Karen Johnson Swift

Mother Brings Daughter Home and then Disappears


From: The Huffington Post:

Police trying to solve the disappearance of Karen Johnson Swift have recovered her clothing, the woman's friend reports. Swift, a mother of four, has been missing since her car was found abandoned on a rural Tennessee road on Oct. 30.

"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.

The Dyer County Sheriff's Office has yet to confirm the find. Calls to the agency are directed to a voicemail for a Sheriff Jeff Boxx. The sheriff has yet to return multiple requests for comment from The Huffington Post.

Swift's vehicle, a white 2004 Nissan Murano, was found with a flat tire on the morning of Oct. 30. The car was found abandoned on the Millsfield Highway, roughly half a mile from her home in Dyersburg, a city about 77 miles northeast of Memphis.

On Friday, another friend of Swift's, Carrie Engelhardt, told The Huffington Post that Swift had picked her daughter up from a Halloween party around 1:30 a.m. that day because her daughter was not feeling well.

"She went to bed with her daughter, and when the girl woke up around 6 a.m., her mother was gone," Engelhardt said.

Authorities have conducted multiple searches in and around the area where the vehicle was recovered. Those searches continued Wednesday.

"Today they are conducting aerial searches with helicopters," Jane said. "They have brought in some topographical experts to study the lay of the land because it is very rural. They are trying to get all the help they can from outside resources because they are not as equipped as a larger area would be."

On Oct. 11, 44-year-old Swift filed for divorce from her husband, David Swift, citing irreconcilable differences. Though they were divorcing, they still lived together.

"Their relationship was pretty volatile," Jane said. "She wanted to leave with the kids and start over. She wouldn't leave her kids behind. That was the only reason she was still in that marriage. She wanted them to have a stable environment until she got all her stuff together."

"It's so bizarre," Jane added. "She filed for divorce and then disappeared. I don't believe that coincidences like that happen, but they could. You never know. Something obviously happened to her."

David Swift has been interviewed by police, and has not been called a suspect or person of interest in his wife's disappearance. He has yet to speak with the media but, according to WMC-TV, he did recently tell a friend on Facebook, "We want her home and love her very much."

Another of Karen Swift's friends, Lori Burks, told The Huffington Post that David Swift has hired an attorney.

"Her husband has [allegedly] quit talking to the authorities. He has got an attorney. This is the most recent information we have received," Burks said.

On Saturday, sheriff's deputies arrested a neighbor of the Swifts', 39-year-old John E. Hogshooter, on an outstanding felony warrant for animal cruelty. Hogshooter is accused of poisoning two dogs, including one that belonged to the Swifts.

"[Hogshooter's] arrest was based solely on the outstanding aggravated animal cruelty warrant and that is a felony," Sheriff Box told the Dyersburg State Gazette. "We basically waited on the lab results to come back from the TBI on the poisoning and they confirmed it."

Because Hogshooter allegedly poisoned Swift's dog and lives in close proximity to her residence, investigators impounded his vehicle and searched his home after she went missing. Authorities did not find any items connecting him to Swift's disappearance and do not consider him a suspect.

Hogshooter was released from jail Monday on a $2,500 bond.

Meanwhile, Karen Swift's friends are anxious for answers and hopeful she will be found soon.

"I understand [the sheriff's office] is trying but it’s frustrating," Jane said. "This is like 'The Twilight Zone' here. We just want her to be found. It's probably not going to be the outcome anyone wants, but just so long as she can be recovered in whatever shape or form so her kids can have answers."

The Swifts' oldest children, Dustin, 18 and Preston, 21, did not immediately reply to a request for comment from The Huffington Post.

Swift is described as a white female, 5'5" tall, 138 lbs., with blonde hair and green eyes. Anyone with information in the case is asked to contact the Dyer County Sheriff's Office at 731-285-2802.

From: ABC NEWS :

Dec. 13, 2011
A missing person investigation became a murder investigation when authorities confirmed that a body discovered near a Tennessee highway was that of Karen Johnson Swift, the mother of four who disappeared on Oct. 30.

"She had been there some time," Dyer County Sheriff Jeff Box told ABC News' Western Tennessee affiliate WBBJ-TV. "The body had been concealed by vegetation."

Swift's body was in an area covered in vines and that there were no indications that she was killed in a different location, according to the sheriff. The place where the body was recovered is about three miles from where Swift's abandoned car, a white 2004 Nissan Murano, was found with a flat tire.

Box said items recovered from her car could be key to the investigation, but would not elaborate on what the items were.

Swift, 44, was last seen by her husband at her home in Dyersburg at approximately 1:30 a.m. and her care was only about a mile away from her home. Dyersburg is about 75 miles northeast of Memphis.

Box said the remains were found near a private cemetery by a passerby and that the death has been ruled a homicide.

"There were some apparent injuries to the body," Box told WBBJ. "We're going to wait to let the medical examiner's final report tell us the extent of those injuries."

The sheriff said it could be two weeks before a Memphis coroner releases the final autopsy report. Police are now focusing on finding Swift's killer.

"At this time we haven't named any suspects and you won't see us name suspects until we're sure it's going to be beneficial to the investigation," Box said.

The sheriff said that no one has been ruled out as a suspect yet.

Swift's father Gary Johnson, 67, told ABCNews.com when Swift disappeared that her four children—two boys and two girls—were devastated.

"She had never missed a day since they can remember that she wasn't there to wake them up at 6 a.m.," Johnson said.

Swift's two sons are in college and her daughters are 7 and 9 years old. Johnson said his youngest granddaughter "just cries" and "won't hardly eat."

Swift had been in the process of getting divorced and police say her husband has been cooperative with the investigation.

"No one wanted to see it end this way and all our prayers go out to her family," Box said.

Swift grew up in Arkansas and her close friend from high school Janet Ross told ABC News' Jonesboro affiliate KAIT-TV that she learned of her friend's death when Swift's mother called her Sunday night.

"As soon as I answered, she said, 'It's her,'" Ross said. "Her mother told me last night, she said, 'Okay, we found my daughter. Now I want to know who did this to my baby.'"

Ross said Swift never would have left her children voluntarily.

"I definitely don't think Karen wandered away from her vehicle three miles down the road and stumbled into some weeds and died," Ross told KAIT. "I want to know who it was and I want to prosecute."

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I started this case by running a chart for the time she was last seen. We know, from eyewitness reports, that she picked up her daughter at 1:30 am at a Halloween party. I have recently been told that her daughter was 9 years old. The daughter also claimed that Karen laid down to sleep with her when they got home but when she awoke later Karen was gone. From all accounts, Karen Swift has never been seen again. But they did find her car and then her body, as well, so we know she is dead. What I am going to use the charts for is to discover what she did in the hours between going to bed with her daughter and when her car was found. So I start with the time she was last seen to see if the charts are viable.




Right away, we can see that the chart for 1:30 am is viable. Here, she is picking up her daughter at the party and you can see that Leo rules the first house, which makes the Sun her marker. The Sun is in the third house, showing her in a car, traveling. Notice also that the Sun is disposed of by Pluto, which is in the fifth house. This shows us that her purpose was to go to a party. So here she is, picking up her daughter. The third house ruler is Venus, which traditionally describes a bluish white color, so this is close. Her car was said to be white. Also, Venus is Scorpio, which describes a brownish color but I do not know about the interior or trim but somebody who does know this can make comparisons. At the same time, the Moon is also in the fifth house, disposed of by Jupiter, the fifth house ruler, in the ninth. This was a Halloween party and the ninth house rules holidays. These markers tell me that the chart is working with the known facts and because of this, it is viable. Now, take a look at the seventh house. This is ruled by Aquarius with Uranus in the eighth house. This is an omen. When you see that the Sun is also disposed of by Mars in the twelfth house, there appears to be a hidden agenda in this event. Neptune is in the seventh house. I am starting to wonder if Karen Swift didn't have a secret life. This person she is about to meet, shown by the seventh house, is a criminal. Uranus in Aries shows us outlaws, a person who lives a renegade life, who lives "on the edge". Uranus in the eighth house shows us a criminal, a dangerous person, who can do unexpected, outrageous things. Uranus is also disposed of by Mars in the twelfth. Does this show a secret meeting with Karen Swift? You tell me.

Neptune in the seventh house points to someone who is a secret, a person no one else knows about. But it also points to drugs and alcohol. Did Karen Swift use drugs? Did she, like so many Americans, use Marijuana or other substances? Or did she know someone who did? If Karen did not use drugs and this is a known fact, then this may be a person in her life who has a drug problem that is being kept secret from everyone else and whom Karen is meeting with for any reason, such as to help or to rescue. Could she have gotten a late night call from a relative or friend who needed help? Someone who might have been in jail before? This would explain the criminal markers. But there is no doubt, from this chart, that she will be meeting up with a criminal at some point later on that morning and that this meeting might involve drugs.




Now, we know she disappeared at some time between 2 am and 6 am. She went to bed with her daughter on getting home that morning, so are assuming she was at home at 2 am. But her daughter awoke at 6 am and discovered her gone. So I ran a charts for every 15 minutes after 2 am to see when she left the house. In the chart for 2 am, you can see that the Moon has moved from the fifth to the fourth house, showing their arrival at the home. There is so much activity in the third house from here on that I move my marker to the Moon in order to track Karen. The third house activity may have to do with any of several things. There could have been a lot of phone activity, calls coming in or going out. Or it could relate to the actual home, which may have been a short term rental, a trailer, a mobile home or a seasonal home. Or someone could have been on the computer sending email, reading a book or ebook, writing letters, etc... So because of this activity, which dominates the charts while she is at home, I use the Moon to track her. It enters the third house at 4:05 am. Between 2 am and this hour, the Moon has remained in the fourth house with Pluto. Pluto, by the way, disposes of her marker, Mercury, in the third. This shows her activity up until this hour to be focused in the home. But the Moon enters the third house at 4:05 am and is now disposed of by Jupiter in the eighth house. The seventh house ruler is Neptune and it has moved into the fifth. This shows someone partying, using substances such as drugs or alcohol. Neptune, the marker, is in Aquarius and is disposed of by Uranus in Aries. Uranus is right at the seventh house cusp. As noted before, this placement describes outlaws and people who live on the edge. Her Moon being disposed of by Jupiter in the eighth gives the impression of illegal activity but with both the eighth and fifth houses engaged, it could also be sexual and / or romantic. Notice how her marker, Mercury, is disposed of by Mars in the eleventh. She is apparently either visiting a friend or a lover. Mars opposes Neptune so I am pretty sure this was a secret alliance, one that she told no one about.




In the chart for 4:05 am, which shows her leaving the house, I also see a death pattern developing. Jupiter rules the fourth house from the eighth. Pluto is in the fourth and it disposes of the first house ruler. The twelfth house ruler, Sun in Scorpio, is disposed of by the eighth house ruler, Mars in Leo. Eighth house ruler is square to the eighth house ruler. Pluto angular in the fourth house is disposed of by Saturn rising in the first. This is not good. The charts look like she is going to another party, perhaps to rescue someone or perhaps to join in? It's hard to tell from this so I go to the fixed stars for enlightenment. Right off, I can see that the Moon is sinister to a conjunction with Sinistra, a fixed star that describes lust, sexual attack and rape. I do not know if Karen was raped but the sexual theme is already present in the charts. The dynamic marker in this chart, for me, is the exact conjunction of the north node in Sagittarius to the fixed star, Ras Algethi, which describes a devious plot. The node relates, as well, to plotting and scheming and, with this combination, it feels like Karen was the victim of a ruse. She may have been called away over a problem she felt she could solve only to face her killer. Did someone in her life use drugs? This is key. If not, was there anyone who had been in jail? This is also key. Find this person and you will find the person who drew her into a web where she ended up dead. Neptune is nothing if not deceptive and there may well have been a lie involved here. Here are two more interesting markers: The Moon in Sagittarius is disposed of by Jupiter in Taurus in the eighth house while Jupiter is sinister to a conjunction with the fixed star Schedir. This while rising Saturn in the first house is conjoined to Spica. Schedir describes an escape or a feeling of being set free. Spica describes a rescue, a brightness and positive energy. She went there to help someone, this is what the charts seem to be saying, and was trapped by a ruse. She was purposely led to this place and then she was killed. The death pattern emerges as she is leaving the house and the markers with the node show the scheme.




Now, who was it that led her there and killed her? The markers show that the abductor is defined by Uranus in Aries. This is shown by the seventh house ruler being Uranus at the time she was last seen, then became Neptune, disposed of by Uranus, at the time of leaving her home and then, as time went by, became Aries with Uranus at the seventh cusp. As I've said before, a basic description for this placement is an outlaw, a person with a weapon, a person who lives on the edge and does not play by the rules. Traditional markers give the physical body height and thinness. So this person is tall and thin. There will be color in the skin, perhaps even florid, dark or reddish from the sun. Dark hair with reddish or auburn streaks, such as you might get in sunlight. The typical trait is dark hair with red but this person could also have red or strawberry colored hair. This person would be known for having peculiar traits. This person would be difficult to understand, original and inventive but also eccentric. This person would have a lot of reversals in their life and would be needy for others to help. Their situation would also be tenuous, hence, "living on the edge". No stability or constancy. Not a loyal type, either. There would be a fondness for machinery or electrical devices, especially old stuff. A love for vintage computers, for instance. I cannot say from this whether this is a man or a woman so I have to leave that open.

Other personality markers would be a love for travel. This person would have a hard time staying in one place and would move around a lot. Hyperactive with too much nervous energy. This person is very aggressive and can be hard to control. Does not obey orders very well. This person has a hard time holding a job and probably has a violent temper. Rash and impulsive behavior. This person would be blunt and even radical in speech and would be known as being a trouble maker. Radical speech is noticed by almost everyone so this is a clue to who this person is. This person is likely not married and if he or she has been married, there has been a divorce. If they are the marrying kind, which is unlikely, there will be many short marriages with an equal number of divorces. They simply make horrible marriage mates and most people won't put up with this behavior for long.