MN B. N.: Missing from Zimmerman, MN - 21 Jan 2026 - Age 7 *Found Safe*

https://bnonews.com/index.php/2026/01/minnesota-amber-alert-brynlee-nelson-missing-in-zimmerman/

Minnesota Amber Alert: B. N. missing from Zimmerman​

A Minnesota Amber Alert has been issued for 7-year-old B. N. after she was possibly abducted after getting off a school bus in Zimmerman, north of Minneapolis, officials say. Anyone with information is urged to call 911 immediately.

B was last seen at 3:55 p.m. on Wednesday after getting off a school bus in the 26000 block of 13th Street West in Zimmerman, about 33 miles northwest of Minneapolis, according to the amber alert. Details are still limited.

According to police, a black car was seen following the school bus but it’s still unclear whether B got entered the vehicle or if it’s related to the case in any way. An amber alert issued just before midnight described it as a child abduction.

B is a 7-year-old white female with blonde hair and hazel eyes, standing 4 feet 7 inches tall and weighing 70 pounds. She was last seen wearing a black jacket, white boots and blue snow pants while carrying a backpack with keychains and trinkets. She was wearing a pink sweatshirt and black pants underneath her winter clothing.

 

[GrandmaBear]

What a miracle that this little girl was found alive!

Rare especially since she seems to have been stranger abducted and he traveled quite a ways with her. I have to give them credit for that. It was hours before they got him and found her but not days. We don't see that too often.

I'm also hoping he was driving and too busy to hurt her but the number of hours, he could have.

Pretty happy outcome. Too close to home, hits harder I think, not sure why, they are all scary as heck.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Man accused of abducting girl in southern Minnesota charged with kidnapping, criminal sexual conduct

The man who is accused of abducting a girl in southern Minnesota late Wednesday night is now charged with kidnapping, as well as criminal sexual conduct.

www.kttc.com

Man accused of abducting girl in southern Minnesota charged with kidnapping, criminal sexual conduct​

The man who is accused of abducting a girl in southern Minnesota late Wednesday night is now charged with kidnapping, as well as criminal sexual conduct.

According to a criminal complaint, Joseph Bragg, 28, was allegedly in contact with the victim’s mother in December and inquired about childcare and wanting children. The mother then blocked Bragg following the interaction.

Police say Bragg kidnapped the girl while she was walking home from a bus stop in Zimmerman around 3:40 p.m. on Wednesday. An AMBER Alert would eventually be sent out later that evening.

Bragg was then reportedly arrested near a truck stop in Albert Lea, with police stating Bragg was using a rental car packed with personal items, making it difficult to see the victim.

Police would also add that while interviewing the young girl, she told authorities Bragg sexually assaulted her.

Man charged with kidnapping, sexually assaulting child from Sherburne ...

Charges were filed Friday against a 28-year-old man who allegedly abducted and sexually assaulted a 7-year-old girl from Zimmerman earlier in the week.

www.albertleatribune.com

Man charged with kidnapping, sexually assaulting child from Sherburne County
Charges were filed Friday against a 28-year-old man who allegedly abducted and sexually assaulted a 7-year-old girl from Zimmerman earlier in the week.

Joseph Andrew Bragg of International Falls was charged in Sherburne County court with kidnapping and criminal sexual conduct involving a child.


The child’s mother told investigators about an unusual social media interaction in December with a person named Joseph Bragg, who added her on Facebook.

“She initially ‘added’ him back as she thought she recognized him as a relative of an associate (but) determined after communication with the individual that they did not know each other,” the complaint states.

The person asked the girl’s mother whether she had children, and said they wanted children of their own.

“The individual explained he works in child care and asked if (the girl’s mother) knew anyone in the Zimmerman/Princeton area looking for services,” the complaint states. She eventually blocked the individual.

The complaint says authorities connected the Facebook profile to Joseph Andrew Bragg, learned he had access to a rental pickup truck, and started tracking his cell phone — which showed him traveling south toward Iowa. Other law enforcement agencies were notified.

Just after 12:30 a.m. on Thursday, an Albert Lea police officer spotted a matching pickup at a truck stop, conducted a traffic stop for a broken taillight, and found Bragg inside — with the missing girl in the back seat.

The complaint says additional investigation showed the rental truck was near the victim’s home around the time she went missing on Wednesday, and also the previous afternoon. And the complaint alleges Bragg was at a Plymouth hotel with the girl after the abduction.

During a later interview with investigators, the girl described being sexually assaulted by Bragg. Bragg did not provide a statement to investigators. He was due in court on Friday afternoon.

 

[GrandmaBear]

Man accused of abducting girl in southern Minnesota charged with kidnapping, criminal sexual conduct

The man who is accused of abducting a girl in southern Minnesota late Wednesday night is now charged with kidnapping, as well as criminal sexual conduct.

www.kttc.com

Man accused of abducting girl in southern Minnesota charged with kidnapping, criminal sexual conduct​

The man who is accused of abducting a girl in southern Minnesota late Wednesday night is now charged with kidnapping, as well as criminal sexual conduct.

According to a criminal complaint, Joseph Bragg, 28, was allegedly in contact with the victim’s mother in December and inquired about childcare and wanting children. The mother then blocked Bragg following the interaction.

Police say Bragg kidnapped the girl while she was walking home from a bus stop in Zimmerman around 3:40 p.m. on Wednesday. An AMBER Alert would eventually be sent out later that evening.

Bragg was then reportedly arrested near a truck stop in Albert Lea, with police stating Bragg was using a rental car packed with personal items, making it difficult to see the victim.

Police would also add that while interviewing the young girl, she told authorities Bragg sexually assaulted her.

Man charged with kidnapping, sexually assaulting child from Sherburne ...

Charges were filed Friday against a 28-year-old man who allegedly abducted and sexually assaulted a 7-year-old girl from Zimmerman earlier in the week.

www.albertleatribune.com

Man charged with kidnapping, sexually assaulting child from Sherburne County
Charges were filed Friday against a 28-year-old man who allegedly abducted and sexually assaulted a 7-year-old girl from Zimmerman earlier in the week.

Joseph Andrew Bragg of International Falls was charged in Sherburne County court with kidnapping and criminal sexual conduct involving a child.


The child’s mother told investigators about an unusual social media interaction in December with a person named Joseph Bragg, who added her on Facebook.

“She initially ‘added’ him back as she thought she recognized him as a relative of an associate (but) determined after communication with the individual that they did not know each other,” the complaint states.

The person asked the girl’s mother whether she had children, and said they wanted children of their own.

“The individual explained he works in child care and asked if (the girl’s mother) knew anyone in the Zimmerman/Princeton area looking for services,” the complaint states. She eventually blocked the individual.

The complaint says authorities connected the Facebook profile to Joseph Andrew Bragg, learned he had access to a rental pickup truck, and started tracking his cell phone — which showed him traveling south toward Iowa. Other law enforcement agencies were notified.

Just after 12:30 a.m. on Thursday, an Albert Lea police officer spotted a matching pickup at a truck stop, conducted a traffic stop for a broken taillight, and found Bragg inside — with the missing girl in the back seat.

The complaint says additional investigation showed the rental truck was near the victim’s home around the time she went missing on Wednesday, and also the previous afternoon. And the complaint alleges Bragg was at a Plymouth hotel with the girl after the abduction.

During a later interview with investigators, the girl described being sexually assaulted by Bragg. Bragg did not provide a statement to investigators. He was due in court on Friday afternoon.

!@@##$$%%^&^&& EFFING POS!!! She''s 7 for cryoung out loud!!! I HOPE the things they say happen to such types in prison HAPPEN to him!!

I really HOPED he hadn't had time to do anything to her although I knew there was some time missing...

God it's a good thing the mom somehow connected the dots or mentioned this account and this guy.

I'm glad he didn't kill her but who knows what he had in store for her! Thank GOD LE found him.

I figured the cell phone or GPS played in.

You know I know the type of area this was and don't doubt a bit that most of the time people can let their child walk home but you just CAN'T these days! He wasn't from there though which doesn't surprise me at all.

LE has warned about social media about this a couple of times in this but made it sound like to warn your kids about it or watch what they are on. I wonder if too much was on the account or shared with him before mom blocked him because he found them, found the child, etc.

I am majorly upset over this news!! I mean we always know it's a possibility and probably the reason behind ian abductio but I really, really hoped.

Poor child. Thank God she's safe.

 

[GrandmaBear]

And NO judge had better give him any chance on getting out EVER just because there isn't any murder here. There is major kidnapping though! Who knows what kind of term they have for that these days though! Or the other charge. We see more than a few of them get out after not long enough !

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

They're going to have a busy time investigating all the people he's contacted for his "babysitting" services. Hopefully nobody actually used him.
He certainly has been trying damn hard to get access to children.

 

[GrandmaBear]

No sh*t. I HOPE no one else used him. It may sound "prejudice, but I'd probably never use or hire a male as a sitter. I in NO way am saying many wouldn't be great or that a woman can't harm a child as of course that's true, but it's just so risky, especially if a stranger, although any stranger too has its own risks.

We know little about her family and don't need to but there did seem to be a mixup at first as to whose house she went to or whose she was to go to that day. Maybe they were having trouble finding child care is all I mean by that.

I hope his bond is extremely high or there is none. Not as familiar with MN as I am WI.

If he had gone over the MN/IA border they could ask for federal prosecution and then he could get the DP I'd imagine maybe for the kidnapping, not sure of that either, but I'm sure they felt it way too risk to let him go one step further. However, this IS almost right on the border I think, maybe he did cross but nothing indicated that.

I'll guess we will find out more as the case goes on.

There has to be more on how he tracked her down and how he took her. You know, people said it was a sitter/nanny site but she said he friended her and she thought at first they had someone mutual in common and that sounds almost more like FB.

 

[GrandmaBear]

I'm glad her name was removed from the title but I'm going to have to remember Zimmerman as there aren't really any other words in the title to search for the thread.

This has quite a bit of detail. I'm not going to try to detail them all, it's short enough for all to listen.

She was walking home when seen to turn ahead and head back the other way. All I can figure is he called her or something and she was heading towards him? The man had a hotel room booked for a month starting on a date in Dec. and his time there would have been about up. He rented this vehicle but also had another vehicle stored at a relative's. He also parked this vehicle and used a Lyft to take them to the hotel. Why all the different vehicles? Where does he get the money for a hotel and now a trip out of state with her, to rent a vehicle, etc.? Maybe he was working up to when this happened? Apparently homeless though if spending a month at a motel... It was on FB where he friended the mother.

Could the officer have stopped him if not for the tail light?

The diapers are disturbing. They give just a little bit of detail about what he did to her, not much and then thankfully they stop before sharing more, but unfortunately one can figure where it goes from them.

Fresh new anger/outrage at hearing all of this. This child had to have been so scared and traumatized.

 

[GrandmaBear]

A very thorough telling of what happened here with all info that is available. About 1/2 hour. Had a bit or two that's happened after like him being blocked from the group he was on re babysitters, etc. in MN and warning people.

 

[GrandmaBear]

Good discussion too, the guest feels it very likely he has other victims. I have no doubt whoever the girl in the photo is has probably dealt with him as well. Disgusting and evil.