TN TN - Karen Swift, 44, Dyersburg, 30 Oct 2011 - #3

[~n/t~]

They haven't said if her body was found clothed or not. Why would the perp undress her near her car (that's where her clothes were found) and then move her naked body (if that's how she was found) to another location? Why didn't he/she assault her, murder her and just leave her there in the car or where her clothes were?

Robinson said the body was laying in undergrowth and vegetation, not a grave, and was not sure whether or not it had any clothing.

"There wasn't any shallow grave or none of that business," Robinson said.

http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/267203/20111214/karen-swift-murder-body-missing-dyersberg-mother.htm

"They found her Halloween costume in the car. Some other articles of clothing that belonged to her -- a pair of jeans and a gray zip-up -- were found in some brush not far from her car. They confirmed [the clothing items] belong to her. They took DNA from her mother and compared it to DNA on the clothes," Swift's friend Laura Jane told The Huffington Post.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/09/karen-johnson-swift-missing-clothing_n_1084468.html

 

[OldSteve]

There has never been any mention about who Karen went to the Halloween party with, who she spent her time with during the party and who she left with.

I also have a question about the time line. IIRC, the Halloween party at the FARMS ended at midnight and Karen did not receive a call from her daughter until 1:30 - correct?
That leaves 1.5 hours of time which have not been accounted for.

Is it possible that Karen went to the party with friends and left with friends to continue the party elsewhere? After picking up her daughter, taking her home and getting her to sleep (and seeing that she was not seriously ill), did Karen go back out to meet up with her friends again?

This seems like it would be a long night of socializing, but I am trying to avoid 'tunnel-vision' by assuming the husband did it, solely because that is what statistics indicate. I feel that if they had enough evidence, they should have arrested him by now.

I reject the idea of a random killer because of the staging of her clothes and car. So much points to the husband, but so much seems to point elsewhere. Baffling.

moo

Lots of points I've been wondering about as well - unlike other cases there is allot, allot for LE to sort through. LE needs to be careful not to rush this.

 

[Nehemiah]

The text Karen sent to her friend was at 11:00 PM or 11:30 PM and could have been Karen wanting to see if her friend could pick up the sick daughter since Karen was out having fun. Either that or maybe Karen wanted to stay at her friends home since Karen and David might have had a fight earlier in the evening possibly having to do with Karen going out and Karen didn't want to return home. JMO

The friend Karen texted (that was made public) lives in another town about two hours from Karen. Another poster here stated that this friend was in Karen's town visiting relatives on the night of the party. Not sure if KS would have wanted to drive the two hours to the friend's house, but certainly anything is possible.

 

[otto]

I disagree that LE hasn't determined that she was murdere. I'm pretty certain they were able to call it a homicide as soon as they found her body. Of course, the official determination is left up to the ME, but I think it's pretty obvious it couldn't have been from natural causes, nor accidental or suicide, so the only other option is homicide.

I am curious as to why some are so anxious for an arrest. I would rather see them take their time and gather all the evidence they need before they decide to arrest anybody. Rushing into it would be detrimental to their case, and I would think they want as much hard evidence as they can find, otherwise whoever did this could walk.

I personally don't think the husband did this, it has all the earmarks of a predator finding her stranded with a flat tire, abducting her and taking her somewhere else to assault and kill her. It doesn't fit a spousal homicide to me, but it's possible. I just won't stoop to convicting the man until there are more facts known. JMO.

If an evil predator is attacking women in the area, a quick arrest is what is needed. If the husband murdered his wife, there is no urgency for an arrest as no one else is at risk ... until he has another wife.

To suggest that an evil predator may be lurking in the area but police should take their time doesn't make sense to me.

 

[otto]

BBM

Who confirmed that the cloths and car were staged? I believe that is just a rumor or theory started here on WS. I could be wrong though. If you actually have information stating that the car and cloths were staged please post it along with a link. TIA

When a 44 year old housewife and mother of four is found murdered and dumped in a remote area not too far from one highway, her car is found 3 miles down the road on another highway, clothes that may belong to her (they do, according to friends) are found tucked under a bush somewhere in between, her house is in between and her phone is somewhere nearby between her home and the river, the whole scene appears staged. I don't need an investigator or media link to tell me that there's something very fishy going on regarding the placement of crucial pieces of evidence. Random bad guys don't go to that much trouble to confuse the police regarding the crime scene. If a woman is attacked by a random person, I think it's very likely that she will be found with her clothes. After the murder, the bad guys want to get as far away as possible and they dont hang around, driving up and down the road between the car and the body, trying to figure out under which bush they should tuck the clothes. Random bad guys also don't attack a woman, take off her clothes, but her in their vehicle and drive her to another location. In fact, a random bad guy that had the clothes in a vehicle after the attack would most likely hightail it down the highway and toss the clothes in a far away dumpster or ditch ... not under a bush near the car.

I'm of the opinion that the crime is clearly staged. I think the murder occurred in the home and that Karen was moved to a different location to distance her from the crime scene. I think the car, phone and clothes were after thoughts and that the entire murder and staging took a couple of hours.

 

[Joe Friday]

The friend Karen texted (that was made public) lives in another town about two hours from Karen. Another poster here stated that this friend was in Karen's town visiting relatives on the night of the party. Not sure if KS would have wanted to drive the two hours to the friend's house, but certainly anything is possible.

Thanks I didn't know the friend was from out of town. If the friend from out of town was staying with relatives or even in a motel that night Karen might have still wanted to see if she could spend the night there with her friend if she didn't want to go back home or could have wanted to ask the friend to pick up her daughter for her if she didn't want to leave the party.

I get the feeling that Karen and this friend were very close and don't think Karen asking her friend for a favor in a time of need would be an unlikely scenario, regardless if the friend lived out of town.

From what I remember about what the friend had to say about the texts and message that night was she went to bed and had turned off her phone and that is the reason why she never received the messages that night. Going to bed before 11:00 PM on a Saturday night when in town visiting relatives seems a little early to me. But maybe the relatives were not late night people or this friend had to get up early in the morning. I heard just the other day on the radio that a large majority of people sleep with their cell phone next to their be at all times. For her to turn off her phone when she went to bed is out of the ordinary I guess according to what I heard and the study below. But I guess maybe she didn't want to be disturbed.

JMO

http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/09...your-cell-phone-most-americans-do-study-find/

Two-thirds of American adults have slept with their cell phones on or right next to their beds. The number rises to over 90% among people ages 18 to 29. Those are some of the conclusions from the huge Pew Internet & American Life Project called "Cellphones and American Adults."

 

[LindaG]

Thanks I didn't know the friend was from out of town. If the friend from out of town was staying with relatives or even in a motel that night Karen might have still wanted to see if she could spend the night there with her friend if she didn't want to go back home or could have wanted to ask the friend to pick up her daughter for her if she didn't want to leave the party.

I get the feeling that Karen and this friend were very close and don't think Karen asking her friend for a favor in a time of need would be an unlikely scenario, regardless if the friend lived out of town.

From what I remember about what the friend had to say about the texts and message that night was she went to bed and had turned off her phone and that is the reason why she never received the messages that night. Going to bed before 11:00 PM on a Saturday night when in town visiting relatives seems a little early to me. But maybe the relatives were not late night people or this friend had to get up early in the morning. I heard just the other day on the radio that a large majority of people sleep with their cell phone next to their be at all times. For her to turn off her phone when she went to bed is out of the ordinary I guess according to what I heard and the study below. But I guess maybe she didn't want to be disturbed.

JMO

It was reported, and link included, much earlier in these threads that Karen's earlier text was to a friend, saying that the party was boring and she was not having a very good time. Regarding the later call that was not answered: I don't think it would be reasonable for a mother to call a friend visiting from out of town. to leave her host's home, or hotel room, and go pick up the mother's sick child so that the mother could continue partying. I do not see that as a favor in a time of need. I didn't get any indication that this friend was any closer to Karen than any of her other friends.

If this person was visiting from out of town, two hours away, she may have been driving, visiting with friends and relatives, possibly going out for dinner or whatever - and maybe she was just tired. Eleven o'clock is not particularly early, and maybe they had plans for the next day, or were church-goers and planned to get up early.

I do agree, if she turned off her phone she probably didn't want to be disturbed. Can't say I blame her.

Just curious about your observations. Do you think something is suspicious about the friend's story? Thanks-

moo

 

[SNOWINMEMPHIS]

Apologies in advance if I am wrong, but I believe that particular friend was from Lexington, TN.
Which is off of I40 close to Jackson and on the way to Nashville.
Just a coincidence, but pretty close to Darden where Holly Bobo is missing.
Such a sad story for both these families especially on Christmas
JMO

 

[Joe Friday]

It was reported, and link included, much earlier in these threads that Karen's earlier text was to a friend, saying that the party was boring and she was not having a very good time. Regarding the later call that was not answered: I don't think it would be reasonable for a mother to call a friend visiting from out of town. to leave her host's home, or hotel room, and go pick up the mother's sick child so that the mother could continue partying. I do not see that as a favor in a time of need. I didn't get any indication that this friend was any closer to Karen than any of her other friends.

If this person was visiting from out of town, two hours away, she may have been driving, visiting with friends and relatives, possibly going out for dinner or whatever - and maybe she was just tired. Eleven o'clock is not particularly early, and maybe they had plans for the next day, or were church-goers and planned to get up early.

I do agree, if she turned off her phone she probably didn't want to be disturbed. Can't say I blame her.

Just curious about your observations. Do you think something is suspicious about the friend's story? Thanks-

moo

No I don't think Karen's friends story is suspicious.

I would like to know why Karen texted and called her though. It might be the key to solving her murder.

 

[TxLady2]

I have a hard time understanding why a predator would be lurking around on such a lonely road out in the middle of nowhere between 2-5 a.m. on a Sunday morning. Unless he was specifically stalking Karen, I just can't see it, and so far we don't know of anyone else who is a suspect.

But it does happen. Could have been someone stalking her, but it could also be just some stranger who saw the opportunity and grabbed it. Sickos drive around at all hours and a lot of them prefer the night or wee hours of the morning, because there is less chance they would be seen.
Could have been a guy she knew or had just met. We know she left the house sometime after 2 a.m. but we don't know why. It could be she and this guy had already made arrangements to meet and things got out of hand, she turned him down and he was enraged enough to kill her.
I wasn't aware that the husband had been named a suspect. I must have missed something, but then I barely check in every couple of days, so I'm always behind.

 

[AmyMarie222]

This is an older video, but it's the first time I've seen it - can't believe I hadn't seen it earlier. Preston Swift, Karen's oldest son, says that Karen was the one who moved the daughter into bed with her sister, and that the younger daughter remembers being moved by Karen. Preston seems to think his mom went out after that:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7E2w-5QcKIM&feature=youtu.be

Thinking a lot about Karen's children over the next couple days as they spend their first Christmas without their mother.

 

[ThoughtFox]

But it does happen. Could have been someone stalking her, but it could also be just some stranger who saw the opportunity and grabbed it. Sickos drive around at all hours and a lot of them prefer the night or wee hours of the morning, because there is less chance they would be seen.
Could have been a guy she knew or had just met. We know she left the house sometime after 2 a.m. but we don't know why. It could be she and this guy had already made arrangements to meet and things got out of hand, she turned him down and he was enraged enough to kill her.
I wasn't aware that the husband had been named a suspect. I must have missed something, but then I barely check in every couple of days, so I'm always behind.

No one has been declared a suspect ~ not the husband, not the neighbor, not some unknown (to us) random predator.

I imagine that is why they are going slowly with the DNA evidence. They want to know who else has been in her car or near her body that night after she came home. The Sheriff said she had bruises and other injuries, therefore she might have DNA from defending herself. It's sad that it took so long to find the body, but all they need is one hair or some skin under her fingernails.

I'm also thinking they are going slowly because of the holiday and not wanting to traumatize the children further. I think things might start to happen after Christmas.

 

[dovebar]

This is an older video, but it's the first time I've seen it - can't believe I hadn't seen it earlier. Preston Swift, Karen's oldest son, says that Karen was the one who moved the daughter into bed with her sister, and that the younger daughter remembers being moved by Karen. Preston seems to think his mom went out after that:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7E2w-5QcKIM&feature=youtu.be

Thinking a lot about Karen's children over the next couple days as they spend their first Christmas without their mother.

For the parents out there, for what reasons would you move a sleeping child into bed with their sibling - instead of into their own bed, or leaving them sleeping where they were?

 

[officer'swife 2010]

Haven't been on much lately been busy with work and family Just checking in to see if there has been any arrests made yet, but i see there hasnt which completely breaks my heart, i really hope this case doesnt go cold. But while I'm sitting here with my family celebrating Christmas, I'm thinking about Karen's family esp her poor children

Merry Christmas everybody! Hope its great

 

[CocoChanel]

For the parents out there, for what reasons would you move a sleeping child into bed with their sibling - instead of into their own bed, or leaving them sleeping where they were?

Good question! Let's see.....
... because where that child was initially sleeping was in a place that would be disturbed by some other activity?
...because if one of the sibs woke up in the night and needed something but neither parent was there and the house was empty they would at least have their sister beside them for comfort/help?
Just guessing....

 

[cluciano63]

It does seem strange that Karen would have moved her child if she herself had intended to remain in bed for the night...why not let her stay with Mom?

 

[mysticrose]

For the parents out there, for what reasons would you move a sleeping child into bed with their sibling - instead of into their own bed, or leaving them sleeping where they were?

When I have company stay over my kids will share a room to make an extra bed for company.
The only times I have moved my sleeping child is when they have fell asleep in my room and I move them to theirs, when they have fell asleep in my car after being out late....
I really can't think of any other reason, do we know if the girls were sharing a room ?

 

[MagnoliaMom]

For the parents out there, for what reasons would you move a sleeping child into bed with their sibling - instead of into their own bed, or leaving them sleeping where they were?

-Something was happening or fixing to happen that would disturb them/wake them (someone talking, arguing, phone call that I knew was going to get lengthy or loud, dog barking at something outside, hearing vehicle or house doors opening/closing, hearing glass break, seeing car lights drive up or away).

-They were afraid to sleep by themselves or awaken easily when someone is not next to them and I had something I wanted to go do because I couldn't sleep (load of laundry, watch a movie, get on computer, read a book, fix a snack).

-I was sick and didn't want to disturb them getting up and down going to the bathroom. Hubby was sick and was hollering for me.

-Something happened to the bedding (vomit, urine, spilled drink).

-I had to go to the hospital, take someone to the hospital, or take a pet for emergency care (would involve waking a responsible friend/family member so they knew and were taking over in my absence).

 

[panthera]

It does seem strange that Karen would have moved her child if she herself had intended to remain in bed for the night...why not let her stay with Mom?

Curious if it was Karen who moved the little girl? Could he have done it?

:waitasec:

 

[cocomod]

Hoping to hear more about a possible arrest tomorrow. Now that the holidays are over, I hope that LE lets us in on their possible POI.

Justice for Karen! I hope that we gain some insight soon.