She Went Missing After Going To A Halloween Party And Was Found Murdered In A Cemetery Nearly 2 Months Later
Dyersburg, Tennessee. Karen Swift was a blonde-haired, green-eyed, 44-year-old mom living in Dyersburg. Ever since her teen years, she was active and passionate about staying fit.
In high school, she ran track and received plenty of trophies for it. When she graduated, she went on to run 5ks and ended up working as a fitness instructor.
Karen got married to David Swift in 1989 and together they had 4 children; 2 boys (the oldest children) and 2 girls (the youngest).
On the night of October 29th, 2011, Karen got all dressed up as Catwoman and went to a Halloween party at Dyersburg Country Club-The Farms.
Karen was at the party with some of her friends, but a few hours later she completely disappeared.
Facebook; Karen is pictured above
Karen ended up having to leave the Halloween party sometime after 1 a.m. to get her youngest daughter, who had been at a sleepover party but was feeling sick.
David was awake when the two arrived at their house on Willie Johnson Road, and he would later say Karen spent some time in their daughter’s room after she tucked her in for the night.
When David and the girls woke up the next morning, Karen was missing, and so was her car.
If true crime defines your free time, this is for you: join Chip Chick’s True Crime Tribe.
Facebook; Karen smiles in the photo above
David called Karen, but she wasn’t picking up her phone. He called her friends, but they hadn’t seen her that day.
Then, David got a call saying Karen’s car had been found close to their home with a flat tire. Karen was not in the car and her cellphone and purse were also missing.
At that point, David called the police to report Karen as missing. The search was on to find Karen in the days and weeks that followed, with police officers, helicopters, and concerned local residents out in full force across the area.
2 months later, Karen was found dead in Bledsoe Cemetary.
Google Maps; pictured above is the distance between where Karen was last seen at her house and where she was found
Karen had been covered with leaves and she had no clothing on except for a pair of black and pink underwear that was across her thighs.
Her body was so badly decomposed she had to be identified through her dental records, and there was no way to tell if she had been sexually assaulted due to the decay.
Authorities have been quite tight-lipped about the details surrounding her death, but it has come out that Karen died due to blunt force trauma to her head.
It’s been 10 years since Karen was found, and someone has yet to be arrested for her murder. Many people online have speculated that David had something to do with what happened to Karen since she filed for divorce 2 weeks before she vanished, but there is nothing to indicate he played any role in her disappearance or murder.
Authorities have not named David as a person of interest.
Although David and Karen reportedly had issues in their marriage, their relationship was never violent or abusive and nothing between them gave any family members or friends a cause for concern.
If you have any information relating to Karen’s case, please reach out to the Dyer County Sheriff’s Office at 731-285-2802.
More About:True Crime
Read This Next
