Karen Swift went missing in the early morning hours of October 30, 2011, after having attended a Halloween party with friends. It was reported that Swift, who left sometime after 1:00 AM to pick her daughter up (who wasn't feeling well) from another party, rode back to her friends’ house to get her car then to get her daughter. Upon arriving home, Swift lied down with her daughter for about thirty minutes before carrying her into her other daughter’s room and left them in bed together. The oldest daughter remembers looking at the clock and seeing that it was about 3:00 AM. This would be the last time she would see her mother.  

Swift, who had been known to leave the house at all hours of the night to meet with friends, did so on this night like others before.  The next morning, Swift's vehicle was found on the side of the road less than a mile from her home, with a flat tire.  Two and a half months later (in December) her lifeless body was found in Bledsoe Cemetery (not far from where her car was abandoned).  The Dyer County Sheriff's Department and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations worked the case together when it was still a "missing persons case" but, as soon as it became a homicide investigation, Dyer County took full jurisdiction of the case.  Nearly eight years have passed by and there is still no justice for Karen Swift.  Dyer County has released several statements to the public that point to David Swift, Karen's husband, as the prime suspect.  Karen, who filed for divorce a mere two weeks before her murder, had been making moves to leave her husband for some time leading up to her disappearance.  While “the husband did it” theory does make the most sense without knowing ALL of the details of the case, what people do not realize is that the couple had been divorced and remarried once before, that they had both been known to step outside of the marriage, and that despite their turmoil filled past... there had never been an inclination of domestic violence.

HMC Investigations has set out to request that Dyer County is relieved of their jurisdictional duties over this case... and that it is given to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations.  The reason that this is necessary in order for Karen to finally get the justice she deserves is because the Dyer County Sheriff's Department has tunnel vision on David Swift.  What they are not considering is the fact that Swift was involved with several men outside of her marriage and that one of those men, who was married, had given her $10,000.00 to help her leave her husband.  Close friends of the victim, whom she had confided in, said that Swift expressed feeling guilty over the "things" she had been doing for money and that "everything comes with a price."  

Additionally, witnesses that have come forward with information have indicated that they have attempted to give statements to the sheriff’s department only for their eye witness accounts to be downplayed and/or dismissed as being either false or “a dream.”

Swift paid a high price for her indiscretions and the detectives on this case seem to want to turn a blind eye because some of players involvwd are prominent figures in the community. 

Therefore, it is the position of HMC Investigations and, by signature below, the citizens of Dyer County and the United States of America, that the sheriff’s department remove themselves from this case and relinquish jurisdictional duties pertaining to the murder of Karen Swift; and that full jurisdiction is given to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations.  We further request that an ethical wall is raised preventing anyone with connections in that county from having access to or being involved in the investigation.  

Sincerely,

Heather Cohen, Licensed Private Investigator