Body of Missing Tennessee Mom Karen Swift Found … Death Ruled a Homicide

The case of missing Tennessee mother of four has gone from a missing person case to a murder investigation. The body of 44 year old Karen Swift was found along the roadside covered by vegetation about three miles from where Swift’s abandoned car has been located. Karen Swift had been missing since October 30, 2011 when she was last seen be her husband at her home in Dyersburg home. Swift’s death has been ruled a homicide.

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No suspects have yet been named in the death of Karen Swift.

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.

More comments from Dyer County Sheriff Jeff Box:

“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.

 

John E. Hogshooter Arrested for Aggravated Animal Cruelty for Poisoning Missing Karen Johnson Swift’s Dog

And now for something completely different and rather peculiar in the case of missing Karen Johnson Swift.

39 year old John E. Hogshooter was arrested on an outstanding felony warrant for cruelty to animals. Why is this important? The animal cruelty in question was the poisoning of missing Karen Johnson Swift’s dog.  Hogshooter was taken into custody and remains in the Dyer County Jail without bond until his appearance before a judge on Monday morning.

John E. Hogshooter

Dyer County Sheriff’s deputies arrested a suspect on an outstanding felony warrant for animal cruelty while searching for evidence in the Karen Johnson Swift case.

John E. Hogshooter, 39, 285 Pennell Lane, was arrested by sheriff’s officers on Saturday for aggravated animal cruelty while performing their search of a wooded area on Harness Road in Dyer County. Hogshooter is accused of poisoning two dogs in the area, one of which belonged to the Swifts.

Swift’s husband, David Swift, reported the incident to sheriff’s deputies on Oct. 7. In the report, David Swift stated he observed his dog travel to 310 Harness Road, where Hogshooter had been staying, and it fell ill shortly afterward. Karen Swift was reported to have gone to the dwelling to speak to Hogshooter, but he was not there and she saw a blue rocky substance in a pan. The dog was taken to an animal clinic and was given medication to counteract the alleged poison, then was released after overnight observation.

A neighbor of the Swifts is also said by officials to have had their dog poisoned in the same incident and the dog had died.

So does this neighbors behavior toward the Swift’s dog have anything to do with missing Karen Johnson Swift? John E.  Hogshooter  was confronted by Karen Swift on the day of the alleged poisoning incident, which lead to the eventual police report and warrant. Did a vendetta develop? A rather bizarre happening indeed and rather curious, especially when the woman who confronted the dog poisoner has gone missing.

44 Year Old Karen Johnson Swift Missing Since 10/30/11 in Dyersburg, Tn

44 year old Karen Johnson Swift, a mother of four, has been missing since Sunday, October 30, 2011 in Dyersburg, TN. Memphis police and investigators reported that she was last seen in her home by her husband early Sunday morning and that he was  also the individual that reported her missing. However, there is one slight issue, Karen Johnson Swift recently filed for divorce from her husband on Oct. 11th. he has not been called a suspect by police, yet. Karen Swift’s SUV,  a white 2004 Nissan Murano, was found less than a mile away with a flat tire. The vehicle as since s been sent to a crime lab in Nashville for forensic testing.

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ABC News reported that her 2004 Nissan Murano was found on a road a little less than a mile away from her home with a flat tire. Her cell phone was not inside.

Dyer County Sheriff Jeff Box said that a Tennessee Highway Patrol helicopter used heat sensing technology in an aerial search on Tuesday. The car is also being sent to a crime lab in Nashville for forensic testing.

Authorities say the last sign from Karen was when she used the internet on her phone around 5 a.m. Sunday. Police are working with the phone company to home in on the exact location.

CBS affiliate WREG reported that Swift recently filed for divorce from her husband on Oct. 11th. He has been interviewed by police and has not been called a suspect.

Box said the investigation is being treated as a missing person case and there have not been any signs of foul play. .

However, ABC News reported authorities are suspecting foul play.

Search Continues for Missing Mother: MyFoxMEMPHIS.com

Swift has blonde hair and green eyes. She is 5 feet 5 inches and weighs 138 pounds.

If anyone has any information regarding the whereabouts of missing Karen Johnson Swift, please contact the Dyer County Sheriff’s Office at 731-285-2802.

Map Hat Tip: Klaas

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