On 10th anniversary, mother speaks out about son’s death

LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — Brandon Mitchner was just 22 years old when he was found dead in the Grand River after a night out.

This Saturday, June 29, marked 10 years since the tragedy. His mother, Shirley Mitchner, is still looking for answers.

Mitchner said her son Brandon was a happy, friendly person who loved to dance. But he was too trusting, she said.

On the 10-year anniversary of her son’s death, Mitchner is hoping someone will come forward with what happened that night.

“Ten years and no answers,” Shirley said.

She recalled the day that she last saw Brandon. On June 28, 2014, Mitchner said, Brandon was going on a party bus for someone’s birthday. Before Brandon left, Shirley gave him some words of advice.

“‘Make sure you don’t trust anyone, you understand me?'” Mitchner told her son. He told her, “‘Mom, I got you; you trained me right.'”

And those were the last words, other than “I love you Mom.”

The next day, Mitchner found out that her son was missing. And then: “They told me what happened, that he was found in the Lansing Grand River,” Mitchner said. “A piece of my heart is gone, and it can never come back.”

Police ruled Brandon Mitchner’s death as an accidental drowning, but his mother said she thinks there’s more to the story.

“I believe my son was thrown in the Lansing Grand River,” Mitchner said.

There is a $50,000 reward for anyone who can give police information that leads to arrests, she said.

“I’m not giving up until the day I die and I have no more breath,” Mitchner said. “Because, one day, justice will be done in honor or my son, because he did not deserve this.”

While Mitchner waits for answers, she continues her son’s legacy. Brandon graduated from Lansing Community College, so now there is a scholarship in Brandon’s name for graduates of Everett, Eastern, Sexton, East Lansing, Waverly and Grand Ledge high schools.

Brandon Mitchner also had a clothing business called “Make it Your Mission,” and Shirley said she’s now turning that business into a nonprofit.

“Make it your mission to do the right thing,” Mitchner said. “If you know something, say something. Do something. It could be your child.”

If you have any information on what happened to Brandon Mitchner that night, his mother asks that you contact the Lansing Police Department or Crime Stoppers at 517-483-STOP.

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