Executive Summary
- Joseph Andrew Bragg, 28, was arrested in Albert Lea following a traffic stop on Interstate 35.
- The arrest led to the safe recovery of 7-year-old Brynlee Nelson, the subject of a Sherburne County AMBER Alert.
- Albert Lea police located the suspect vehicle early Thursday morning after it was spotted traveling southbound.
- The child was transported to a local hospital for evaluation and reunited with her family.
A 28-year-old Maple Grove man was taken into custody early Thursday morning in Albert Lea, Minnesota, resulting in the safe recovery of a 7-year-old girl who had been the subject of a statewide AMBER Alert. The arrest marked the conclusion of a search that began Wednesday afternoon in Sherburne County.
According to the Albert Lea Police Department, officers were notified at approximately 12:34 a.m. Thursday of a vehicle traveling southbound on Interstate 35 that matched the description associated with the active alert. Authorities located the vehicle in the Albert Lea area and conducted a high-risk traffic stop to secure the occupants. The driver, identified by police as Joseph Andrew Bragg, was arrested at the scene without further incident.
Investigators confirmed that the juvenile passenger inside the vehicle was Brynlee Nelson, who had been reported missing from Zimmerman, Minnesota. Nelson was last seen on Wednesday at approximately 3:55 p.m. near the 26000 block of 13th Street West. Following the recovery, the child was transported to Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea for a precautionary medical evaluation and was later reunited with her family. The Freeborn County Sheriff’s Office and Mayo Ambulance Service assisted local police during the operation.
Operational Response Analysis
The swift resolution of this abduction case highlights the operational effectiveness of the AMBER (America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response) Alert system in synchronizing public vigilance with law enforcement strategy. By rapidly disseminating vehicle descriptions across state lines, authorities were able to intercept the suspect on a major interstate corridor hours after the initial disappearance. As the case proceeds, investigators will likely focus on establishing the timeline of events between the abduction in Zimmerman and the arrest in Albert Lea to support potential prosecution. It is important to note that all individuals, including Mr. Bragg, are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
