On September 7th, 1986, Brandon Embry was born. With his mother Sarah, stepfather Reg, brother Scott, sister Rachel, and other members of his military family, he grew up. Bright and well-liked, Brandon was a self-described introvert who kept to himself. He loved music and developed a passion for power lifting in his teens.
Brandon joined the Navy in 2005 at the age of 19, serving as a nuclear submarine machinist out of Hawaii. After suffering from PTSD and a back injury for six years, he was honorably discharged and went back to live with his family in Seattle, Washington. After his parents relocated out of state, Brandon obtained his own apartment and eventually registered as a chemical engineering student at the University of Washington. Unfortunately, Brandon struggled to make ends meet in Seattle and, in July 2018, he made the difficult choice to quit the University of Washington and relocate to Asheboro, North Carolina, in order to be nearer to his family. The 711 S. Park Place apartment became available to Brandon. Church Street and find a job working in robotics.
Because Brandon’s testosterone levels were low, he was given hormone shots that he had to administer himself. This meant that Brandon always had disposable hypodermic needles and vials of liquid on hand; this may have had an impact on how the Police later perceived Brandon’s way of life and demise.
Health issues
In February 2019, Brandon began to feel ill while he was at work. Something wasn’t right, so his employer asked Brandon to leave and submit to a drug test. In agreement, Brandon made the choice to eat at McDonald’s on the way. Brandon grew worse at McDonald’s, experiencing excruciating stomach pain and throwing up. The 911 operator received a call from a member of the public, suspected drug overdose or poisoning, and sent EMS to the scene. First responders observed Brandon’s peculiar behavior, including the fact that he appeared unsure of how to use a door handle. When Brandon arrived at the hospital, he passed out in the emergency room and had to be sedated and put on a ventilator.
Brandon was put on dialysis after being put into a medically induced coma for several days due to acute respiratory distress. At the same time, his kidneys started to fail. Numerous blood tests failed to reveal the cause of the problem, and Brandon was released from the hospital after 5 days. Although he had no memory of his stay, he confided to his mother that he believed he had been painted as a drug user from the start.
On April 24th, two months later, Brandon suddenly felt very warm at work. He collapsed and hit the ground with his head. After a brief awakening, Brandon quickly got back to work, but an hour later, the same thing happened. He was taken to the hospital once more after EMS was called; this time, he was conscious and stated that he had nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. The doctor speculated that he might have consumed some expired meat, but blood tests and other examinations revealed nothing, including no evidence of illegal drugs in his system. Brandon was ultimately let go without any explanations.
Brandon was once more sent home from work in June, two months later, because he was ‘jittery’ and pale. When Brandon went to the doctor, he once more described his symptoms as being fatigue, general weakness, overheating, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Once more, he was sent home without any answers after blood tests and an EKG revealed no indication of what might be the source of his problems.
Fired from his job and last contact
Late in August, Brandon took a business trip to Detroit; upon his return on September 6, he learned he had lost his job. They had taken pictures of Brandon’s hotel room while he was away, showing his medication and syringes as well as the overall “messiness” of the space. Although I haven’t seen the pictures for myself, they are also said to include bags of food, dirty clothes, and an empty slow cooker. The white sheets have small blood stains on them as well.
After learning the news, Brandon went to his parents’ house to watch their dogs. Although he appeared to be in good spirits, he explained what had occurred and informed his mother that he had already spoken to a recruiter about another job. When Brandon’s mother left to go to Kentucky, she left him in charge of the dog. Brandon’s mother called her son the following day, a Saturday, to wish him a happy birthday. Around 8 or 9 o’clock in the evening, she and Rachel arrived home, but Brandon had already left. He had originally intended to meet up with a girl, but she had canceled, he texted his father.
Brandon sent his mother a number of texts over the following few days, but by September 10th, he stopped replying to them. Sarah, Brandon’s mother, tried calling him several times but got no response. She then made the decision that it was time to go check on him. The moment Brandon’s mother and sister arrived at his apartment on September 12th, they noticed his truck was parked outside. They knocked on the door, thinking he would be home, but there was no response. When they tried the door again, they discovered it was locked. Sarah decided to call the Asheboro Police Department for a welfare check at this point because she was so worried.
Discovery of Brandon’s body
At 3:20 p.m., the property manager gave the police a copy of Brandon’s key, and the officers went inside his apartment. They heard water running from a location toward the back of the apartment and noticed how unkempt it was right away. When the police entered Brandon’s bedroom, they discovered him lying on the floor, naked and unresponsive. He was discovered in a watery area where the bath tub overflowed.
Officers observed a sizable pool of blood under Brandon’s head and numerous bruises, cuts, and lacerations on his body. His face was covered in dried blood. He was cold to the touch, but officers discovered a faint pulse and took him right away to the Randolph Health Hospital.
Officers searched Brandon’s apartment, which was in a terrible state of disarray with broken items all over the floor, broken items overturned and drawers stripped of their contents. Blood was discovered on the mattress, pillow, walls, nightstand, and closet doors, which had been torn from their hinges. There was also a blood-stained sheet crumpled on the floor. The bathroom’s shower was dripping water, and the floor had been pulled up around the toilet, which was leaking. The bathroom mirror was broken, and the toilet bowl was filled with toilet paper.
Investigation
Brandon’s apartment was later searched, and it was discovered that his wallet, which still contained about $100, was hidden under the bed. In addition, they discovered hypodermic needles, a metal clipboard with numerous dents, and a small metal pole with what appeared to be blood stains on one end. Both the front and back doors had been locked, and no evidence of a break-in could be found. According to earlier police reports, they thought Brandon’s injuries prevented him from locking the door from the inside.
His truck, which was also stuffed with mess, trash, and food, was given a warrant.
Sadly, Brandon began to quickly deteriorate in hospital and was transferred to Greensboro’s Moses Cone Hospital for additional care. Brandon’s mum was told he would continue to have seizures until his heart gave out, and the decision was made to take him off life support. Brandon passed away on September 13th 2019 at 8.57pm.
Conclusion
The Asheboro Police Chief ordered a managerial review of Brandon’s case on February 15, 2021, and Major Jay Hanson carried it out. After meeting with the medical examiner and Brandon’s mother, Major Hanson came to the same conclusion that no crime had been committed in connection with Brandon’s de*ath after eight months.
Right now, there have been no findings of wrongdoing in Brandon’s case, so it is closed. Sarah, Brandon’s mother, is still conducting an investigation and has set up a gofundme page to raise money for it. She continues to post information that she has uncovered on her Facebook page; Brandon’s Voice.
There is a huge amount of information on Brandon’s case, largely down to his mother Sarah, who has never stopped trying to find answers. Sarah sat down with Mur*der She Told and they have done a truly extensive write up – I couldn’t include all the information here but would highly recommend reading it as it contains a wealth of information.
What do you think led to Brandon’s de*ath? I would love to hear your thoughts and theories on this case.
