December 25, 2024 • 28 mins
In January of 2022, the Navigating Advocacy podcast played a pivotal role in raising awareness and pushing for action in the search for Brandon Lawson. During a foot search that nine people were on, including Whitney and myself, clothing items were discovered, which ultimately alerted Texas Rangers to conduct a more thorough search. Today we are deeply moved to share that human remains were found during that search and through DNA confirmation, those remains are Indeed Brandon Lawson's. We are honored to have been a part of this journey, and we will continue to stand with the Lawson family now and always.
Here is an interview we had with LaDessa, Brandon's wife, earlier this year about her journey as an advocate trying to find her missing loved one. She gives words of wisdom and advice as she talks about her rocky road over the last decade.
#brandonlawson #nomatterwhere #nomatterwho
Here is an interview we had with LaDessa, Brandon's wife, earlier this year about her journey as an advocate trying to find her missing loved one. She gives words of wisdom and advice as she talks about her rocky road over the last decade.
#brandonlawson #nomatterwhere #nomatterwho
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
In January of twenty twenty two, the Navigating Advocacy podcast
played a pivotal role in raising awareness and pushing for
action in the search for Brandon Lawson. During a foot
search that nine people were on, including Whitney and myself,
clothing items were discovered, which ultimately alerted Texas Rangers to
(00:37):
conduct a more thorough search. Today, we are deeply moved
to share that human remains were found during that search,
and through DNA confirmation, those remains are indeed Brandon Lawsons.
We are honored to have been a part of this
journey and we will continue to stand with a loss
in family now and always. Here is an interview we
(01:01):
had with Ledessa, Brandon's wife, earlier this year about her
journey as an advocate trying to find her missing loved one.
She gives the words of wisdom, hope, and advice as
she talks about her rocky road over the last decade.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
I think everyone who listens to us already knows how
we got here and how we are involved with you now, Ledessa,
and how you've changed our lives forever. So yeah, we
just haven't had the opportunity to talk with you and
learn about all the things you had to go through
since Brandon went missing.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
Thank you ladies for helping. I remember the first time
on messages that helped find Brandon laws in page and
then so Jason watches out for me. Jason's like golden,
like he watches everything for me, and he's and I'm like, okay.
I was like, I like what they're saying. Check them out,
because y'all, I've had some really bad things happened in
the past. I had people like catfishy that we're not
(02:00):
the people they said anymore and was gonna come down
here and do this and that and just different stabs.
So Jason talked to you. I mean it's good. I
was like, okay. And so that's the first time you
met Jason. And then we all met at Crime Gone
and went from there and just so sometimes sometimes people
and I never gave up. That's the thing. That's the
(02:20):
thing that I always lot like, Jason's never give up, y'all,
haven't Ryan's been here from the beginning, Dylan. Just a
lot of people that just never gave up and they've
been here that you know, because well, you don't find someone,
it's very tough. So people are like I don't believe
we're ever going to find them, And then everybody came
together and didn't give up. So thank you for that.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
Yeah, that first message on that helped find Brandon Alson
was terrified. Whitney and I had sat around I think
we were on the phone because I was the one
writing it, but Whitney was there for moral support, and
we were terrified because that was like the first time
we'd ever reached out to anyone before, and we literally.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
Does have to be like, okay, one, two, three hits,
Oh no, y'all did it the beautifully.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
I have something about this case that just spoke to
us and we're like, hey, this will be a great
opportunity to help someone else.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
Yeah, I just I just honestly, the media, we've had
some good, but we've had a little bit bad. I'm
just thankful that we've had like swe people, does brands
sort get it out just one case it's a cold
case back, that's what they would call it. Like in
augustly be eleven spent ten years and just touch so
many people on that on hard days with the kids,
when working and just trying to do everything, these messages
(03:35):
just really got me through. I don't think so many
people are like, oh, just praying for you. Your stories touched us.
And then other people that's been into me about like
they're mess in person. It just somebody once told me something.
It's a it doesn't mess in person plood that you
don't want to be a part of, but once, but
you do have support, Like there's so much support that
(03:55):
I didn't realize when you have somebody to say we're
in the same boat you you're just it's hard not
to just fell on compassion and you look out for
that person. You're like, did they finding clues? Did anything happen?
I tried to respect them, but anything, I just say, hey,
I'm praying for you if he need somebody, which is
a good thing to go around and just help each other.
That's just like humankind, that's what we need to do.
(04:18):
But and doesnt in backslash. So it's it's not like
I told everybody. I see my family on there trying
to sum the them, and I'm like, that's not gonna
help anything, and that's not going to find Brandon. That's
not what Brandon women, that's not who we are as people.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
So when did you start the help find Brandon lost
in page, like how long after he'd been missing?
Speaker 3 (04:39):
So I didn't start it, Okay, A lady in Saint
Angelo that actually was going to bag hit the boys
when I was working, helped start it with our lady
and then they added me. So it was I want
to say, maybe it was really stand up, like two
or three weeks. I want to say maybe, yeah. So
was that there because I was going to so much
(05:00):
flought last morning anything I put on there, Like I
went on bronze pages, I went on the Saint Angelo,
I went on my own just everything just to see hey,
because we really didn't know what we were looking at first,
like what happened?
Speaker 1 (05:15):
So you were like posting on bronze pages Angela's like
neighborhood pages trying to find Brandon. That was like one
of your initial steps.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
Yeah, and then people were like in San Angelo, people
were capful to me because they're like, I know it's
oh yeah, somebody called it. But I didn't know Brady
call and I won till that tuesday he went messing. Basically,
it was like Thursday Friday morning, so I didn't even
know cal and I went till tuesday. So my theme
was I was thinking if he's I was like, is
he her out there or is he I didn't know
what was or is hed like walking to try to
(05:46):
get right or I didn't know, like nothing. So I'm
like my mind, I'm like, Okay, it's hot as can
be and we're in Texas weather and in the summertime,
and I'm like, if he's hurt or if anything, because
at first everybody's oh, he ran off, and I'm wait,
now he would have contact like one of us in
(06:06):
the family, like his brother especially, or like my father
in law or his mother, Like something wasn't right. I
just knew it because me and Brandon we've been together
for it was ten years at the time, and we've
had some fights. We've put them wherever we grew. We
got together twenty wait, fifteen and twenty five.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
Wow, definitely wasn't your first argument, especially after having kids
and everything you'd had any of those.
Speaker 3 (06:32):
Yeah, both stubborn too, Yeah, I love it.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
Yeah, So a lot of things that A lot of
times we talk about how there is no manual from this.
So after creating or being becoming a part of all
those Facebook pages, how did you choose to do something
next outside of contacting law enforcement, reporting him missing. What
made you take the next steps.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
I've had a lot of people just reach out to
me a message me that kind of knew what they
were doing. Brenda Paradise reach out to me. A lot
of places on the Haley Done story in Colorado City,
it's not it's probably I don't know, an hour and
a half, two hours from bront so they know that area.
So they reach out to me. Just different people just
reach out and it was like, hey, touch to this person,
(07:19):
that person. I didn't know what I was doing. I
was twenty five years old. I had no idea, never
had anybody missing. I just and then every's gone out
the media, and unfortunately Saint Antelo is like and ably
and St. Angelo is like big compared to Braunt and
also Broun mostly probably eighty five percent retired of not
(07:40):
a lot of jobs out there. So it's basically land
that they rent the Honting and a lot of these
people they don't look at the TV. They o basally
newspapers or maybe they still have a lot of them
have home phones stuff like that. Yeah. Yeah, and so
I was like I just started and just look up
things and just start talking to people us. I think
(08:01):
my phone was on call all the time, and I
was just like what do I do? I just did
different resources and stride my best. But we did search.
Now everybody came down at that Friday, but Saturday, and
that's when we started like really gaining everybody for a
search on Sunday. And then after that search, I was like,
you know what, I'm just gonna get some people. I
(08:24):
had some money for my in contact, so I did
an airplane search, but people did help volunteer to help
pay for that. And so I didn't know what kind
of land I was looking at. And when I saw
the land, it was I just I was like, I
don't even know where to start, you know. I know
we started by the truck bit it's so much land,
like there's not a lot out there, and it's just
(08:46):
land and land. There's mountains out there, and you could
see the animals a little bit. There's wild I was
basically looking for the buzzards, like the burder pready they
call them because usually they yeah, And that's basically what
I was searching. There's nothing, it isn't most scarious. They
just he got done. It was a little crop duster
and it was like it was hot. So I don't
(09:07):
know if iund in an airplane with crop duster just
goes this with the sun and it was rough, but
at least I get to see close out there. And
it was just you and the pilot in this. Yeah,
it was so nice to me, like not another person
would to fit in there. But he's so nice, honestly,
and it's really kind and just I'm thankful that he
(09:28):
let me just help me. So I saw the pictures
from it and just see if we could see anything,
but there was, there's nothing. It was this real high
up crop dusters you can't see much from like you
can see but not much like helicopters. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
Yeah, And it wasn't like Brandon had witnesssing in some
neon pink colors or anything like that. It was more
black whites, that kind of color Dumo of all things,
Camo suorts.
Speaker 2 (09:56):
So designed to not be seen.
Speaker 3 (09:59):
Yeah, or white shoes, I thought, because he had the airmass,
that's true, added a Nike like reflectioning. I was like,
maybe that, And then he grabbed the yellower. I don't
know if he was wearing it, And y'all found the
clothes and we didn't find hurt, so I don't know,
but we just searched and searched, so I was just
looking verst in yeah. Anything.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
So after that initial few weeks, you just don't even
know how it begins to get your life back normal
or we don't necessarily get it back to normal or
move on.
Speaker 3 (10:26):
But what became.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
That's just I've had so much questions, is this just
the new normal? Like you just went on, I if
that's too personal, don't even feel like it answered.
Speaker 3 (10:39):
I felt like my world stopped and everybody was still going.
And I went to the bank and I'm like, was
there anything taken out? Anything? I had my own bank,
he had his own bake and I just sit there
and just cry. And I have my kids and all
those sports dads. I just I feel for them, and
I was like, I have to be a mother to
these kids. So you just go Now that you go on,
you just be like you said, it wasn't my kid.
(11:01):
My kid has their dad messing and now like I'm
the mother, They're looking out to me. Every decision I
made affects them. So I just when my support of
my family, my in laws, especially all Brand's family really
helped me. They helped me move back down and my dad, God,
my dad helped me so financially that I felt so bad.
But I thought, my dad, when he gets older, I'll
(11:23):
take care of me. Don't work it.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
But you had been with brains and since high school,
so really you didn't really know about living on your own.
Speaker 3 (11:31):
Oh I've always been like like a survivor, but I
never like it was really hard. And then the kids,
I just folk with them and Dusties like she was,
the are just all tore up, and it's like I'm
tore up too, and I just had a You just
have to put on a smile sometimes. And when I
tell them all the time, I'm like, we're not victims
of what happened. We just so you have to sometimes
(11:53):
we just had to help others and we just put
a smiler her face and just live every day. And
I just really the kids have really really they're confused,
but they really outcome a lot of stuff. Like we
did therapy. I know we can see the therapy, and
then deasy'sent therapy here and there. I've done some therapy.
The boys haven't started yet, but when they're ready, you
(12:13):
get it. They they went Nolan was like eightwo went
with nine months. He knows some but and then Nolan,
he always gets like he looks just like his dad.
He asks like him, talks like him, which is very true,
but he just doesn't understand like he understands, but he's
he always asks me any different things. He's like my
dad like this, like that, like the best I can.
(12:34):
I've been really truthful for everybody. Well, it's on the
internet season the internet, so they're looked on that and
they'll call me the girls and be like, hey, did
you do this and that? Did that happen? I'm like no,
So what people don't understand is like everything that you
put out there, these kids see. And it's when people
are gonna say things like it's fine, it's it is
what it is. It's just when it comes to my kids,
I'm like, I'm a mama bear, so I'm like gonna
(12:56):
bettet them. I wish people would like understand like this
could happen to anybody. He just had. I don't know.
It just it hurts me when they they questioned things
were like oh I did this, and I'm like oh
it just it just breaks my heart because I'm like
you can't read everything online. And yeah, but you're just
so inspiring.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
So.
Speaker 3 (13:15):
Strong, so strong, y'all should see me on my days.
I'm still but I'm starting to hell not he'll I
think about this. So if it was me and then
we're missing and this all happened, I want Brady to
be happy and want him to move on. I would
let him to live his best life. And it just
like the other way around, like he went and I
think about that, Like I tell the kids, I'm like,
(13:37):
you won't want you to be sad. You want you
to laugh and do that like he's a lot for
the party.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
Now.
Speaker 3 (13:41):
Yeah, we all remember themes and have memories. That was
golden and the girls we did the ten year last
year and Waitting and Nolan don't really speak and they
did it just I just didn't. It was hard.
Speaker 2 (13:56):
It was hard.
Speaker 3 (13:58):
And then we went and said something because he was
a baby. He was so he says he's MoMA's boy.
He is, but yeah, if that's him too, you don't.
He don't. He didn't get out a lot of pictures
of Brandon light. Everybody else did. So he loves to
look at him. So that's one thing I can't say
that pictures are anything in life. You can waned use
material things, you lose anything, but your pictures are really
(14:19):
one of the best things that you all ever have.
So take the pictures. I hate it sometimes because people
will take pictures all the time, But now I'm like,
that is the most s goold that they not have
in live So that's where those memories and the time
when you look at the kids, you're like, this is
what I had to do to get these kids small
like that.
Speaker 2 (14:36):
I know that it was a long hard road to
get people to hear Brandon's story and the correct story.
There was lots of incorrect information out there, and I
think that comes across a lot in these types of stories.
Like you said, what's out there on the Internet is
out there forever, and people speculate and put false information
(14:57):
out there left and right or make accusations. And when
we first started researching Brandon's disappearance, it was everything from
cartels to he ran away, to aliens to you ran
off with his brother, to all kinds of left and
right information out there, and people don't realize how hurtful
(15:19):
it can be, especially like you just said, your kids
can see that now they're old enough to where they
use the internet and they can find what's out there,
so it's really hard for them to see that.
Speaker 3 (15:29):
Yeah, Honestly, at first, the first year, I would watch
everything and I would look at everything and I'd be like, oh,
is this going to be a clue? Is that going
to be a clue? When it just it dwelled on me.
It just flicked a tour of my depression. I was
already sad, and then I would just read all the comments.
I'd be like, how can people say this. I didn't
do a lot of fighting back and forth. I'm just
(15:50):
not that person. I'm more of an in person. I said, okay,
perfect on the keyboard, I just and controls that told me.
And I was like, luckily I had a lot of
people that really stuck out, but your word's hurt what
they do. And I was already in a really bad
place with everything. I was a speculating brain's gonna walk
(16:13):
through that door, or somebody's gonna knocked on my door
a police officer and saying hey we found them or something.
It didn't happen, and so that's all I had was
those words that everybody said, and but just it was
hard there's more good in the bad. This one lady,
I remember she cussed me out because she said, brain
took my sense like once a game stopped and got
a haircut and like Oklahoma, and cussed me out and said,
(16:36):
how dare you like lie to the nation. I'm like,
and I saw the guy. I guess she took a
picture and like, that's not my child at all, but
she took a picture, and I just I don't understand
why she did that. But I was like, I just
I was gonna say something. I said, Hey, that was
nice about it. But I was like, I'm just done.
Just walk and I'm just like, I'm not me fighting
with you is noting a fine brain, me wasting my
(16:57):
Acco'm and sometimes people our hateful.
Speaker 2 (17:01):
I don't know if you know this, but the first
time we met Jason out there was January fifteenth, twenty
twenty one, and then this when we went to search
for Brandon was January fifteenth, twenty twenty two. So something
about that day is very important to us. Whatever divine
(17:23):
intervention you want to call it that brought us to
that day, it was just very meaningful that it all
happened on the exact same day.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
I know, I've just been really fall and I don't
know how y'all searched that day. It was so cold
and I got so cold. It was so cold. I
was like, I don't know, these people must really love us,
because I was like, I don't know how y'all did
it because it was like tessus sweater goes and it
was cold, so it was cold and windy. I don't know.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
I feel like that search was better than when it
was really hot and we did a difference. I was like,
maybe I'd rather be cold because it was really.
Speaker 3 (18:02):
Hot at another one, and I would like. We did
not last very long, and I don't honestly, if I
was there, I could stop searching. So it was hard
to stop stude. I guess I got sick for a reason.
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
Yeah, it was really hard. We told Jason several times
of if you would have just waited five more minutes
to make that phone call, we would have kept we
would have found more. We would have found more. But
at the same time, there's that line you don't want
to cross of what if it damages something, what if
there is a case here that that there could be
(18:36):
answers for. But I know that me, Melissa and Chris,
we would have kept going. We would have just kept going.
I know it was really hard, but I just thankful
because I don't know so long, I don't know if
i'll know this.
Speaker 3 (18:51):
Twenty two is my favorite number, favorite number.
Speaker 1 (18:53):
Two.
Speaker 3 (18:53):
Emmitt Svens is my favorite football player, Dallas Cowboy, okay,
and twenty two has always been my number. And I
just I just told Travis, like movie, this's just going
to be the year. Maybe it's gonna be the year.
It's been long enough, come up ten years and not
like I was like, this is going to be the year,
and what do you know? Yeah, as soon as the
year started. Basically, I just thank god that y'all didn't
(19:17):
give up and y'all found something. But I think what
got me is Jason's pitcher, Like Jason's so passionate and
he just Jason's one over time ie Jason. I said,
you don't even he's my family.
Speaker 1 (19:28):
Now.
Speaker 3 (19:28):
I wish I would have known Jason Wore in high school.
Unfortunately I was way younger, a little bit younger than him.
So I said, my own world and not my own
world in high school is friendly. But I had stuff
going on personal with my like my mom and stuff.
High school didn't really phasee me like some people. I
like that piece of cake, like okay, yeah, so it
(19:49):
was a little different than most people. I just went
out hear themes for my kids, like about high school,
and I'm like, they really get to enjoy. So I
was just five at that age, but now I just
faithful for everybody and such a good team, like I
had friends for lives.
Speaker 2 (20:04):
Now, can you tell us a little bit more about
like your feelings If you don't want to talk about this,
it's perfectly fine when you got the phone call, because
I know how we felt on our end, which you
can't really describe it on our end. There's not words
that explain the emotions that we went through, and I'm
sure there's not a good way to explain what you
have gone through after almost ten years of missing Brandon.
Speaker 3 (20:28):
Yeah, it gave me hope. Honestly, I know that sounds
like I was sad. I cried because I was like,
oh my God, chopped on and I'm like the one
search that I'm not there y'all. But it gave me hope.
It gave me really where I'm like, maybe we're going
to find something because law enforcement were like a lot
of room were like he ran off, he staged this,
he did this, and I'm like, I don't me and
(20:50):
Brady wasn't perfect like we were. We got together fifteen sixteen,
and we both have different childhoods. We worked a little
bit black sheet in a family, I guess you would say,
and we were just trying to figure out who we
were as adults, plus being with each other. We went
through everything together. And I just Brainie had a beautiful heart,
(21:12):
he has suborn. He had things about him. My brain
it was not he was not a bad person. Made
wrong choices sometimes, but he wasn't a bad person. Think
them just saying oh he ran out of another woman
and did this and that. I'm like, so if you
wasn't run off, he probably wouldn't have done like after
I had the third kid, I'm like, okay, your opinion.
But just he taught me a lot. Just I hope
I taught him a lot too. It just we were
(21:33):
just young and somebody I wish you would have known
what I know now about them. But same time, you're
not prepared for this, like it could be anybody's loved
one on the TV and you're just like it's in reality.
Just like you know, life has to go on, so
you have to make the best out of it and
you have to do what you have to do to
try to find something. But I see people are missing
(21:53):
him for twenty twenty five years. I just my heart
just goes out to them daughters that are in said
truck and they know where they're at, they just can't
get them. The police won't get on it. Just it's terrible.
It's just when I guess we got different situations and
at least there's some kind of hope. So basically, like
your DNA, what I understand, I'm not an espert in DNA,
(22:15):
so this is all new to me. Basically, it has
to be enough thresholds to match the DNA to the
state's positive. In my heart, I think it's written in
my reality is that you want to know what happened
that night. Of course every day I want to know
what happened, but there's just steps that you have to
take first. I'm just lads that we found them, We're
(22:36):
gonna be able to like have a place to go
and my kids can grieve. And I'm not seeing that
moment that he ran out of gas is all they have,
and that's just it's not really what they wanted it.
We got a broad it's sad or just sad. So
there's not nothing about bron Texes. It just so it's
just a sad memory. It's just that would just sit
out there and by the cross sometimes and the night
(22:58):
before and I was like, where are you at? Like
what happened? Like how does somebody just disappear in the
middle of the night, Like how I just don't have
no idea.
Speaker 1 (23:07):
Don't get it, agreed, it's absolutely insane, but I completely
understand what you're talking about.
Speaker 3 (23:14):
It's just sad and broad.
Speaker 1 (23:16):
There's just so many questions and it would be so
much better if you guys were able to have a
place to go and grieve and yeah, or that process.
Speaker 3 (23:27):
Definitely. I don't feel like a lot of law enforcement
they're not trained to dill and miss in person. And
I know Terran County has a missing person unit they're
training them on, so that go Terran County. I bet
Dallas has one too. I'm not really familiar with Dallas
that much, so there's more where they're coming more aware
of things. But what's terrible about adults is they can
(23:49):
go missing.
Speaker 2 (23:51):
And now, yeah, and there's not any like you said,
there's no kind of procedures. And when it is an adult,
they are so quick to say they're an adult, they
can do whatever they want, so there's nothing we can
do about it. And that's not always the case. Sometimes
those resources need to be used.
Speaker 3 (24:09):
Yeah, and just so they say children's twenty twenty four
to forty eight hours, it's half of children, which children
absolutely not I know, like they go missing or they're found.
And then teenagers they said three like ninety seven percent
of them are runways. There's still that three percent we
got exactly, and then adults and women go missing, and
(24:30):
then certain women get noticed they well, and it's just
it's like every person deserves to be found. But I'm
just saying that men they're just like, oh men through
side the most. Now, it's just she said everybody should
be equals. I think, but of course children I can
always first. Yet just saying that we just need a
(24:51):
makeful where we saw profile people and be like, okay,
this person did this and did that, and let's find
on exactly. It's that simple.
Speaker 1 (25:00):
I don't understand why media and law enforcement are not
always on board with that.
Speaker 3 (25:05):
Yeah, and I feel bad for some people. I know
that they don't get much meat. I try to share
the story or one day I'll open my own nonprofit
and do something. I just right now, I'm still like,
no one play every sport. I want them to be
able to help other kids. So if they want to,
I don't have to. It's their choice. But love and
(25:28):
then we'd love to call it like Brandon's Hope or
something not sure for the name. Yeah, but just something
like those twenty four to forty eight hours is like
just critical and it's just like you don't know what
to do. You know. If I had one person to
be like, all right, let's do this, I had to
like do different resources. So if I have one person's
like I'm gonna make the post for you, I'm do that.
(25:48):
Like even if we can't drive out to the place
or wherever they're at least we can help like some
type of a way, you know. So, Yeah, and that's
a sad situation, like please, defortments don't help. I was
seen every detective don't help or share a don't help
that they don't have the resources and the knowledge of
what to do. You've talked about publicly already, like on
(26:10):
the Help Find Brandon Lost a page about why it
took so long, Brandon's case being a cold case, it
didn't have precedence, They weren't in a rush to do anything,
and it kept getting pushed to the bottom of the stack. Unfortunately,
that's just the world that we live in. So that
is one of the reasons that it's taken longer. And
there is only so many resources.
Speaker 2 (26:31):
And when you find remains that have been out there
for almost a decade, there's a lot of science that
is required. There's a lot of degradation, a lot of
hoops they had to jump through to even get what
they could get.
Speaker 3 (26:47):
Yeah, and so john Nycannell was a ranger originally on
this case and then he is a sheriff now for
tom Green County, which is San Angelo, And so we
got Detet Stranger top raid and he's just been such
a just fresh air like he's just such an amazing person.
He really cares about his everything going on. He's tried
(27:08):
his best with everything, but just it's time. When honestly,
time means everything, I guess they said, but not when
you are impatient sometimes Todd Reed, he's really helped. He's
not he I believe with every person he probably is
in charge of, she treats them like they're human beings.
(27:29):
And that's something that he didn't look at everything and saying, oh,
I'm just gonna name that he ran off or he
did this. He wasn't like. He wasn't he's if I
asked him advice, he would tell me. But he tried
to main things the best he could with me. I'm
just really painful for Todd Reed and he he made
a difference in this whole writing thing so far because
(27:49):
it just I haven't had there's very good cops. Don't
think I ever say anything bad about cops because I
cannot do their job there. We need cops to be safe.
They resk everything every day. But I just felt in
Brandon's case they had have the resources and there's not
that many of them. I'm just really thankful for everything
in Toad Breed industry and Brandan and our family as people,
(28:11):
not as some person that did some of the states
when he was younger. So yeah, but that's awesome.
Speaker 1 (28:21):
Brandon's story is just one of hundreds that Whitney and
I have covered over the last four years. His story
is like so many others
In January of twenty twenty two, the Navigating Advocacy podcast
played a pivotal role in raising awareness and pushing for
action in the search for Brandon Lawson. During a foot
search that nine people were on, including Whitney and myself,
clothing items were discovered, which ultimately alerted Texas Rangers to
(00:37):
conduct a more thorough search. Today, we are deeply moved
to share that human remains were found during that search,
and through DNA confirmation, those remains are indeed Brandon Lawsons.
We are honored to have been a part of this
journey and we will continue to stand with a loss
in family now and always. Here is an interview we
(01:01):
had with Ledessa, Brandon's wife, earlier this year about her
journey as an advocate trying to find her missing loved one.
She gives the words of wisdom, hope, and advice as
she talks about her rocky road over the last decade.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
I think everyone who listens to us already knows how
we got here and how we are involved with you now, Ledessa,
and how you've changed our lives forever. So yeah, we
just haven't had the opportunity to talk with you and
learn about all the things you had to go through
since Brandon went missing.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
Thank you ladies for helping. I remember the first time
on messages that helped find Brandon laws in page and
then so Jason watches out for me. Jason's like golden,
like he watches everything for me, and he's and I'm like, okay.
I was like, I like what they're saying. Check them out,
because y'all, I've had some really bad things happened in
the past. I had people like catfishy that we're not
(02:00):
the people they said anymore and was gonna come down
here and do this and that and just different stabs.
So Jason talked to you. I mean it's good. I
was like, okay. And so that's the first time you
met Jason. And then we all met at Crime Gone
and went from there and just so sometimes sometimes people
and I never gave up. That's the thing. That's the
(02:20):
thing that I always lot like, Jason's never give up, y'all,
haven't Ryan's been here from the beginning, Dylan. Just a
lot of people that just never gave up and they've
been here that you know, because well, you don't find someone,
it's very tough. So people are like I don't believe
we're ever going to find them, And then everybody came
together and didn't give up. So thank you for that.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
Yeah, that first message on that helped find Brandon Alson
was terrified. Whitney and I had sat around I think
we were on the phone because I was the one
writing it, but Whitney was there for moral support, and
we were terrified because that was like the first time
we'd ever reached out to anyone before, and we literally.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
Does have to be like, okay, one, two, three hits,
Oh no, y'all did it the beautifully.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
I have something about this case that just spoke to
us and we're like, hey, this will be a great
opportunity to help someone else.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
Yeah, I just I just honestly, the media, we've had
some good, but we've had a little bit bad. I'm
just thankful that we've had like swe people, does brands
sort get it out just one case it's a cold
case back, that's what they would call it. Like in
augustly be eleven spent ten years and just touch so
many people on that on hard days with the kids,
when working and just trying to do everything, these messages
(03:35):
just really got me through. I don't think so many
people are like, oh, just praying for you. Your stories touched us.
And then other people that's been into me about like
they're mess in person. It just somebody once told me something.
It's a it doesn't mess in person plood that you
don't want to be a part of, but once, but
you do have support, Like there's so much support that
(03:55):
I didn't realize when you have somebody to say we're
in the same boat you you're just it's hard not
to just fell on compassion and you look out for
that person. You're like, did they finding clues? Did anything happen?
I tried to respect them, but anything, I just say, hey,
I'm praying for you if he need somebody, which is
a good thing to go around and just help each other.
That's just like humankind, that's what we need to do.
(04:18):
But and doesnt in backslash. So it's it's not like
I told everybody. I see my family on there trying
to sum the them, and I'm like, that's not gonna
help anything, and that's not going to find Brandon. That's
not what Brandon women, that's not who we are as people.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
So when did you start the help find Brandon lost
in page, like how long after he'd been missing?
Speaker 3 (04:39):
So I didn't start it, Okay, A lady in Saint
Angelo that actually was going to bag hit the boys
when I was working, helped start it with our lady
and then they added me. So it was I want
to say, maybe it was really stand up, like two
or three weeks. I want to say maybe, yeah. So
was that there because I was going to so much
(05:00):
flought last morning anything I put on there, Like I
went on bronze pages, I went on the Saint Angelo,
I went on my own just everything just to see hey,
because we really didn't know what we were looking at first,
like what happened?
Speaker 1 (05:15):
So you were like posting on bronze pages Angela's like
neighborhood pages trying to find Brandon. That was like one
of your initial steps.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
Yeah, and then people were like in San Angelo, people
were capful to me because they're like, I know it's
oh yeah, somebody called it. But I didn't know Brady
call and I won till that tuesday he went messing. Basically,
it was like Thursday Friday morning, so I didn't even
know cal and I went till tuesday. So my theme
was I was thinking if he's I was like, is
he her out there or is he I didn't know
what was or is hed like walking to try to
(05:46):
get right or I didn't know, like nothing. So I'm
like my mind, I'm like, Okay, it's hot as can
be and we're in Texas weather and in the summertime,
and I'm like, if he's hurt or if anything, because
at first everybody's oh, he ran off, and I'm wait,
now he would have contact like one of us in
(06:06):
the family, like his brother especially, or like my father
in law or his mother, Like something wasn't right. I
just knew it because me and Brandon we've been together
for it was ten years at the time, and we've
had some fights. We've put them wherever we grew. We
got together twenty wait, fifteen and twenty five.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
Wow, definitely wasn't your first argument, especially after having kids
and everything you'd had any of those.
Speaker 3 (06:32):
Yeah, both stubborn too, Yeah, I love it.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
Yeah, So a lot of things that A lot of
times we talk about how there is no manual from this.
So after creating or being becoming a part of all
those Facebook pages, how did you choose to do something
next outside of contacting law enforcement, reporting him missing. What
made you take the next steps.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
I've had a lot of people just reach out to
me a message me that kind of knew what they
were doing. Brenda Paradise reach out to me. A lot
of places on the Haley Done story in Colorado City,
it's not it's probably I don't know, an hour and
a half, two hours from bront so they know that area.
So they reach out to me. Just different people just
reach out and it was like, hey, touch to this person,
(07:19):
that person. I didn't know what I was doing. I
was twenty five years old. I had no idea, never
had anybody missing. I just and then every's gone out
the media, and unfortunately Saint Antelo is like and ably
and St. Angelo is like big compared to Braunt and
also Broun mostly probably eighty five percent retired of not
(07:40):
a lot of jobs out there. So it's basically land
that they rent the Honting and a lot of these
people they don't look at the TV. They o basally
newspapers or maybe they still have a lot of them
have home phones stuff like that. Yeah. Yeah, and so
I was like I just started and just look up
things and just start talking to people us. I think
(08:01):
my phone was on call all the time, and I
was just like what do I do? I just did
different resources and stride my best. But we did search.
Now everybody came down at that Friday, but Saturday, and
that's when we started like really gaining everybody for a
search on Sunday. And then after that search, I was like,
you know what, I'm just gonna get some people. I
(08:24):
had some money for my in contact, so I did
an airplane search, but people did help volunteer to help
pay for that. And so I didn't know what kind
of land I was looking at. And when I saw
the land, it was I just I was like, I
don't even know where to start, you know. I know
we started by the truck bit it's so much land,
like there's not a lot out there, and it's just
(08:46):
land and land. There's mountains out there, and you could
see the animals a little bit. There's wild I was
basically looking for the buzzards, like the burder pready they
call them because usually they yeah, And that's basically what
I was searching. There's nothing, it isn't most scarious. They
just he got done. It was a little crop duster
and it was like it was hot. So I don't
(09:07):
know if iund in an airplane with crop duster just
goes this with the sun and it was rough, but
at least I get to see close out there. And
it was just you and the pilot in this. Yeah,
it was so nice to me, like not another person
would to fit in there. But he's so nice, honestly,
and it's really kind and just I'm thankful that he
(09:28):
let me just help me. So I saw the pictures
from it and just see if we could see anything,
but there was, there's nothing. It was this real high
up crop dusters you can't see much from like you
can see but not much like helicopters. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
Yeah, And it wasn't like Brandon had witnesssing in some
neon pink colors or anything like that. It was more
black whites, that kind of color Dumo of all things,
Camo suorts.
Speaker 2 (09:56):
So designed to not be seen.
Speaker 3 (09:59):
Yeah, or white shoes, I thought, because he had the airmass,
that's true, added a Nike like reflectioning. I was like,
maybe that, And then he grabbed the yellower. I don't
know if he was wearing it, And y'all found the
clothes and we didn't find hurt, so I don't know,
but we just searched and searched, so I was just
looking verst in yeah. Anything.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
So after that initial few weeks, you just don't even
know how it begins to get your life back normal
or we don't necessarily get it back to normal or
move on.
Speaker 3 (10:26):
But what became.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
That's just I've had so much questions, is this just
the new normal? Like you just went on, I if
that's too personal, don't even feel like it answered.
Speaker 3 (10:39):
I felt like my world stopped and everybody was still going.
And I went to the bank and I'm like, was
there anything taken out? Anything? I had my own bank,
he had his own bake and I just sit there
and just cry. And I have my kids and all
those sports dads. I just I feel for them, and
I was like, I have to be a mother to
these kids. So you just go Now that you go on,
you just be like you said, it wasn't my kid.
(11:01):
My kid has their dad messing and now like I'm
the mother, They're looking out to me. Every decision I
made affects them. So I just when my support of
my family, my in laws, especially all Brand's family really
helped me. They helped me move back down and my dad, God,
my dad helped me so financially that I felt so bad.
But I thought, my dad, when he gets older, I'll
(11:23):
take care of me. Don't work it.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
But you had been with brains and since high school,
so really you didn't really know about living on your own.
Speaker 3 (11:31):
Oh I've always been like like a survivor, but I
never like it was really hard. And then the kids,
I just folk with them and Dusties like she was,
the are just all tore up, and it's like I'm
tore up too, and I just had a You just
have to put on a smile sometimes. And when I
tell them all the time, I'm like, we're not victims
of what happened. We just so you have to sometimes
(11:53):
we just had to help others and we just put
a smiler her face and just live every day. And
I just really the kids have really really they're confused,
but they really outcome a lot of stuff. Like we
did therapy. I know we can see the therapy, and
then deasy'sent therapy here and there. I've done some therapy.
The boys haven't started yet, but when they're ready, you
(12:13):
get it. They they went Nolan was like eightwo went
with nine months. He knows some but and then Nolan,
he always gets like he looks just like his dad.
He asks like him, talks like him, which is very true,
but he just doesn't understand like he understands, but he's
he always asks me any different things. He's like my
dad like this, like that, like the best I can.
(12:34):
I've been really truthful for everybody. Well, it's on the
internet season the internet, so they're looked on that and
they'll call me the girls and be like, hey, did
you do this and that? Did that happen? I'm like no,
So what people don't understand is like everything that you
put out there, these kids see. And it's when people
are gonna say things like it's fine, it's it is
what it is. It's just when it comes to my kids,
I'm like, I'm a mama bear, so I'm like gonna
(12:56):
bettet them. I wish people would like understand like this
could happen to anybody. He just had. I don't know.
It just it hurts me when they they questioned things
were like oh I did this, and I'm like oh
it just it just breaks my heart because I'm like
you can't read everything online. And yeah, but you're just
so inspiring.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
So.
Speaker 3 (13:15):
Strong, so strong, y'all should see me on my days.
I'm still but I'm starting to hell not he'll I
think about this. So if it was me and then
we're missing and this all happened, I want Brady to
be happy and want him to move on. I would
let him to live his best life. And it just
like the other way around, like he went and I
think about that, Like I tell the kids, I'm like,
(13:37):
you won't want you to be sad. You want you
to laugh and do that like he's a lot for
the party.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
Now.
Speaker 3 (13:41):
Yeah, we all remember themes and have memories. That was
golden and the girls we did the ten year last
year and Waitting and Nolan don't really speak and they
did it just I just didn't. It was hard.
Speaker 2 (13:56):
It was hard.
Speaker 3 (13:58):
And then we went and said something because he was
a baby. He was so he says he's MoMA's boy.
He is, but yeah, if that's him too, you don't.
He don't. He didn't get out a lot of pictures
of Brandon light. Everybody else did. So he loves to
look at him. So that's one thing I can't say
that pictures are anything in life. You can waned use
material things, you lose anything, but your pictures are really
(14:19):
one of the best things that you all ever have.
So take the pictures. I hate it sometimes because people
will take pictures all the time, But now I'm like,
that is the most s goold that they not have
in live So that's where those memories and the time
when you look at the kids, you're like, this is
what I had to do to get these kids small
like that.
Speaker 2 (14:36):
I know that it was a long hard road to
get people to hear Brandon's story and the correct story.
There was lots of incorrect information out there, and I
think that comes across a lot in these types of stories.
Like you said, what's out there on the Internet is
out there forever, and people speculate and put false information
(14:57):
out there left and right or make accusations. And when
we first started researching Brandon's disappearance, it was everything from
cartels to he ran away, to aliens to you ran
off with his brother, to all kinds of left and
right information out there, and people don't realize how hurtful
(15:19):
it can be, especially like you just said, your kids
can see that now they're old enough to where they
use the internet and they can find what's out there,
so it's really hard for them to see that.
Speaker 3 (15:29):
Yeah, Honestly, at first, the first year, I would watch
everything and I would look at everything and I'd be like, oh,
is this going to be a clue? Is that going
to be a clue? When it just it dwelled on me.
It just flicked a tour of my depression. I was
already sad, and then I would just read all the comments.
I'd be like, how can people say this. I didn't
do a lot of fighting back and forth. I'm just
(15:50):
not that person. I'm more of an in person. I said, okay,
perfect on the keyboard, I just and controls that told me.
And I was like, luckily I had a lot of
people that really stuck out, but your word's hurt what
they do. And I was already in a really bad
place with everything. I was a speculating brain's gonna walk
(16:13):
through that door, or somebody's gonna knocked on my door
a police officer and saying hey we found them or something.
It didn't happen, and so that's all I had was
those words that everybody said, and but just it was
hard there's more good in the bad. This one lady,
I remember she cussed me out because she said, brain
took my sense like once a game stopped and got
a haircut and like Oklahoma, and cussed me out and said,
(16:36):
how dare you like lie to the nation. I'm like,
and I saw the guy. I guess she took a
picture and like, that's not my child at all, but
she took a picture, and I just I don't understand
why she did that. But I was like, I just
I was gonna say something. I said, Hey, that was
nice about it. But I was like, I'm just done.
Just walk and I'm just like, I'm not me fighting
with you is noting a fine brain, me wasting my
(16:57):
Acco'm and sometimes people our hateful.
Speaker 2 (17:01):
I don't know if you know this, but the first
time we met Jason out there was January fifteenth, twenty
twenty one, and then this when we went to search
for Brandon was January fifteenth, twenty twenty two. So something
about that day is very important to us. Whatever divine
(17:23):
intervention you want to call it that brought us to
that day, it was just very meaningful that it all
happened on the exact same day.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
I know, I've just been really fall and I don't
know how y'all searched that day. It was so cold
and I got so cold. It was so cold. I
was like, I don't know, these people must really love us,
because I was like, I don't know how y'all did
it because it was like tessus sweater goes and it
was cold, so it was cold and windy. I don't know.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
I feel like that search was better than when it
was really hot and we did a difference. I was like,
maybe I'd rather be cold because it was really.
Speaker 3 (18:02):
Hot at another one, and I would like. We did
not last very long, and I don't honestly, if I
was there, I could stop searching. So it was hard
to stop stude. I guess I got sick for a reason.
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
Yeah, it was really hard. We told Jason several times
of if you would have just waited five more minutes
to make that phone call, we would have kept we
would have found more. We would have found more. But
at the same time, there's that line you don't want
to cross of what if it damages something, what if
there is a case here that that there could be
(18:36):
answers for. But I know that me, Melissa and Chris,
we would have kept going. We would have just kept going.
I know it was really hard, but I just thankful
because I don't know so long, I don't know if
i'll know this.
Speaker 3 (18:51):
Twenty two is my favorite number, favorite number.
Speaker 1 (18:53):
Two.
Speaker 3 (18:53):
Emmitt Svens is my favorite football player, Dallas Cowboy, okay,
and twenty two has always been my number. And I
just I just told Travis, like movie, this's just going
to be the year. Maybe it's gonna be the year.
It's been long enough, come up ten years and not
like I was like, this is going to be the year,
and what do you know? Yeah, as soon as the
year started. Basically, I just thank god that y'all didn't
(19:17):
give up and y'all found something. But I think what
got me is Jason's pitcher, Like Jason's so passionate and
he just Jason's one over time ie Jason. I said,
you don't even he's my family.
Speaker 1 (19:28):
Now.
Speaker 3 (19:28):
I wish I would have known Jason Wore in high school.
Unfortunately I was way younger, a little bit younger than him.
So I said, my own world and not my own
world in high school is friendly. But I had stuff
going on personal with my like my mom and stuff.
High school didn't really phasee me like some people. I
like that piece of cake, like okay, yeah, so it
(19:49):
was a little different than most people. I just went
out hear themes for my kids, like about high school,
and I'm like, they really get to enjoy. So I
was just five at that age, but now I just
faithful for everybody and such a good team, like I
had friends for lives.
Speaker 2 (20:04):
Now, can you tell us a little bit more about
like your feelings If you don't want to talk about this,
it's perfectly fine when you got the phone call, because
I know how we felt on our end, which you
can't really describe it on our end. There's not words
that explain the emotions that we went through, and I'm
sure there's not a good way to explain what you
have gone through after almost ten years of missing Brandon.
Speaker 3 (20:28):
Yeah, it gave me hope. Honestly, I know that sounds
like I was sad. I cried because I was like,
oh my God, chopped on and I'm like the one
search that I'm not there y'all. But it gave me hope.
It gave me really where I'm like, maybe we're going
to find something because law enforcement were like a lot
of room were like he ran off, he staged this,
he did this, and I'm like, I don't me and
(20:50):
Brady wasn't perfect like we were. We got together fifteen sixteen,
and we both have different childhoods. We worked a little
bit black sheet in a family, I guess you would say,
and we were just trying to figure out who we
were as adults, plus being with each other. We went
through everything together. And I just Brainie had a beautiful heart,
(21:12):
he has suborn. He had things about him. My brain
it was not he was not a bad person. Made
wrong choices sometimes, but he wasn't a bad person. Think
them just saying oh he ran out of another woman
and did this and that. I'm like, so if you
wasn't run off, he probably wouldn't have done like after
I had the third kid, I'm like, okay, your opinion.
But just he taught me a lot. Just I hope
I taught him a lot too. It just we were
(21:33):
just young and somebody I wish you would have known
what I know now about them. But same time, you're
not prepared for this, like it could be anybody's loved
one on the TV and you're just like it's in reality.
Just like you know, life has to go on, so
you have to make the best out of it and
you have to do what you have to do to
try to find something. But I see people are missing
(21:53):
him for twenty twenty five years. I just my heart
just goes out to them daughters that are in said
truck and they know where they're at, they just can't
get them. The police won't get on it. Just it's terrible.
It's just when I guess we got different situations and
at least there's some kind of hope. So basically, like
your DNA, what I understand, I'm not an espert in DNA,
(22:15):
so this is all new to me. Basically, it has
to be enough thresholds to match the DNA to the
state's positive. In my heart, I think it's written in
my reality is that you want to know what happened
that night. Of course every day I want to know
what happened, but there's just steps that you have to
take first. I'm just lads that we found them, We're
(22:36):
gonna be able to like have a place to go
and my kids can grieve. And I'm not seeing that
moment that he ran out of gas is all they have,
and that's just it's not really what they wanted it.
We got a broad it's sad or just sad. So
there's not nothing about bron Texes. It just so it's
just a sad memory. It's just that would just sit
out there and by the cross sometimes and the night
(22:58):
before and I was like, where are you at? Like
what happened? Like how does somebody just disappear in the
middle of the night, Like how I just don't have
no idea.
Speaker 1 (23:07):
Don't get it, agreed, it's absolutely insane, but I completely
understand what you're talking about.
Speaker 3 (23:14):
It's just sad and broad.
Speaker 1 (23:16):
There's just so many questions and it would be so
much better if you guys were able to have a
place to go and grieve and yeah, or that process.
Speaker 3 (23:27):
Definitely. I don't feel like a lot of law enforcement
they're not trained to dill and miss in person. And
I know Terran County has a missing person unit they're
training them on, so that go Terran County. I bet
Dallas has one too. I'm not really familiar with Dallas
that much, so there's more where they're coming more aware
of things. But what's terrible about adults is they can
(23:49):
go missing.
Speaker 2 (23:51):
And now, yeah, and there's not any like you said,
there's no kind of procedures. And when it is an adult,
they are so quick to say they're an adult, they
can do whatever they want, so there's nothing we can
do about it. And that's not always the case. Sometimes
those resources need to be used.
Speaker 3 (24:09):
Yeah, and just so they say children's twenty twenty four
to forty eight hours, it's half of children, which children
absolutely not I know, like they go missing or they're found.
And then teenagers they said three like ninety seven percent
of them are runways. There's still that three percent we
got exactly, and then adults and women go missing, and
(24:30):
then certain women get noticed they well, and it's just
it's like every person deserves to be found. But I'm
just saying that men they're just like, oh men through
side the most. Now, it's just she said everybody should
be equals. I think, but of course children I can
always first. Yet just saying that we just need a
(24:51):
makeful where we saw profile people and be like, okay,
this person did this and did that, and let's find
on exactly. It's that simple.
Speaker 1 (25:00):
I don't understand why media and law enforcement are not
always on board with that.
Speaker 3 (25:05):
Yeah, and I feel bad for some people. I know
that they don't get much meat. I try to share
the story or one day I'll open my own nonprofit
and do something. I just right now, I'm still like,
no one play every sport. I want them to be
able to help other kids. So if they want to,
I don't have to. It's their choice. But love and
(25:28):
then we'd love to call it like Brandon's Hope or
something not sure for the name. Yeah, but just something
like those twenty four to forty eight hours is like
just critical and it's just like you don't know what
to do. You know. If I had one person to
be like, all right, let's do this, I had to
like do different resources. So if I have one person's
like I'm gonna make the post for you, I'm do that.
(25:48):
Like even if we can't drive out to the place
or wherever they're at least we can help like some
type of a way, you know. So, Yeah, and that's
a sad situation, like please, defortments don't help. I was
seen every detective don't help or share a don't help
that they don't have the resources and the knowledge of
what to do. You've talked about publicly already, like on
(26:10):
the Help Find Brandon Lost a page about why it
took so long, Brandon's case being a cold case, it
didn't have precedence, They weren't in a rush to do anything,
and it kept getting pushed to the bottom of the stack. Unfortunately,
that's just the world that we live in. So that
is one of the reasons that it's taken longer. And
there is only so many resources.
Speaker 2 (26:31):
And when you find remains that have been out there
for almost a decade, there's a lot of science that
is required. There's a lot of degradation, a lot of
hoops they had to jump through to even get what
they could get.
Speaker 3 (26:47):
Yeah, and so john Nycannell was a ranger originally on
this case and then he is a sheriff now for
tom Green County, which is San Angelo, And so we
got Detet Stranger top raid and he's just been such
a just fresh air like he's just such an amazing person.
He really cares about his everything going on. He's tried
(27:08):
his best with everything, but just it's time. When honestly,
time means everything, I guess they said, but not when
you are impatient sometimes Todd Reed, he's really helped. He's
not he I believe with every person he probably is
in charge of, she treats them like they're human beings.
(27:29):
And that's something that he didn't look at everything and saying, oh,
I'm just gonna name that he ran off or he
did this. He wasn't like. He wasn't he's if I
asked him advice, he would tell me. But he tried
to main things the best he could with me. I'm
just really painful for Todd Reed and he he made
a difference in this whole writing thing so far because
(27:49):
it just I haven't had there's very good cops. Don't
think I ever say anything bad about cops because I
cannot do their job there. We need cops to be safe.
They resk everything every day. But I just felt in
Brandon's case they had have the resources and there's not
that many of them. I'm just really thankful for everything
in Toad Breed industry and Brandan and our family as people,
(28:11):
not as some person that did some of the states
when he was younger. So yeah, but that's awesome.
Speaker 1 (28:21):
Brandon's story is just one of hundreds that Whitney and
I have covered over the last four years. His story
is like so many others
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