (see [02:28]).
• Bar Entry: Security camera footage shows Brian and friends entering at 1:15am ([02:56]).
• Last Sighting: Last seen talking to two unidentified women near the entrance ([04:17]).
• Disappearance: No footage exists of Brian leaving the building. Roommate Clint Florence, the only one who refused a polygraph, is the subject of some suspicion but no evidence ([06:48]).

Investigation & Theories

• Police Review: All footage and other bar patrons accounted for. Only Brian unaccounted for.
• Physical Search: K9s, dive teams, and volunteers found no trace. Personal effects remained untouched.
• Unexplained Events: Five months later, Brian's phone unexpectedly rang; a cell tower ping was noted 14 miles away ([14:25]).
• Publicity: Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder personally appeals for leads at a concert ([10:56]).

Notable Quote

“The detective told reporters: ‘I can say with 100% certainty that Brian Schaefer did not leave via the escalator.’” ([06:50])

“Somewhere in those final seconds, in a narrow window between camera angles, between one frame and the next, a 27-year-old medical student vanished.” ([16:31])

Theories Mentioned

• The "smiley face killer" theory (discounted by FBI and police)
• Possible voluntary disappearance (no evidence supports this)

---

Case Two: The Jamison Family (Southeastern Oklahoma, 2009)

Segment Begins: [19:02]

Summary:
Bobby, Sherilynn, and six-year-old Madison Jamison vanish during a trip to look at rural land. Their truck is found abandoned with $32,000 in cash inside, but no trace of the family.

Timeline & Key Points

• Last Steps: Security camera at their home showed them loading their truck “in a trance”—disconnected, repetitive, and unusually silent ([22:06]).
• Discovery:
  • Truck found: dog alive, wallets, cell phones, GPS, and thousands in cash left behind.
  • The only missing items: a briefcase (containing a handgun) and the family themselves.
• Home Life: Family troubled—financially (lump sum disability, but not wealthy), personal and legal conflicts (with Bobby’s father), and beliefs about spiritual entities in their home.

Investigation & Theories

• Footage: The family’s robotic packing featured heavily in the sheriff’s recollection.
• Potential Motives/Theories:
  • Family's feud with Bobby’s father (alibi, later deceased)
  • Involvement of a handyman with white supremacist ties (questioned but cleared)
  • Spiritual/mental health issues, and cult involvement (suggested by Sherilynn’s mother)
  • Note from Sherilynn full of anger found in truck.
• Discovery of Remains: Four years later, bones of two adults and one child found three miles away ([26:55]). Official cause of death: undetermined.

Notable Quote

“Like two people running on a program. Like two people without free will. The Jamisons were already in trouble long before they disappeared...” ([22:03])

“The $32,000 is still in an evidence locker. The briefcase has never been found. Sherilyn’s gun has never been found. And nobody’s ever explained what made Bobby and Sherilyn load that truck like zombies on the last morning of their lives. And most likely, nobody ever will.” ([26:55])

---

Case Three: Brandon Swanson (Marshall, Minnesota, 2008)

Segment Begins: [26:55]

Summary:
College student Brandon Swanson drove into a ditch after celebrating the end of semester, called his parents for help, then vanished during an extended phone call with his father while seeking help on foot. The last thing he said: “Oh.” ([32:45])

Timeline & Key Points

• Night of Disappearance: Brandon was disoriented, convinced he was near a familiar town but actually 30 miles away.
• 48-Minute Call: Stayed on the phone with his father, describing surroundings, moving toward what he thought were lights from town (actually a distant grain elevator's beacon).
• Last Word: "Oh," then silence ([32:44]).
• Search: Car found, scent trail tracked by dogs spanning roads, fields, across a river (indicating he crossed, not drowned)—then vanishing in open farmland.
• No Physical Evidence: No body, clothing, phone, keys—nothing ever found ([34:33]).

Investigation & Legacy

• Official Theory: Likely drowned, but search dogs traced scent well beyond river.
• Law Enforcement Response: Initially indifferent until cell records proved Brandon’s location far from where he thought.
• Parental Advocacy: Led to “Brandon’s Law,” requiring prompt police response for missing adults ([36:57]).

Notable Quote

“The dogs picked up his scent on the opposite bank. Brandon had crossed the river in the dark. He didn’t fall in. He didn’t drown. He made it to the other side and kept walking. The trail ended…as if Brandon had been lifted off the face of the earth.” ([34:19])

“The hardest part wasn’t the silence after the swear. It was the 47 minutes before it. The normalcy, the casual frustration of a kid whose car slid off a road. Father and son talking like it was any other night, like everything was going to be fine.” ([36:12])

---

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• Emotional Impact of Unspeakable Losses:
  • “Randy had just buried his wife, and now he was standing knee deep in freezing water searching for the body of his son.” ([09:41])
• Eddie Vedder’s Plea:
  • "So we just want to…send this one out to him and let him know who. Whoever he is." ([11:30])
• Atmospheric Storytelling:
  • “Somewhere in those final seconds, in a narrow window between camera angles, between one frame and the next, a 27-year-old medical student vanished.” ([16:31])
  • “The normalcy, the casual frustration of a kid whose car slid off a road…” ([36:13])

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Time | Segment / Topic | |-----------|------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:35 | Brian Shaffer's disappearance begins | | 10:56 | Eddie Vedder appeals for help finding Brian | | 14:25 | Brian's phone pings in Hilliard, OH | | 19:02 | The Jamison family story begins | | 22:06 | Odd behaviors before disappearance, home security footage | | 26:55 | Remains found, mystery unresolved | | 26:55 | Brandon Swanson's disappearance begins | | 32:44 | Brandon’s final word: “Oh.” and the call goes dead | | 34:33 | Details on Brandon’s trail, investigation, and legislative legacy|

---

Tone & Language

• Style: Storytelling, empathetic, detailed, sometimes chilling.
• Perspective: Balances personal histories, factual police reports, and speculative theories but resists sensationalism.
• Approach: Reiterates that sometimes, even with the best efforts, families and investigators are left with only questions—and laws and culture sometimes evolve in the face of tragedy.

---

Conclusion

AJ's closing words:

“That was a campfire story. No debunking, no analysis. Just a creepy story to scare you and the kids. And that one is true and unsolved.” ([40:33])

Each disappearance covered in this episode underscores the profound shock and helplessness felt by families and investigators grappling with the unexplainable. The host concludes with appreciation for listener engagement and encourages suggestions for future stories, maintaining a respectful but unsparing outlook on the enduring enigmas of these vanishings.

---

For Listeners

If you found these stories compelling or have a mystery you'd like explored, you can submit tips to The Why Files at their official website. The host also invites suggestions for which of these or other stories listeners would like to see expanded into full deep-dive episodes.

---

If you haven’t listened to the episode, this summary provides an in-depth recounting of the three cases, including context, investigation details, and the emotional resonance of each story.

Transcript

[Medical Oncologist]

Have you or a family member been diagnosed with early stage non small cell lung cancer that can be removed by surgery? Consider talking to an oncologist about your treatment options. Why? Because knowing your options before you have surgery can help your care team develop a treatment plan that's right for you. Learn about a potential treatment plan before and after [e-mail] that's askbeforsurgery.com and talk to an oncologist before your surgery.

[Narrator (True Crime Storyteller)]

Gather round. This happened in Columbus, Ohio, on April 1, 2006. Brian Schaefer walked into a bar at 1:15 in the morning with two friends. One way in, one way out. The building was covered in cameras. Every exit monitored, every door. All watched, all recorded. Brian was a 27 year old medical student. The plan was med school, then residency, then marry his girlfriend Alexis. But that plan would never happen in a building covered by security cameras surrounded by 200 witnesses in a room with one way in and one way out. Brian Shafer vanished. Two weeks earlier, Brian's mother died. Rene Shaffer lost her battle with a rare cancer that destroys bone marrow. She was Brian's anchor, the one who pushed him through undergraduate studies in microbiology, the one who celebrated when he got into Ohio State's medical program. She died in March. Brian was at her bedside, holding her hand when she passed two weeks later. He carried it everywhere, friends said. He handled it well, kept his grades up. He attended every lecture. But those closest to him noticed the exhaustion, the way he'd stare off during conversations, the forced smile when people asked him how he was doing. The night of March 31, Brian had dinner with his father, Randy, just the two of them. Brian looked drained, dark circles under his eyes. Randy thought his son shouldn't go out that night, thought he should rest. But he didn't say it. He would regret that silence for the rest of his life. After dinner, Brian called Alexis Wagoner, his girlfriend of two years, also a medical student. She got home to Toledo to visit her parents. Brian asked Alexis if they were still on for Miami. She said she couldn't wait. Brian was excited. Three days on south beach and Brian planned to surprise her with a proposal. The ring was already picked out. He said he'd see her Monday. Then he called Clint Florence, his roommate, his closest friend. Time to celebrate the start of spring break. They started at the Ugly Tuna around nine, a bar on the second floor of the Gateway Building near Ohio State University. They had a round, then went bar hopping through the Arena District and short North. One shot at each Stop. Nothing excessive. Just two friends blowing off steam after a brutal semester and the worst month of Brian's life. Around midnight, they ran into Meredith Reed, a friend of Clint's. She offered to drive them to their next stop. Brian said, back to the Tuna. The last place Brian Shaffer would ever be seen alive. The last place it would ever be seen at all. The security camera captured them at 1:15am Three friends riding the escalator to the second floor. Brian looked relaxed, happy even. The ugly Tuna occupied the entire second floor. Exposed brick, industrial lighting, the bar along one wall, tables everywhere. A stage in the corner.

[Co-host/Podcast Host]

The place was packed with college students celebrating spring break.

[Narrator (True Crime Storyteller)]

Loud music and louder conversations. Brian moved through the crowd, buying drinks, talking to people. Witnesses later said he was more outgoing than usual, more social, like he was working hard to have a good time. Around 1:40am Brian and Clint stepped out to the balcony area overlooking the atrium. The camera caught them there, Brian leaning against the railing, Clint beside him. They talked for a few minutes, but at some point during that conversation, they got into an argument. The camera saw it all. They went back inside. Fifteen minutes later, Brian was outside again, alone. The camera recorded his final moments. He stood near the entrance, talking to two young women. Bond, early twenties. The conversation lasted about two minutes. Brian smiled. The women laughed. Nothing seemed wrong. Those two women were never identified. Not Ohio State students, not locals anyone recognized. They appeared on no other camera in the building or surrounding area that night. Nineteen years later, nobody knows who they were. Brian said goodbye, and the camera showed him turning, walking back toward the bar entrance, moving off screen. That was the last time anyone saw Brian Shaffer. At closing time, Clint and Meredith searched the entire bar. Bathrooms, back rooms, storage areas. They asked the staff. Nobody had seen him leave. 200 people came down the escalator as the bar closed. Brian wasn't among them. Clint called his cell phone. It went straight to voicemail. They waited outside until sunrise. Brian never came out.

[Co-host/Podcast Host]

All right, quick question. Have you tried Lucy breakers yet? If not, they're nicotine pouches with a really cool twist. Each pouch actually has a little capsule inside it that you can break open, and when you do, it releases this burst of extra flavor and hydration. It's a small thing, but it makes the experience way better. I've been really liking the mint and mango flavors lately. I usually go with the 6 milligram strength, and I'll throw it in when I'm working, editing or heading out.

[Narrator (True Crime Storyteller)]

Basically, anytime I want something that lasts

[Co-host/Podcast Host]

and keeps that flavor going. Another thing I like is you can set up a subscription so Lucy shows up at your door and you don't

[Narrator (True Crime Storyteller)]

have to think about it.

[Co-host/Podcast Host]

Lucy's the only pouch that gives you

[Narrator (True Crime Storyteller)]

long lasting flavor whenever you need it.

[Co-host/Podcast Host]

Get 20% off your first order when you buy online with code Y. WH Y. And if you don't want to wait, just head to Lucy Co Stores to find Lucy near you and grab it today.

[Narrator (True Crime Storyteller)]

And here comes the fine print.

[Co-host/Podcast Host]

Luci products are only for adults of legal age. And every order is age verified.

[Narrator (True Crime Storyteller)]

Warning.

[Co-host/Podcast Host]

This product contains nicotine.

[Narrator (True Crime Storyteller)]

Nicotine is an addictive chemical. And that's why I love it.

[Co-host/Podcast Host]

Police reviewed every second of security footage.

[Narrator (True Crime Storyteller)]

Every camera, every angle. The lead detective tracked every person who entered the bar that night, then tracked them leaving. Everyone was accounted for. Everyone except Brian, the detective told reporters. I can say with 100% certainty that Brian Schaefer did not leave via the escalator. The service elevator required a key card. Only employees had access. Staff were on camera using it all night. None matched Brian's description. But the back exit was more complicated than it first appeared. A service door not far from where Brian was last seen opened to a first floor hallway that was connected to an active construction area with its own exterior exit. Officers said navigating it would be nearly impossible. Drunk. But the cameras covering that route weren't fixed. One panned back and forth on a cycle. The other was manually operated. There were gaps. Not many, but enough that a person could slip through unseen.

[Co-host/Podcast Host]

That was the only crack in a

[Narrator (True Crime Storyteller)]

sealed box, and nobody can prove Brian went through it. No witnesses saw anyone use the exit. Nobody saw anyone at the construction site. But the gap existed. In a case that seems impossible, every detail matters. Police checked cameras at three other nearby bars. None of them saw Brian either. Wherever he went after walking off camera at the Tuna, no other camera spotted him. K9 units tracked Brian's scent from the street to the escalator up to the bar entrance. Then the dogs circled the same spot near the door and sat down. The trail stopped as if Brian was there one minute, then gone the next. Police organized search parties. Volunteers comb the campus, construction sites, abandoned buildings. They searched the Alentangy river, which runs through Columbus near the campus. They even convinced the city to let them search the sewer system. Dumpsters, every alley within miles. Bryant's apartment was only six blocks from the bar. His car was parked outside. Nothing inside was disturbed. Clothes in his closet, books on his desk. Whatever Brian was planning, he was planning on coming home. His phone went directly to voicemail. There was no GPS in 2006, so no way to track it. He had his wallet with him, but he didn't use his credit cards. He didn't touch his bank account. No activity on anything. Monday morning, Alexis's engagement ring still sat in his apartment. She waited at the airport. But Brian never showed, and the flight to Miami left without him. Everyone who saw Brian that night was asked to take a polygraph. His father, Randy, took one and passed. Meredith Reed took one, passed. Bar staff, other friends all agreed. All passed. All except Clint Florence. Clint was the only person to spend the entire evening with Brian, the last friend to see him alive, the one who admitted they argued on the balcony but wouldn't say why. When police asked him to take a lie detector test, he refused. Then he hired an attorney. Later, he was subpoenaed to appear before a grand jury. He refused to answer questions there, too. Refusing a polygraph is legally smart. Defense attorneys tell clients to refuse them because the machines are unreliable. Clint's refusal doesn't make him guilty. But in a case with zero leads and zero evidence, it's the one thread that won't stop pulling. Meanwhile, the search spiraled outward. A psychic told Randy Shafer that Brian's body was in water near a bridge pier. So Randy and Derek, Brian's younger brother, bought waders. They spent their weekends in the Alitangi river searching under bridges. Randy had just buried his wife, and now he was standing knee deep in freezing water searching for the body of his son. Brian had a Pearl Jam tattoo on his arm. When the band played Cincinnati later that year, Eddie Vedder stopped between songs and asked 15,000 people for information about Brian Shaffer, the lead singer of one of the biggest rock bands in the world. Standing on stage, personally asking for help. Finding a missing fan

[Eddie Vedder (Guest or referenced figure)]

seemed to vanish. Thin air. And he had a girlfriend, Alexis, who loved him. They were planning on getting married, and he was going to med school. And he had a great dad named Randy. Came to one of our shows a number of years ago, maybe seven years ago. The website, I think, has tried to keep the issue to the forefront and keep reminding people to be on the lookout. He had a 62, handsome guy. He had a real jam 2 tattoo on his right arm. So the fans have tried to keep the issue afloat, but to no avail. So we just want to. We were taking a second back there, trying to figure out what to play, and we just want to send this one out to him and let him know who. Whoever he is.

[Narrator (True Crime Storyteller)]

Nobody had anything. 15,000 people in a stadium and not one useful lead. Then, in September, something happened. Alexis had been calling Brian's phone every night before bed. Every single night since April. The same thing every time. Straight to voicemail. Straight to voicemail. But then one night, five months after Brian disappeared, his phone rang. You ever have one of those moments

[Co-host/Podcast Host]

where you look at your bank statement and think, wait, what is all this

[Narrator (True Crime Storyteller)]

stuff I'm paying for?

[Co-host/Podcast Host]

I had that exact moment recently and realized I had subscriptions running that I completely forgot about. That's when I started using Rocket Money. Rocket Money is a personal finance app that helps find and cancel your unwanted subscriptions, monitors your spending and helps lower your bills.

[Narrator (True Crime Storyteller)]

Can grow your savings.

[Co-host/Podcast Host]

What I like about it is everything

[Narrator (True Crime Storyteller)]

is in one place.

[Co-host/Podcast Host]

You can see your subscriptions, your spending across accounts and even set budgets so you actually know where your money's going each month. It also sends alerts for things like

[Narrator (True Crime Storyteller)]

big purchases or upcoming bills, which is

[Co-host/Podcast Host]

super helpful if you're trying to stay

[Narrator (True Crime Storyteller)]

on top of your finances.

[Co-host/Podcast Host]

And if you find a subscription you don't want anymore, Rocket Money can help cancel it right inside the app with just a few taps. Let Rocket Money help you reach your financial goals faster. Join RocketMoney.com the Y Files that's RocketMoney.com the Y Files RocketMoney.com the Y Files.

[Dr. Teal's Advertiser]

Get a full body reset anywhere you go with Dr. Teal's magnesium spray. It's a concentrated magnesium blend of pure Epsom and Dead Sea salts all bundled up in a convenient on the go bottle. A few quick sprays will relax your body and mind and keep you feeling recharged all day long. It's wellness you can feel, and you can find it in your local bath aisle. Dr. Teals Yep, you needed that at Applebee's.

[Still Together Sips Advertiser]

Drinks taste better when they're sipped together. That's why they're dropping two new Still Together Sips cocktails made with still gin by Dre and Snoop. For a limited time, you could try the smooth, laid back tastes of Rollin on the beach mixed with peach snaps, prickly pear, orange and cranberry juices. Or just have some fun with the young. Wild and free fruit punch mixed with grenadine, lemon, sour and delicious pineapple. After one taste, you'll have your mind on your sips and your sips on

[Legal Disclaimer Announcer]

your mind must be 21 plus. Void will prohibit taxing, gratuity excluded. Dine and only accept with carry out alcohols committed by law. Participation may vary. While supplies last

[Narrator (True Crime Storyteller)]

for the first time in months, Brian Schaefer's Cell phone rang, but nobody answered. Singular. Brian's wireless provider said it was probably just a glitch, but a ping from the phone was detected at a cell tower In Hilliard, Ohio, 14 miles northwest of Columbus. Something activated that phone. The lead was never explained. The phone went silent again. It never pinged another tower. Some investigators looked at the so called smiley face killer theory. Some believe the serial killer was targeting drunk college aged men in the Midwest and dumping their bodies in rivers. Young men think Brian's profile had turned

[Co-host/Podcast Host]

up dead in waterways across several states.

[Narrator (True Crime Storyteller)]

Police looked into it. The FBI looked into it. Both rejected any connection. If the smiley face killer was real, and most law enforcement said he isn't, Brian would be the only victim whose body was never found. Possible sightings were reported in Michigan, in Texas, in Sweden. A man matching Brian's description was seen at a bar in the Caribbean. Another was spotted at a bus station in the Southwest. Police investigated every single one sent. Officers compared photos, checked records. Nothing panned out. Randy Schaefer drove to Columbus every weekend for two years. Walked the streets around the Gateway building, handed out flyers, searched the river, hired investigators, spent everything he had. In 2008, two years after Brian vanished, Randy was killed in a freak accident when a branch broke from a tree and fell on him. Derek Shaffer, Brian's younger brother, inherited everything alone. The search, the questions, the weight of a family that stopped existing, one member at a time. A mother, a brother, a father. Three people gone in two years. Derek kept searching. He still does. Shortly after Randy's death, Clint, Florence's attorney, sent a letter to a private investigator working the case. In it, he wrote, if Ryan is alive, which is what I'm led to believe after speaking with a detective involved, then it is Brian and not Clint who is causing his family pain and hardship. The detective on the case believed Brian was alive. In 2020, the Ohio Attorney General's office digitally aged Brian's photo to show what he might look like in his mid-40s. Dateline covered the case. America's most Wanted covered it. The Internet never let it go. There's a subreddit dedicated to finding him. And every year on April 1, people share his photo and ask the same question. Where is Brian Shafer? He would be 46 years old today. 19 years have passed. His phone has never pinged another tower. His credit cards have never been used. His Social Security number has never appeared in any database. No hospital records, no police reports, no death certificate. His body has never been found. The Ugly Tuna closed years ago. The building still Stands on North High Street. The cameras are gone. Now new businesses occupy the space. But the escalator still runs. But somewhere in those final seconds, in a narrow window between camera angles, between one frame and the next, a 27 year old medical student vanished. The footage is still there, archived in police evidence. Frame by frame, second by second. Cameras prove that Brian Shaffer entered that building. They also prove that somehow he never left.

[Dr. Teal's Advertiser]

Hear that? That's the sound of your skin silently crying out for hydration. Luckily, Dr. Teals has just the thing to get you glowing in no time. Meet Dr. Teals Skin renewal Deep Hydration. Made with a proprietary triple magnesium complex. Plus skincare actives for 50% improved skin. Skin hydration after just one bath. The words dry and dehydrated are about to be wiped from your vocabulary. Find Dr. Teals all dressed in blue in your local bath aisle. Dr. Teals. Yep, you needed that at Applebee's.

[Still Together Sips Advertiser]

Drinks taste better when they're sipped together. That's why they're dropping two new still Together sips. Cocktails made with still gin by Dre and Snoop. For a limited time, you could try the smooth, laid back tastes of rolling on the beach mixing mixed with peach snaps, prickly pear, orange and cranberry juices. Or just have some fun with the young. Wild and free fruit punch mixed with grenadine, lemon sour and delicious pineapple. After one taste, you'll have your mind on your sips and your sips on

[Legal Disclaimer Announcer]

your mind must be 21 plus void will prohibit taxing. Gratuity excluded. Dining only except with carryout alcohols permitted by law. Participation may vary while supplies last.

[Narrator (True Crime Storyteller)]

Gather round. This happened in October 2009. Hunters found an abandoned pickup truck on a dirt road deep in the Samoy Mountains of southeastern Oklahoma. The engine was cold. The doors were unlocked. Inside, a small terrier named Macy was pressed against the seat. She was barely alive. She was trapped in the cab for days with no food, no water, and no one coming back for her. They also found two cell phones, two wallets and a GPS unit. There were coats and jackets inside, even though the nights were dropping into the 40s and sitting in plain sight. $32,000 in cash. There were no footprints leading away from the vehicle. No blood, no sign of a struggle. The truck was owned by Bobby Jameson. He drove to the mountains with his wife Sherilyn and their six year old daughter Madison. For what reason, the police never figured it out. The only thing we know for sure is the Jameson family is gone. Bobby and Sherilyn Jameson lived in Eufaula, a quiet town on the shore of Lake Eufala in southeastern oklahoma. Bobby was 44.

[Co-host/Podcast Host]

A bad car accident years earlier had

[Narrator (True Crime Storyteller)]

left him with chronic back pain. He lived on a disability settlement. Cheryl Lynn was 40. She suffered from bipolar disorder. For years they fought, they struggled. But they had their daughter Madison, and made a plan to get out. In the fall of 2009, the Jamesons found a 40 acre plot of land near the town of red oak, about 30 miles from home. It was deep in the Sanboy range, remote and wooded, the kind of place where you could disappear from the world. They wanted a fresh start, to leave Eufala and everything in it behind. On October 8, they loaded up the truck and drove out to see the property. Madison rode in the back seat with her dog, Macy. This was the last day anyone saw them alive. The truck was found a few days later by hunters who reported it to the Latimer County Sheriff. When deputies arrived, the first thing they noticed was the dog, Macy was dehydrated and weak, but alive. The second thing they noticed was the money. About $32,000 in cash, sitting in plain sight. Nobody touched it. The family's belongings also told a strange story. Their IDs were still in the truck. So were their phones. Their coats were still in the truck. And October nights in the Sandboy Range got cold. Wherever the Jamesons went after they parked, they went without identification, communication, money, or the right clothes for the weather. They took nothing. One detail the sheriff noticed from security camera footage. At one point, Sherilyn placed a brown briefcase in the truck. That briefcase was never recovered. Neither was the.22 caliber handgun that she stashed in it. The cash, all $32,000 of it, sat untouched when the truck was found. The Jamisons weren't wealthy. They weren't known for carrying cash.

[Co-host/Podcast Host]

The disability settlement may explain where the

[Narrator (True Crime Storyteller)]

cash came from, but it doesn't explain why they brought every dollar. They had to look at a piece of land in the mountains. But the security cameras at their house recorded something that investigators have never been able to explain. The footage is timestamped, the morning they left. It shows Bobby and Sherilynn making trip after trip between the house and the truck. Back and forth, loading boxes, carrying bags. They don't speak to each other. They don't look at each other. Between trips, they stop, stand completely still and stare at nothing. Not at the ground, not at the sky, just somewhere in the middle distance. Then, after a few seconds, they start moving again. Same pace, same silence. Like robots or zombies. The Sheriff who reviewed the tape said they looked like they were in a trance. Not arguing, not rushing, not behaving like a normal couple packing for a day trip. Just silent, mechanical repetition. Like two people running on a program. Like two people without free will. The Jamesons were already in trouble long before they disappeared. And every layer the investigators pulled back revealed something darker. Bobby was locked in a bitter legal battle with his own father, Bob Dean Jameson. In 2008. Bobby. Bobby had filed a protective order claiming his father had tried to run him over with a car. Bobby's petition described his father as a very dangerous man. He accused him of being involved with meth and other criminal activity. He said his father threatened to kill him, his wife and daughter. Then there were the spirits. Bobby and Cheryl Lynn had both visited their pastor separately. They told him the same thing. Something was living inside their house. Spirits, entities they could see but couldn't make leave. Bobby told the pastor he'd gone out and bought a copy of the Satanic Bible. Not to worship anything, he said, but to find instructions for driving the spirits out of the house. He asked if he knew where to buy special bullets that could shoot the entities off the roof. The pastor didn't know what to say to that. Nobody did. A handyman who'd been staying with the family in the weeks before they disappeared had connections to white supremacist groups. After the Jamesons vanished, investigators took a hard look at him. They interviewed him multiple times. They couldn't tie him to the disappearance. On the property was a large metal storage container the family planned to move into while building on the new land. Sherilynn had spray painted messages across its sides. One line said, witches don't like it when their cats are killed. The neighbors didn't know what to make of it. Neither did the police. Inside the abandoned Truck was an 11 page letter from Sherilyn to Bobby, handwritten and full of rage. She called him a hermit. She said she resented him. She said she didn't need him. Friends who read it later said it wasn't a goodbye note. It was angry and raw. The kind of thing you write at three in the morning when you've had enough. And then there was the last photo. It was on Bobby's phone, taken the day they vanished. The image shows 6 year old Madison standing alone in the woods. Not smiling, not crying, just standing perfectly still among the trees, looking directly into the camera with a blank, hollow expression, like she was waiting for something to happen. Nobody knows who took that picture. It was on Bobby's phone, but he wasn't in it. Neither was Sherilyn. Madison is alone, trees behind her, dirt under her feet, and whoever was holding that phone was the last person to see that little girl alive.

[Dr. Teal's Advertiser]

Get a full body reset anywhere you go with Dr. Teal's magnesium spray. It's a concentrated magnesium blend of pure Epsom and Dead Sea salts all bundled up in a convenient on the go bottle. A few quick sprays will relax your body and mind and keep you feeling recharged all day long. It's wellness you can feel and you can find it in your local bath aisle. Dr. Teals Yep, you needed that at Applebee's.

[Still Together Sips Advertiser]

Drinks taste better when they're sipped together. That's why they're dropping two new still Together Sips Cocktails made with still gin by Dre and Snoop. For a limited time you can try the smooth, laid back tastes of rolling on the beach mixed with Peach Snobs, Prickly pear, orange and cranberry juice juices. Or just have some fun with the Young Wild and Free Fruit Punch mixed with Grenadine, Lemon sour and delicious pineapple. After one taste, you'll have your mind on your sips and your sips on your mind.

[Legal Disclaimer Announcer]

Must be 21 plus void will prohibit taxing. Gratuity excluded. Dining only except with carry out alcohols committed by law. Participation may vary. While supplies last,

[Narrator (True Crime Storyteller)]

Search teams covered hundreds of acres. Dogs tracked scent trails that went nowhere. Helicopters flew grid patterns over the mountains. Volunteers walked shoulder to shoulder through dense brush. And still they found nothing. And four years passed. In November 2013, two deer hunters were scouting a remote part of Latimer County. Dense oak forest, rocky terrain less than three miles from where the truck was abandoned. In 2009, one of them stopped walking. Something pale on the ground caught his eye. Half hidden in the underbrush, half were bones scattered across the forest floor by four years of storms and animals. Two adults, one child. In July 2014, the Oklahoma Medical examiner confirmed what everyone already knew, but no one wanted to Bobby Jamison Sherilyn Jamison Madison Jamison the official cause of death was undetermined. And that word undetermined is rare. Medical examiners almost always find something. A fracture, a puncture, toxicology, something. But the Jamesons gave him nothing. No bullet damage to any of the bones. No knife marks. No damage to the hyoid bone. Which means they weren't strangled. Four years of Oklahoma heat, cold, rain, and wildlife destroyed the evidence of whatever killed them. The case became national news. Hundreds of tips came in over the years, and none of them led anywhere Every theory fell apart. Meth police searched the house and found nothing. No drugs, no paraphernalia, no evidence of dealing or using. Murder, suicide. But Sherilyn's gun was missing, and the bodies were three miles of rough terrain from the truck. Now, Bobby's father, he had an alibi and died two months after the family vanished. The handyman with white supremacist ties was a person of interest for a while, but nothing connected him to the disappearance. Sherilynn's mother believed that the family was pulled into a cult, and she never changed her story. The sheriff who worked the case said one thing stayed with him above everything else. Not the money, not the letter, not the photo of Madison in the woods. It was the footage. Bobby and Sherilynn moving through their house like they were sleepwalking. Loading that truck in total silence, stopping to stare at nothing, then starting again, over and over and over. He said he watched it more than 100 times, and every time, it looked less like a family packing for a trip and more like robots running a program. The $32,000 is still in an evidence locker. The briefcase has never been found. Sherilyn's gun has never been found. And nobody's ever explained what made Bobby and Sherilyn load that truck like zombies on the last morning of their lives. And most likely, nobody ever will. Gather round. This happened. Marshall, Minnesota. May 14, 2008. 1:54am Brandon Swanson called his parents from the side of a dark road. He was 19 years old. Last day of college. His car was in a ditch. He just needed a ride. His father, Brian, drove out looking for him. They stayed on the phone for 47 minutes. Brandon saw lights in the distance. He started walking toward what he thought was town. Then, on the phone with his father, he said, oh. Then the line went dead and Brandon vanished. Brandon told his parents he crashed near Lind, a small town about seven miles from Marshall. That's where his father searched up and down those roads, looking for a gray Chevy Lumina in a ditch, looking for a son walking along the road. But he found nothing. At 6:30am The Swansons reported Brandon missing. The officer wasn't concerned. Young guy, last day of school. Been out drinking. Probably sleeping it off somewhere. One cop told Annette Swanson that her son had a right to be missing. She didn't accept that. She pushed. She demanded they check the cell records. Well, the records told a different story. Brandon's last call didn't ping a tower near Lynd. It pinged near Porter, 25 miles in the opposite Direction. Brandon was completely wrong about where he was. He thought he was seven miles from home. He was 30 miles away on a gravel road in the middle of farmland, surrounded by fields and darkness. No street lights, no houses, nothing but flat ground and sky in every direction. Yellow Medicine county sits in southwestern Minnesota. It's prairieland, the kind of place where you can see headlights from 10 miles away on a clear night. And in May. The corn hasn't come up yet. The fields are bare dirt and stubble. There's nothing to hide behind. There's nothing to fall into. There's nothing that should swallow a person whole. Police found his car that afternoon stuck up on an incline near a bridge on a county road. Doors open, keys gone. Brandon had taken them with him when he started walking. The nearest town was Porter, population 178. But Brandon never made it. Now think about that. Brandon grew up in Marshall. He'd driven these roads his whole life. And somehow, after his car went into the ditch, he was convinced he was near Lynd, a town he knew. He recognized nothing around him because there was nothing to recognize, just gravel and darkness and the flat line of the horizon. And here's where it gets strange. The lights Brandon saw in the distance, the one he walked towards, were probably a red beacon on a grain elevator in Taunton. A single light on top of a tall metal structure visible for miles across the flat prairie. Now, from that distance, through the darkness, it looked like a town. It looked like safety. It wasn't. Between Brandon and that light was three miles of open farmland, the Yellow Medicine river, and nothing else. No roads leading where he was going. No buildings. Just black earth under a pitch black sky. Brandon walked into the night, phone pressed to his ear, convinced he was heading towards Seville Civilization. He was heading into miles of empty fields. Then he cursed into his phone. Then the line went dead.

[Dr. Teal's Advertiser]

Hear that? That's the sound of your skin silently crying out for hydration. Luckily, Dr. Teals has just the thing to get you glowing in no time. Meet Dr. Teals Skin renewal Deep hydration made with a proprietary triple magnesium complex. Plus skincare actives for 50% improved skin hydration after just one bath. The words dry and dehydrated are about to be wiped from your vocabulary. Find Dr. Teals all dressed in blue in your local bath aisle. Dr. Teals. Yep.

[Still Together Sips Advertiser]

You needed that at Applebee's. Drinks taste better when they're sipped together. That's why they're dropping two new still together sips. Cocktails made with still gen by Dre and Snoo for A limited time, you could try the smooth, ooh, laid back tastes of Rollin on the beach mixed with Peach Snobs, prickly pear, orange and cranberry juices. Or just have some fun with the young Wild and free fruit punch mixed with grenadine, lemon, sour and delicious pineapple. After one taste, you'll have your mind on your sips and your sips on your mind.

[Legal Disclaimer Announcer]

Must be 21 plus. Void. Will prohibit taxing, gratuity excluded. Dine and only accept with carryout alcohols permitted by law. Participation may vary. While supplies last,

[Co-host/Podcast Host]

Searches started at first light.

[Narrator (True Crime Storyteller)]

Helicopters overhead, officers walking the roads and ditches. Volunteers combed the fields.

[Co-host/Podcast Host]

They brought in dogs trained to track

[Narrator (True Crime Storyteller)]

human scent across miles of open ground. Canine units with hundreds of successful tracks between them. Dogs that had found bodies buried under six feet of soil. The dogs picked up Brandon's trail near his car and followed it west, northwest along field roads three miles through darkness, past barbed wire fences and drainage dishes, then to an abandoned farm. Buildings, dark, doors hanging open. No one living there for years. Then the trail turned south and followed the Yellow Medicine River, a shallow waterway that cuts through the farmland. Muddy banks, thick brush on both sides. And Brandon had mentioned hearing water during his call. He mentioned passing fences. He told his father the ground was getting uneven and harder to walk on. The details match perfectly. The handlers expected the trail to end at the river's edge, confirming Brandon fell in and drowned. But the dogs didn't stop. They waded across the Yellow Medicine river, waist deep in places, the current strong enough to push against their legs. The dogs picked up the scent on the opposite bank. Brandon had crossed the river in the dark. He didn't fall in. He didn't drown. He made it to the other side and kept walking. The dogs kept going north along a gravel road until they hit the Yellow Medicine county line. Then the trail ended. Not at the river, not at a body. It stopped in the middle of nowhere. Open farmland. No structures, no landmarks, as if Brandon had been lifted off the face of the earth. Now searches continued for years. Every spring after snowmelt, when the frozen ground thawed and the rivers dropped low enough to wade. Every fall after harvest, when the fields were cut and you can see the ground for miles, volunteers walked in lines across the Prairie. They covered 122 square miles. They walked every inch of the river. They drained ponds. They searched abandoned farm buildings one by one. Barns with collapsed roofs, root cellars filled with standing water. Grain bins that hadn't been opened in decades. Nothing. No body no clothes, no phone, no keys, not a single thread. Brandon Swanson walked into the darkness that night and disappeared. The official story is Brandon drowned in the Yellow Medicine River. Walking in the dark, disoriented, he stumbled into the water. And that's the simplest explanation, but the evidence doesn't support it. The bloodhounds tracked his scent across the river, not into it. If Brandon had drowned, the trail would have ended at the water's edge. But it didn't. The dogs picked up his scent on the opposite bank and kept following it north. His father talked to him for 47 minutes. Brian Swanson says his son didn't sound drunk or confused. He sounded like himself. Frustrated about the car and eager to get home, but coherent. He was navigating by landmarks. He was making decisions, not stumbling blind through the night. And then there's the final words. Oh, now listen to what that phrase is and what it isn't. It wasn't a scream. It wasn't a cry for help. It was surprise. The kind of thing you say when you see something unexpected. Brandon saw something in the darkness, he reacted. Then he was gone. Foul play has never been ruled out. The area is remote. Miles of empty farmland, isolated roads, abandoned properties. Someone could have been out there, could have seen his headlights from the road, watched him crash, and followed him into the fields on Foot at 2:30 in the morning. In that kind of darkness, you wouldn't see them coming. You wouldn't hear them over the wind. But there's no evidence of that. No witnesses, no suspects, no motive, no DNA, no tire tracks, no sign of a struggle. Just a trail that ends in the middle of nowhere. Brandon's parents never moved. They kept their porch light on every single night for years. Annette left his bedroom exactly the way it was. Bed unmade, clothes on the floor, textbooks stacked on the desk. She said she wanted it ready for when he finally came home. Brian Swanson replayed that phone call in his head a thousand times. 47 minutes of his son's voice. The last 47 minutes anyone heard Brandon alive. He told reporters. The hardest part wasn't the silence after the swear. It was the 47 minutes before it. The normalcy, the casual frustration of a kid whose car slid off a road. Father and son talking like it was any other night, like everything was going to be fine. The Swansons lobbied the Minnesota government. They testified they pushed. In 2009, Minnesota passed Brandon's law. Police now have to investigate missing adults immediately. No more waiting periods, no more right to be missing. Every state should have that law. But most don't. Brandon's case was reclassified from missing person to endangered missing person, then to suspected homicide, but no arrest has ever been made, and no person of interest has never been named. The case file remains open with the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office. The Yellow Medicine river still runs through that farmland. The grain elevator in Taunton still has its red light. The gravel roads are still empty at night. And if you drive County Road 10 past Porter at 2am you'll see exactly what Brandon saw. Darkness so complete it swallows your headlights 30ft ahead. And somewhere out there in the space between Porter and nowhere is the answer to what Brandon Swanson saw in the last moment of his phone call. A surprise swear, and then silence. He's been out there almost 18 years, and he's still out there. And his family is still waiting. Foreign.

[Co-host/Podcast Host]

Thank you so much for hanging out today.

[Narrator (True Crime Storyteller)]

My name is aj this is the

[Co-host/Podcast Host]

Y Files and that was a campfire story. No debunking, no analysis.

[Narrator (True Crime Storyteller)]

Just a creepy story to scare you and the kids. And that one is true and unsolved.

[Co-host/Podcast Host]

Now if you had fun, I'd appreciate if you can like subscribe, comment and share.

[Narrator (True Crime Storyteller)]

That stuff really helps.

[Co-host/Podcast Host]

And like most topics we cover here, today's was recommended by you. So if there's a story you'd like to see, go to the wildfiles.com tips or send us an email.

[Narrator (True Crime Storyteller)]

We'd love to cover that story.

[Co-host/Podcast Host]

And if you'd like to hear any of these campfire stories expanded into a

[Narrator (True Crime Storyteller)]

full episode, there's a few I'd like to do. Then definitely let me know.

[Co-host/Podcast Host]

Remember, the Wildfiles is also a podcast you can take us on the road. I post deep dives into the stories

[Narrator (True Crime Storyteller)]

we cover on the channel.

[Co-host/Podcast Host]

I also post episodes that wouldn't be allowed on the channel. Podcast is called the WI Fowles Operation Podcast and it's available everywhere.

[Narrator (True Crime Storyteller)]

And if you're listening on an audio

[Co-host/Podcast Host]

platform, do me a favor, hit the

[Narrator (True Crime Storyteller)]

thumbs up or the like or the follow or whatever those buttons are. Those really do help. Now if you need more Wildfiles in

[Co-host/Podcast Host]

your life, check out our Discord.

[Narrator (True Crime Storyteller)]

We're about to hit 100,000 members over there. It's a lot of fun. It's a really supportive community. There's someone on there 24.7and it's free to join.

[Co-host/Podcast Host]

Speaking of 24.7, check out our 24.7.

[Narrator (True Crime Storyteller)]

I'm plowing through the plugs.

[Co-host/Podcast Host]

Speaking of 24.7, make sure you check out our 24.7 stream and the Y

[Narrator (True Crime Storyteller)]

Files Back stage over there.

[Co-host/Podcast Host]

We run episodes back to back with

[Narrator (True Crime Storyteller)]

some fun content in between. And the live chat is super, super fun.

[Co-host/Podcast Host]

Special thanks to our patrons who make this channel possible and make every episode

[Narrator (True Crime Storyteller)]

of the Wild Files happen. Every episode is dedicated to our Patreon members. I could not do this without you. If you'd like to support the channel, keep us going. Consider becoming a member on Patreon for

[Co-host/Podcast Host]

as little as three bucks a month. Get access to perks like videos early

[Narrator (True Crime Storyteller)]

with no commercials, exclusive merch and two

[Co-host/Podcast Host]

private live streams every week. Just for you to hear the whistle on my teeth.

[Narrator (True Crime Storyteller)]

It's because I'm going too fast. The the private live streams are a lot of fun for members only.

[Co-host/Podcast Host]

My webcam is on.

[Narrator (True Crime Storyteller)]

Everyone on the team has their camera on. You can talk to all of us,

[Co-host/Podcast Host]

turn your camera on, jump up on stage, ask a question.

[Narrator (True Crime Storyteller)]

It's a lot of I think it's the best perk there is.

[Co-host/Podcast Host]

Another great way to support the channel. Grab something from the WI file store

[Narrator (True Crime Storyteller)]

that is shop the y files dot com. You'll find it. But if you got to buy merch, become a member on YouTube.

[Co-host/Podcast Host]

YouTube members get 10% off everything in

[Narrator (True Crime Storyteller)]

the Wild File store forever.

[Co-host/Podcast Host]

So if you get to spend 40 bucks on t shirts and festival mugs,

[Narrator (True Crime Storyteller)]

become a member on on YouTube for three bucks pays for itself and that

[Co-host/Podcast Host]

money goes to the team.

[Narrator (True Crime Storyteller)]

That's me.

[Co-host/Podcast Host]

Those are the plugs.

[Narrator (True Crime Storyteller)]

I got through them as fast as I could and that's going to do it. Till next time, be safe, be kind and know that you are appreciated.

[Conspiracy Theorist or Paranormal Enthusiast]

I played Polybius in Area 51 a secret code inside the Bible said I would I love my UFOs and paranormal fun as well as music song singing like I should but then another conspiracy theory becomes the truth my friends and it never ends when know it never ends. I feel the crap cat and got stuck inside mel's home with MK UL truck I being only 2 aware

[Narrator (True Crime Storyteller)]

did

[Conspiracy Theorist or Paranormal Enthusiast]

Stanley Kubrick fake the moon landing alone on a film set I were the shadow people over there the Roswell Al just fought the smiling man I'm told and his name was cold But I

can't believe I'm dancing with the f headle fish on Thursday night Wednesday J2 and the W it all through the night All I ever wanted was to just hear the truth so the wap balls on my feet all through the night time.

The m man sightings and the solar storm still come to a g the secret city underground mysterious number stations Planet Surf O2 Project Stargate and what the dark watchers found. Been a simulation don't you worry though

the Black Knight satellite it show me so I can't believe I'm dancing with the fish head. We'll finish on Thursday nights with AJ2 and the weapons wrapping it up to the night I ever wanted to hear the truth. On Thursday nights when they change you and weapons I've been on. Love to dance on the dance floor because she is a camel and camels love to dance when the feeling is right, Always in time

[Dr. Teal's Advertiser]

SA.

[LinkedIn Hiring Pro Advertiser]

LinkedIn hiring pro can't predict the future, but it can help you feel confident about future hires. Because Hiring Pro combines real time insights and candidate Data from the LinkedIn network with the criteria you've set for your role to deliver you a list of top fit candidates, businesses who use LinkedIn are 24% less likely to reopen a role in the next 12 months. Hire right the first time with LinkedIn hiring pro post a free job [e-mail] Pandora

[Danielle Fishel (Celebrity Endorser)]

this is Danielle Fishel and Ryder

[Co-host/Podcast Host]

Strong from Pod Meets World.

[Danielle Fishel (Celebrity Endorser)]

As cat parents, Ryder and I know the feeling of being ignored by our cats. I often wonder, does my cat even love me?

[Co-host/Podcast Host]

Well, there's only one solution to solve that.

[Danielle Fishel (Celebrity Endorser)]

Sheba Feed your cat Sheba and go from feeling ignored to truly adored in 12 days. Guaranteed or your money back.

[Co-host/Podcast Host]

Sheba has so many incredible products that

[Narrator (True Crime Storyteller)]

can satisfy even the pickiest eater, like New Sheba Grilled.

[Danielle Fishel (Celebrity Endorser)]

Made in the USA with the finest ingredients from around the world. They are savory strips in a succulent sauce that cats are sure to love. And it's 100% complete and balanced with essential vitamins and nutrients for adult cats. Like my bill. Made without artificial flavors or preservatives. No corn, wheat or soy. To learn more, check out shiba.com if

[Pennzoil Advertiser]

you want something done right, you do it yourself. That's why you change your own oil. You wouldn't trust your engine to just anybody, so go with the full synthetic motor oil you can trust. Pennzoil Ultra Platinum offers engine protection for the lifetime of your vehicle vehicle. So do it right with Pennzoil Ultra Platinum. Stock up now at Walmart Pennzoil Long may we drive. Limited lubrication warranty for lifetime engine protection. Other conditions apply, including enrollment and receipt requirements. See pennzoil.com warranty for full details and terms.