Dyer County Sheriff.com

Swift Murder Investigation

Official Press Release                                Dyer County Sheriff's Office

                                                                   Jeff Box, Sheriff

Swift Murder Investigation                           Update  09/02/2012

 

Karen Swift, a 44-year-old mother of four was reportedly last seen early Sunday morning, Oct. 30 at her home. Her white 2004 Nissan Murano was later found abandoned that day on Millsfield Highway near the intersection of Harness Road with a flat tire.  Our agency began an intense multi-agency search until her body was recovered on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2011, near Bledsoe Cemetery in Dyer County. At that time this missing person case turn into a murder investigation, after investigators observed injuries the body substained that appeared to have caused her death. An autopsy was performed on Karen Swift's body by the Shelby County Medical Examiner's Office in Memphis , the results of the autopsy was sealed under a court order for certain reasons and that the case is still under investigation.rson case    person   case An autopsy was performed on Karen Swift's body by the Shelby County Medical Examiner's Office in Memphis   The investigation is still very active with many agencies involved in the preparation of the evidence for a murder trial. During the course of the investigation approximately between 50 to 100 pieces of evidence have been collected for lab processing. Our Investigators have received much of the lab results back, but we are looking forward to receiving everything back that is needed to prepare this case for trial.  OurOurouOur department is being assisted by state and federal agencies and we are working diligently to bring this murderer to justice.

There have been several persons of interest throughout the course of the investigation, we have ruled all of them out, except for one person in particular. Currently, we do not feel it would not be beneficial to the case to reveal the identity of this person of interest. Our department will not name a suspect until the investigation is complete or an arrest is made.     "If this individual was on the run or if we felt that other persons were in immediate danger, we would have already named this person as a suspect". 

"Our investigators have done a very good job in compiling the evidence and we will use all of the results of the investigation and evidence from these agencies, in unison, to see that an arrest and conviction is obtained."

The Tennessee Bureau Investigation forensic lab in Nashville serves all 95 counties in the state and performs a wide range of analyses on collected evidence. The TBI has provided continued assistance in collecting, and processing the forensic lab work for the Swift case and he hopes to gets remaining results in soon.

"I have made additional requests to expedite the processing of the remainder of DNA and forensic evidence that is needed,"  "Some of the processing includes not only lab work, but taking the results of the investigation and having it preparing in a courtroom presentation display format. "

The investigation has uilized the Tennessee Highway Patrol Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) who began assisting early on in the investigation in an attempt to document evidence-recovery locations and to possibly assist in determining Swift's movements before and during her disappearance. Also, the team is being used to possibly determine how far Swift's vehicle traveled from the time she arrived home in the early morning hours of Oct. 30 until it was found parked on Millsfield Highway. The CERT Team are able to obtain this data from known information and sometimes through the collection and interpretation of data from the vehicle's computer."These results of the data are currently being complied in a computer-generated software for courtroom presentation." 

Early in the investigation we recovered Karen Swift's cell phones after they were processed by lab personel for latents and dna, we then requested the assistance of United States Secret Service in retrieving and processing information from her phones used to pinpoint the times and her movements at the time of  her disappearance.

"This processing with the Secret Service may provide highly detailed data, which may include the time of every movement that was made before, during and after her murder."   " I know the community would like to see an arrest made, and so would do we. However, patience is the key and it is paying off and time has been beneficial in making sure a conviction is rendered, after we make an arrest."

"In order to ensure a successful prosecution, we will continue to protect the integrity of this case to the end, "The cardinal rule of law enforcement is to do the job, but do it right."

The Dyer County Sheriff's Department and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation are jointly investigating Karen Swift's murder. The Dyer County Sheriff's Department requests any person with information about this case contact them at 731-285-2802 or call the TBI at 1-800-TBI-FIND.  You may als

You may also send tips, requests, emails to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

"In order to ensure a successful prosecution, we will continue to protect the integrity of this case to the end," said Box. "The cardinal rule of law enforcement is to do the job, but do it right."

The Dyer County Sheriff's Department and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation are jointly investigating Karen Swift's murder. The Dyer County Sheriff's Department requests any person with information about this case contact them at 731-285-2802 or call the TBI at 1-800-TBI-FIND.  

 ."

The Tennessee Highway Patrol Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) was called by the sheriff's department early on in the investigation in an attempt to document evidence-recovery locations and to possibly assist in determining Swift's movements before and during her disappearance. Also, the team is being used to possibly determine how far Swift's vehicle traveled from the time she arrived home in the early morning hours of Oct. 30 until it was found parked on Millsfield Highway. Box stated they are able to obtain this data from known information and sometimes through the collection and interpretation of data from the vehicle's computer.

"These results of the data are currently being complied in a computer-generated courtroom presentation format," said Box.  

 

 

 

  

"I have made additional requests to expedite the processing of the remainder of DNA and forensic evidence that is needed," said Box. "Some of the processing includes not only lab work, but taking the results of the investigation and having it prepared in a courtroom presentation format. "  

 

 

The Tennessee Bureau Investigation forensic lab in Nashville serves all 95 counties in the state and performs a wide range of analyses on collected evidence. Box said the TBI has provided continued assistance in collecting, and processing the forensic lab work for the Swift case and he hopes to get the results in soon.  

 .".  

 Her white 2004 Nissan Murano was later found abandoned that day on Millsfield Highway near the intersection of Harness Road with a flat tire. Her body was found on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2011, near Bledsoe Cemetery in Dyer County Her white 2004 Nissan Murano was later found abandoned that day on Millsfield Highway near the intersection of Harness Road with a flat tire. Her body was found on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2011, near Bledsoe Cemetery in Dyer County   Our investigators have done a very good job in compiling the evidence and we will use all of the results of the investigation and evidence from these agencies, in unison, to see that an arrest and conviction is obtained. Our investigators have done a very good job in compiling the evidence and we will use all of the results of the investigation and evidence from these agencies, in unison, to see that an arrest and conviction is obtained.