Episode 171: Brandon Mitchener (Part 2 of 2)

0:13 Hello and welcome to the Catch My Killer Podcast. Thank you for listening. My name is Mark. Since twenty fifteen, I've written a weekly newspaper column about true crimes and unsolved Thomas Sides for the Claremont Sun newspaper in Ohio. Brandon Mitchener twenty two was a young man who dreamed of establishing his own business. His line of clothing that he designed was called make It Your Mission to Do the Right Thing. He used the acronym M I y AM. Brandon had also completed his associate's degree from Lansing Community College, where he studied business.

0:55 Life seemed bright for this kind hearted young man who had so many friends and was loved by his parents and siblings. Unfortunately, his dreams would come to an end in June of twenty fourteen, when his body was pulled from the Grand River in Lansing, Michigan. Brandon was last seen with his business partner shortly before he was found dead. Law enforcement has ruled Brandon's death and accidental drowning, but his family believes something more sinister led to Brandon's death. This is the conclusion of a two part story. If you haven't heard the first part of Brandon's story. Please go back and listen to that episode.

1:38 Brandon Mitchener was a twenty two year old man who lived in Lansing, Michigan with his parents. He had big dreams. He had earned his associate's degree from Lansing Community College. It studied business and wanted to use his education to start his own clothing line and call it m i YM, meaning making your to do the right thing. According to his mother's Shirley Mentioner, Brandon had always wanted to start his own business. He had plans which included selling his clothing line all over the world. Unfortunately, he would never live to see his dreams become a reality because he would be found dead in the Grand River in Lansing, Michigan. Law enforcement rold Brandon's death as an accident, but his family and closest friends do not believe this. They believe he was thrown into the river and left to drown. Shirley shared the final moments between her and her son with me. They were sitting around the dinner table celebrating Brandon's father's birthday. June twenty years and fourteen. Would be the last time that she would ever be able to give her son a hug and a kiss.

2:47 It would be the last time they would ever speak to each other. Brandon had plans that evening he was going to meet up with his business partner to celebrate another friend's twenty first birthday on a party bus. Young men who planning to take the party bus to several different bars and have some drinks and some fun. Meanwhile, Brandon's parents were preparing to take a trip to Florida to celebrate their wedding anniversary. Before Brandon left to join his friends, his mother told them to be careful. He told his mother, I got this. You trained me right. Shirley said she will never forget those parting words for her beloved son. The next day, after Brandon's parents arrived at the resort in Florida, they got a call from their oldest daughter telling them that she was concerned because Brandon didn't return home. According to police reports, after the party bus returned from its round of hitting the several local bars in downtown Lansing, Brandon began to feel sick from all the alcohol that he had drank.

3:46 According to security footage, Brandon was seen walking down the road on June twenty nine with his business partner following him. According to law enforcement, Brandon stumbled down the end of South Street, fell off with an embankment, and then too the river, and then drowned. Brandon's business partner told the police that he had lost sight of Brandon and had just assumed that he had gotten home okay. He would then return to his friends and continue socializing with them. He never bothered to call ninety one one or any of Brandon's family members to let them know that something may have happened to Brandon. After Brandon disappeared, his siblings and friends began searching for him. One of his relatives found his shoe and a hat belonging to Brandon. Brandon's parents cut their trips short and left Florida to return home to search for their missing son. They would come home to learn that the police had pulled Brandon's body from the river. According to an interview on Dateline, Shirley Mitchner said that there were theories about Brandon's debt. One is that he was thrown into the river by the friends he had met up with on the party bus. A second theory is that Brandon got into a fight and was pushed into the river. The police theory is that he was intoxicated and fell into the river. Shirley Mitchner had also told Dateline that Brandon's friends should have stayed with him, but then once they realized he was gone, they should have called nine one one immediately. She has spent the past eight years trying to find out what she believes really happened to

5:20 her son. She would also decide to keep her son's dream alive by relaunching his clothing line. Law enforcement told Dateline that Brandon's case has been thoroughly investigated and they feel that Brandon's business partner has been opened and honest about this case. They do not consider him a suspect in Brandon's death. Brandon's mother has said that he was a glue that kept the family together. She's told me that she will keep digging and looking until she finds out what she thinks really happened to her son. For this story, I spoke to Shirley Mitchner about a relationship with her son, how she continues to grieve for him over eight years later and now on with the story of Friandon Mitchner is told by his mother, Shirley So based on everything that you've told me, it doesn't sound like law enforcement really took this case too seriously. Nope, because you know what, and I'm sorry to say this, but I told one of the police officers, you all saw a young black boy drinking and said he accidentally fell in the river, and that's the end of the story. Go didn't go any further than that, any further. Brandon was the only African American.

6:35 The business partner is Caucasian blast Mexican, and all the other boys are Caucasian. But you didn't even think anything else. And then how dare the police officer tell me that he believed their story. See, the boys all had a day or so to get their lives together, and they all told the story because they all were together. So they all lied. And I have the interview from the business partner, and needless to say, we made it back to Michigan with the bad news. You know, some of this is blurred to me. At the airport, I must have been in the days or something, because I like to walk around the airport and go to little shops there, and my husband was sitting there and somebody texted him and said, I'm so sorry about your son. So Stephen already knew, but I didn't know. But my husband knew. So your husband knew that he was missing. Or are you saying that your husband knew he was deceased.

7:46 I don't know. I never asked him which one did he know? I don't know, but he didn't tell me. Then. I didn't learn this till later. So my nephews came picked us up and brought us to Lansing from Detroit. And there were some cars in the driveway or they were on the street, and I read the doorbell or something. And my brother, he lives in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and he was here in Lansing, and he met me at the door and he said he's gone, and I'm reading hollering, and Steve already knew. But he was so good because even in the car, I asked my nephews, I said, hey, you sound Brandon. Everything's okay, And they never did answer me. So I didn't know. I didn't know till I made it home. And there was one of the pastors for my church was here, a deacon was here.

8:50 Everybody knew about this but me, my friends. Everybody knew and everyone kept it from me until I made it home and my brothers were here. I'm the only one that lives here in Land, saying all my family is in Detroit, and they were here to tell me. And I still don't know things. My daughter, she lives in Atlanta, and she was here and he knows a lot more than what I know. Her and her husband who found him? How was he found? My daughter had called the police and somehow the police got in touch with the business partner and he showed them a spot and it was the wrong spot. So the police went back to get him and told him, all right, stopped lying. You know where you left him at, So where is it? So then they were walking some more at the river, and my daughter thought her brother's hat and shoe, so the business partner lied again where they found Brandon. So they had the divers out that night. From what I understand, it was too dark and they had to leave and go back because the water was muddy. So the next day they found Brandon's body further down the street. And I now know, and I just found this out a month or so ago, that if it hadn't have been that his body got caught in a tree or something,

10:24 they might have never found them. And I believe the business partner didn't want him to be found because he never told nobody. He wasn't going to tell anybody. Well, he knew that your son was in the river, and yet he didn't call nine one one or say anything to anyone. No, he didn't call nine one one, didn't call anybody. So when they pulled Brandon's body from the river and he was in the body bag, the business partner said, can I go to work now now that you found him? Cannot go to work? And he went to work. So can you believe it? But he wasn't Brandon's friends anyway. They never were friends. They were business partners and that was it. Never were friends. Now what was the official cause of death? I've read that it was accidental drowning? Is that correct? Accidental drowning? And the coroner said to me recently, based on the information that I've given them, that the police should contact them and say suspicious death. Something else can change, and then they would change.

11:41 They have to tell them why and there's more to the story until based on other things, the police should ask them to change the death certificate. But I believe there's a conspiracy a month Brandon's death because the business, the father, and the birthday boy never were interviewed because the moment they said that there is the Aboots now here in Michigan, the Aboots are very popular attorneys, and you never even questioned the birthday boy and his father. That don't sound right, not at all. There's other things that have happened that I don't know the just coincidence or what. But every time a door opens, the door closes. I cannot get the well, okay, there's so much more.

12:35 So after the corner told you that your son had drowned and that it was an accident, what did you think, I mean, did you think that he was just intoxicated and fell in and drowned. I'm sure that that opinion probably hasn't gone over well with your family. No, and you know, when we made it here to Lansing, the police knew when we were coming into town because my daughter told them, and the police never reached out to us. They never came to talk to us about it or at anything. So my husband had to contact them. And basically whatever they said to Steve, I believe they just said that we're so sorry about your son of drowning. Because I have a husband, never spoke to them again. I went to the police station and met with the first police officer tells me, and you believe that back in the day, I was young and foolish, and I drank, and I can't believe that I'm still here now. Backtrack a minute. The moment my daughter said that our son was missing, I screamed and yelled and said, what did the business partner do? And I said that because I knew Brandon was going to tell him that he wanted out

14:07 of business with him. And I'm not the only one that knew that. The girlfriend and Brandon's best friend knew that as well, because the business partner wasn't doing anything with the business, and he even told Brandon he wanted to have nothing to do with it because he got a job and a girlfriend. But something in my mind, in my heart when they finally told me it was accidental drowning. But when I was in Florida, I thought that the business partner did something to him anyway, because I felt that Brandon told him and he did something to him. And I just didn't think that my son would be in the ruler. How he was at nowhere near the river.

15:00 Brendon's car was downtown Lansing. He wasn't buy no river, It wasn't so how could he have drowned? I don't believe y'all. And I basically was telling them that you got to give me an investigation, you gotta do more. And that's when I met with the police officer to tell me exactly what happened, because I had met with the business partner before I met with the police, because the police were taking too long to tell me what was going on. What happened. So I met with the business partner at Appleby's Restaurant in August, and the first thing out of his mouth I'll never forget.

15:43 He said, missus Mitchener, why nobody wants to be my friend? And I said, are you serious? He said, yeah, I'm serious. Nobody wants to talk to me, nobody wants to be my friend. I said, you left him in the river. He said, that's in the past. I got to move on with my wife. I said what He said, Yeah, that's in the past. I'm moving on with my life now. I'm trying to go back to school and join a church. And I'm like, what Yeah, that's what he said to me. And I tell you it was all God, because sitting at that restaurant, I could have easily picked up a fork and stabbed him in the throat, or letting my son be in the river easily. But I prayed for him, Yes I did. I said, let me pray for you that you have a good, successful life. You have a good life, and you take care of yourself. And I gave him a hug. He never told me he was sorry. None of the boys, not that you're saying you did anything, but none of them even sent a card, even a message. Because I later found out from the police that the boys all were going to hire your attorneys because they thought I was going to sue them. You know what,

17:15 How what am I sue them for? I don't even know nothing yet. How can I sue them when I don't know nothing. I didn't know nothing, And so I'm telling you it had to be all died in my head to say, surely Brandon did not do this. It's gotta be more so. And then when the police officer assist in front of me and tells me he believed the boys store stories because they all gave the same stories, don't get the same line. To this day, Shureley doesn't know what happened to her son, and neither does the family. They just don't believe that Brandon accidentally fell into the river and drowned. We'll take a small break and when we return, we'll listen to surely get more details about what she believes happened to her son after he was dropped off by the party bus. Now, how many people were with Brandon at the river? Was it just the business partner? Have you ever figured out just how many people were actually there?

18:33 The only thing I know the video shows is just Brandon and Carlos. That's all I know. But I know that in the police report, I think there's five or six names, and I know the business partner. No, I know the birthday boy and the father never were interviewed, so I don't even think their names. Yeah, the only thing they're na the name are in there is just because it was their party, that was it. But nothing else about them is in a police report, and that's online. I also have it, but it's out there. Everything's out there. I didn't even realize that even when I do messages online about him, it's out there undescribed or something. It's really weird. Now. Is there a Facebook page dedicated to your song's story? You know? I have a Facebook page that says justice for Brandon out there. But I haven't done what I should do, which is tell the story. The only thing I think, Yeah, I haven't told the story, even though it's been eight years. I can't even write the story, which is something I need to do. I keep telling myself, You've got to do it because it's going to come a time when I need to write down what I know, because the police don't have the same information that I have, meaning that I've told them stuff.

19:59 But they didn't even go to the apartment to talk to the boy who I said whose apartment it was, And then the boys that was at the apartment, they didn't even talk to them. And the car, the person who drove the car, I know who drove the car. I told them all this. I even told them that where is the phone records to show that the business partner who he was talking to at that time? Who then the business partner's ex girlfriend sent me a text message saying that night that he text her and said that Brandon and him have been fighting. But I can't get her phone records and she can't either because after so many years, you have to subpoena the record, which is another thing. Where's Brandon's phone records at?

20:56 There's nothing in the police report about Brandon's phone records or the business partner's phone records. Nothing. Now, with all those informations, I've met with the mayor three different chief of police, because there's been three I met with them. I've asked the Attorney General to take my case to investigate. And she says there's no new information. Well, everything that I've told you is new and she doesn't know. But I told her I have information. You need to talk to me because what the police report is not. It's just the beginning. I know the middle and the end because I've had to do.

21:36 I even hired a private investigator. Do you know what he did? Took my money because he lied to me. He didn't do anything. Now I did go to mediums, I'll admit it. I've visited three and I did not say who I was. And now this is weird. I know you may not believe in and I don't either. Well, this is weird. This one girl, I know her grandfather and this one young lady reached out to me and says she needed to talk to me. And what had happened was she was going to learn about her gifts. And so the medium at the meeting, this little boy kept popping up, young man, he kept popping up, interrupting this medium's meetings even with other people. And so she said, you got a friend out who this boy is? And I think she gave the last name. And so the young lady was talking to her aunt, and her aunt said, that's her grandfather's best friend, my husband. So the young lady reached out to me and she came over here and I tell you no, lie. As they were leaving, our lights went out in the kitchen. Now there is nothing wrong with our power in this house, but our lives were going out and they came back on.

23:00 Even before that, he said, Brandon wants to see me. Brandon kept interrupting and he wanted to see me. So I did call the medium and I met but women before that, I was at work on a Saturday, and I called the number. So I worked for the State of Michigan, and so I called the number from the state job and by calling the number, you don't see you don't know who that person is. They don't know it's me. So when the lady entered the phone, she said, I surely I've been waiting for your call. Now. She would never have known that was me on that phone because it's a state phone and it doesn't give out a phone number. And on her call, she said, Brandon, stop, stop. I'm telling her. I'm telling her that I'm gonna meet her. I'm gonna meet her. And I met her, and then there was two other people and they all said that there was two other boys at the river with Brandon and he was thrown in. Okay. They told me this three different ones, and as a matter of fact, in February, one of them is writing or doing a podcast about the perspective from a medium and Brandon. So that's gonna be interesting. Yes, she said, let me know when it hits okay. So with that being said about them saying it was two other people that was with Brandon who threw him in there,

24:32 which, like I said, that's weird, but I think it was June of twenty eighteen, a young man called me about ten o'clock at night and he said, missus Mitchner. You don't know me, but I need to meet with you. While my son and my sister in law were here, and so they went with me the Croaker's parking lot and this young and you know, I had my son's search him and everything, because you know, I don't know who you are or what exactly. So he proceeded to tell and my son videotaped it what happened. Now I can't tell you what he said because once again got stepped in and he closed my ears. But it's on video. But so then we shared that video with the police. Okay, So then the young man called the police station and I have the interview.

25:32 I have it the phone interview, and he told them that it was a setup, that Carlos was jealous of Brandon, and because everybody liked Brandon, he basically wanted to see if Brandon could swim, so they took him to the river. It was a setup. And how did this guy know about this information? Was he there? This is where it's a little twisted, because he told me he wasn't there, right, ok A lot and the business partners interviewed with the police. He named him. I called that recently that the business partner said that he was there, but the boy said he wasn't there. And the person who told him is another young man.

26:19 So this other young man, the police tried to get in touch with him. They went to his house several times, they called them several times, and he was never home. So finally he called the police like four or five in the morning one morning and said I'm on my way and I'm gonna tell you everything. And he never showed up. He's still alive. But so the police went to his house again several times, and finally he told them get off of my property. I have nothing to say now based on that alone. And we've seen people arrested and put in prison for nobody and not even having a body. So based on everything between the corner and people coming forward and even gave the names of the boys, he named them all.

27:11 And you're gonna tell me that's not evidence. You're gonna tell me that you're not going to take this to the grand jury and let the grand jury decide if there's a case or not. I've asked that to the chief prosecutor. He is now retired as a December. I I don't know what more. You all want for me. I just don't know. Have you ever reached out to the FBI or the Michigan State Police for help in this case? Yes, In facted the FBI a while ago, and they said only the Attorney General can have them come in. I can't. Yep, the Michigan State Police. The one of the chief of police had contacted a friend at the Michigan State Police and asked him to review the files. Now you know, goodness, well, what's in a report is only what you put in it. So what's in that report is nothing? Nothing, So why don't you interview me? You need to talk to me the mother. So he reviewed the report and he said, I nope, the police did everything right. There's nothing else to do here. So to the police, nope, you don't need to do any further investigation. Case close. Now.

28:26 One of the chief of police and the chief prosecutor I met with them together and they both told me they believed there was foul play, but they just need proof. And then when I give them proof, they don't even go and investigate. Bring in the birthday boy with his attorney. Who cares? Who cares? Make him tell all the stuff, Make him tell you who all were on the bus, who all were at the bars? Make him tell y'all where was he at? I asked him, where were you at in all this? I was too drunk, Missus Missioner, I don't remember, oh head, you cannot. You know when something bad happens, you remember everything. You remember, You know more than what you say. You just aren't talking well, missus, miss nor, I don't remember. I was intoxicated that night, fullpucky. You made it home safe. Every single one of them either made it to their house or to another party, and Brandon was the only one who didn't, and he trusted the wrong people.

29:26 And because he trusted people, he's at Chapel Hill Cemetery and they're out. Everybody else is living a good life. And from what I know, none of them are talking to each other on social media. So if they're talking, it's by phone or something or meeting up, but they're no longer on each other's social media page. And of course I'm blocked, so I'd have other people do that kind of work for me. But it sounds to me like there is something going on with your son's death. There's something just not right about this story, and I think that You're going to have to find them right law enforcement agency or detective to take a look at this, someone who's willing to look pass what the coroner has ruled. Since Brandon's death, Sureley has spoken to different law enforcement agencies and requests at help getting her son's case reopened. She also reached out to former prosecutor Kelly Sigler for assistance and looking into her son's case. We'll take a final break and be right back.

30:33 When we return, we'll listen to Shirley share her thoughts about Kelly Sigler and other law enforcement agencies and the quest to find out what truly happened to her son. Now what the police department is handling this case. So if someone wanted to report a tip, who would they need to contact? The Lancing Police Department. Chief of Police Ellerie saught the b okay, So listen to this. Kelly Siegler from Criminal Justice on TV. She reached out to me and said she wanted my story Kelly Siegler to give us peace because there's no such thing as closure. So she tells me that she needs the chief of police and the chief prosecutor to say that it's okay for her to come to Lansing to investigate. So the Chief of police does an email and sec means on it, and he gives her his permission for her to come.

31:37 The chief prosecutor says, we've investigated hundreds and hundreds of hours on this case and we don't think there's anything else. So a couple of days later, Miss Kelly Siegler sends me an email and says, we're really sit about that to be your son, but we don't think we can take your story. She lives in Dallas, Texas. She's an attorney. I've called her, I've emailed her asking her, can you please tell me why you've changed your mind? You will not respond to me. I've spoken to other people that have reached out to her and asked for help, and it sounds like they've gone through the same thing as you, where she's possibly interested in looking into the story, but then she reaches out to law enforcement or the prosecutor.

32:28 Then all of a sudden, she's no longer interested in the story, and then everything just goes away and the person who made the request is left in the dark without any reason as to why, really why. So here's the thing with Kelly Siegler. She's a former prosecutor, and she will not investigate a case unless she has full cooperation from law enforcement in the prosecutor's office because she needs their help, and for her to do this, it has to be a team effort. So if it's not a team effort, she's not going to be able to have any success on finding out what truly happened because she needs law enforcements help, She needs the prosecutor's help. She really can't do it without them opening up their files and telling her what's going on.

33:23 And here's the thing. I don't think all law enforcement agencies and all prosecutors are willing to help her because think about this. How bad would it look if she really got into research in your son's case and she found out that there was foul playing involved and she was actually able to get your son's case in front of a grand jury. Think about this. When I just said law enforcement has had this case for eight years and nothing has happened, they say there's nothing. How would it look Kelly Sigler were to just come in eight years later and find something. It wouldn't look very good for that police department. I mean, think about that. It would almost make them look incompetent. People would start asking questions like you've had these cases for all these years and you've never found anything, And Kelly Sigler comes in and she's able to find something. So that has a lot to do with it. Yeah, But even though Carol Simon, the chief prosecutor, said we've investigated, we've investigated, but she still told her what, you can come, but we don't think there's anything else here. But she still told her she could come. So why didn't she still come? Well, just because the prosecutor said that she could come, that doesn't mean that the prosecutor's office or law

34:58 enforcement is going to act assist with anything. Saying that you can come to look into this case and then saying that we're going to open up our office and our files for you to look through. Those are two completely different things. True, I don't know, because she won't respond to me. As for her not responding to you, I'm sure that she gets hundreds, if not thousands of requests every week from people requesting her assistance. So I'm guessing that once she decides she's not going to take a case, and then she just moves on from it, and that she's already told you we're not going to look into it. That's it. They probably don't really have time to respond to every single person that they reject because they're so many. And regarding law enforcement, I think with a lot of departments, and it's been proven true that a lot of the different departments, they don't communicate with each other, and some of them won't invite the FBI to help because they're very territorial, some of these agencies, and they don't want anybody in their backyard.

36:09 And this is going to sound harsh, but there are law enforcement agencies, not all of them, that would rather see a case go unsolved than have someone else step in and solve their case for them. And that's just how it is. Yes, because here's another story. Okay, So Michigan State University and Western Michigan University both have class A department that's called Criminal Justice. So the one at Michigan State University, they have a young lady who is an assistant. He is a professor, and she was going to have her students take my case. So they take the case and they dissect it and come up with what they think or whatever or even and saw it. Sure, I interviewed a high school teacher that does the same thing. He has a class that does research on unsolved homicides in our local area. Oh okay, So this lady tells me that she wanted my story. She was going to reach out to the Michigan State Police Department because they're over this cold case unit and they assigned cases to the universities. Okay, so she reached out to them, and I don't know what they told her or not. But then the summer went by, and then I kept emailing her. She never responded. Finally, in October, she responds to me and says, I

37:43 am so sorry, but I can't do that. You must get approval from the Michigan State Police. So I reach out to the Michigan State Police, and maybe a couple of days or a week later, the Michigan State Police sends me an email and says, me and my boss have thoroughly feel that this case has been investigated and investigated and there is nothing else to be done. So we're not giving the story too from Michigan State University. Why not? Why I'm not asking you are to investigate anymore because you won't, So give it to this lady and her students and let them do it. But they won't give it to her, not at all. Another thing, the first chief of police, Chief Yankowski, and I met with him, and I met with the chief prosecutor together, and they both felt that it was foul play, but they needed more proof. So I told him, well, how do you know that the coroner did a thorough autopsy on Brandon?

38:47 And so he said, well, if you don't think that they did one, you can hire your own and you can dig your son's body up and let them investigate. I said, okay, let me tell you the story. There was a story in Flint, Michigan, and the mother her son died. They said it was accidental drowning. And the boy was like six or seven years old, and he went to spend the summer with his father because they were divorced, and then the boy ended up in the river. And so the stepmother said that he must have got up early the next morning and took his fishing pole down to the river. And the mother just saying no, this don't sound right, told my child, don't go by the water. Don't go by the water. I told my child, I just don't believe it, and she finally got somebody to hear her, and they did have the son's body pulled back up and it was full of alcohol.

39:45 The stepmother and her brother killed that baby, gave him cool, laid full of alcohol. I'm actually familiar with that story. I did see it profiled on a true crime a few years ago. Very disturbing and very sad. Yes, yes, I did too. Yeah, And that's why I say with the coroner, y'all sure everything was checked. And Bench even tells me that if the police say, yes, we want you to change the death certificate, that they're going to go back and look at the body again because it should have been named unknown or suspicious. But the chief of police won't do it. Why Why won't he answer me when I asked him to do that? Why? I asked the chief prosecutor to do an investigatory subpoena and I googled it to make sure who was responsible of doing that, and it's the prosecutor's office. How come they won't do it. They won't respond to me. I said to one of the prosecutor, okay, women, the prosecutor. I met with one of them and he wanted my story. I mean he wanted my case because one of the detectives felt that he had enough information for it to go to the prosecutor. So he gave my case to the prosecutor. The prosecutor gave it back to him. Okay, that detective is no longer there, The first police officer is no longer there. All the chief of police have left and gone somewhere else, except for the new

41:15 one. Maybe that's just coincidence. I don't know. So one of the prosecutors called me in we meet and he says, so, missus missioner, tell me, why do you think we should take your case? Tell me why? I said, okay, because if a person drowns falls in the river and he had no marks or anything on him, did he fall or was he thrown? And I said, agally, how come his death certificate sess accidental drown He says, I just want to hear that from you. And he says, Missus Missioner, I am going to do a subpoena everybody. I'm going to get all everybody to talk, and then I'm going to take the case to the Grand Jewel. He says, because I know your son was murdered. Maybe it was an accident or whatever, but I know something happened to your son that night. Next thing, A couple of weeks later, I get this letter saying, missus Missioner, I can't do any of this stuff. I am like, are you serious? And so now I still see see him and send him stuff. And one time I said to the Chief prosecutor and to him, I said, just answer this question for me. If Brandon had it in Caucasion and all the other boys had been black, would the story be different. He told him I was calling him a racist, so he didn't want to have nothing else to do with me. I didn't call him nothing. I just asked the question. That's

42:45 it. And now since the chief Prosecutor is no longer there and some and he has taken over, not as the project prosecutor, but he has another role. He's moved up. I said, well, now will you talk to me? And he wants find to me. Why can't I do? I just want I'm just so tired of reliving it, reliving it. I need with people I tell the story. I just want to know. Yeah, And it's like you just need to have the right person hear it. If you have a million people hear your son's story. You only need one or two of them and actually know what happened to your son to step forward.

43:27 It's just finding those people and reaching through to them, hopefully pealing to any sort of compassion that they may have for you. And sometimes it doesn't happen right away. You know, people grow up, they mature, and then later on in life they decide to do what's right. So tell me about the reward. There's a reward for any information about this case. I think you've got it up to forty thousand dollars. Is that correct? Yes, I have a reward forty thousand dollars forty thousand for anybody who comes for it with information that would lead to arrest. I am even willing to take it to fifty thousand dollars for anyone to give us the chief of Police, Ellerie Sausaby and Lansing, Michigan, information that would lead to arrest. And started off with five, then ten, and I keep going up because I know, based on speaking to one of the young men, I know, based on another man who's hiding, young man who's hiding and knows the information, and I believe also because there was more than one person at the river.

44:52 They don't want to give names because you know, it's the things like, don't say nothing else about it. Because also one of them contacted me and told me to leave the case alone, and the police told me I need to watch my back because I'm too much out there in the public and something could happen. Well, you know how I feel. Something happened to Brandon already, y'all didn't do anything about that. You're not investigating that. So I'm even trying to get CNN. They won't answer my cause they want answer my messages. They won't do anything. I need it to go public. I need the world to hear about the death of Brandon Mitchemer. So my final question that I would have for you is, run anyone out there that's listening to this podcast episode, if they know anything about what happened to Brandon, what would you say to that person or person's well, would I say to them? I would say to them, put yourself in my shoes.

45:55 If you had a child, and in your heart, your whole heart, you know that your son did not accidental drown in the river. You know that it may have been an accident or intentional murder. Wouldn't you want to know what happened. Wouldn't you want other people to be held accountable because your loved one is being held accountable because they're no longer here on earth. Why put the family through the torture, the pain, the suffering, the no more hugs, the more kisses, the no more I love you, Mom. Wouldn't you want to know if somebody did something to you? I just ask, please give the family, give us peace. We can't bring Brandon back. Finally had to realize that took four years for me to even go on Brandon's bedroom. I kept the door closed, and every now and then when I would get mad at him just for trusting, I closed the door like I'm setting him up in his room again. The pain will never go away, the love will never go away. It will always be there.

47:22 But someone can give the family peace. There is no such thing as closure. Closure means you're closing the door. I'm not closing the door on Brandon. It will always be with me in my heart. But Brandon's family and friends deserve to hear it in the court of law on what happened to their loved one. I just asked you to put yourself in my shoes. Wouldn't you want to know? I would? And that concludes the tragic story of Brandon Mitchener. You know what happened to him back in June of twenty fourteen when he ended up in a river. Did he actually fall in and drowned? Or was his death part of something more sinister? Law enforcement has ruled that Brandon's death was an accident. However, his family disagrees. They can't understand how he could have been out with a group of friends and then somehow he ended up separated from them, and then moments later he's in a river drowning even stranger, no one called nine one one or reached out to the family to let him know that something had happened to Brandon. If you know anything about this case, you can provide your tips to the Lansing to Police Department at five one seven or eight three or six zero zero. And for additional information about this case, please visit the Justice for Brandon mitche your

48:52 Facebook page and if you'd like to purchase anything from Brandon's clothing line, there's also a link to the shop on that page age as well. The family has also offered a reward for any information that could lead to a break in this case. I'll be sure to provide this information in the case story news and if you are a parent, law enforcement official, friend, or relative seek injustice for an unsolved pomicide case, please visit my website and complete the contact form. You could also contact me your Facebook. Thank you for listening.