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This week on Missing Monday, we share the story of 17-year-old Kianna Galvin, who disappeared from South Elgin, Illinois in May 2016 after leaving home for what should have been a short outing. Kianna had plans, dreams, and a future she was actively building with her family. Nearly ten years later, her loved ones are still waiting for answers.

Someone knows what happened to Kianna. And her family is still hoping the right person will come forward.

If you have any information about Kianna Galvin’s disappearance, please contact the South Elgin Police Department.

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Seventeen-year-old Kelly Anne Bates had her whole future ahead of her. Friends remember her as energetic, social, and determined to build a life of her own. But behind closed doors, Kelly had become trapped in a relationship defined by control, isolation, and escalating violence.

In April 1996, police in Manchester, England uncovered a scene so disturbing that experienced investigators said they had never encountered anything like it. What began as grooming and emotional manipulation would ultimately end in one of the most horrific domestic abuse murders the region had ever seen.

In this episode, we walk through Kelly’s life, the warning signs that went unnoticed, the escalation inside James Patterson Smith’s home, the investigation, trial, and the devastating aftermath for the family she left behind.

This is the story of Kelly Anne Bates.

Listener discretion is strongly advised.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, help is available 24/7 in the United States through the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), by texting START to 88788, or via online chat at thehotline.org.

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In May 2008, 19-year-old Brandon Swanson called his parents after his car slid into a ditch on a rural Minnesota road. He wasn’t hurt, and the situation seemed simple. His parents got in the car to pick him up while staying on the phone with him as he walked toward what he thought were nearby town lights.

For 47 minutes, they talked while trying to find each other in the dark.

Then Brandon suddenly said, “Oh shit,” and went silent.

He has never been seen or heard from again.

In this week’s Missing Monday, we walk through the timeline of Brandon’s disappearance, the massive search efforts that followed, and the questions that still remain nearly two decades later.

If you have information about Brandon Swanson’s disappearance, please contact the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension tip line at 1-877-996-6222, or call 911 with urgent information.

Brandon Swanson is still missing.

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