Karen Swift's Funeral Planned For Saturday As Homicide Investigation Continues

Authorities in northwest Tennessee released Karen Swift's body to her family, nearly two months after the mother of four's remains were recovered near a cemetery.

A visitation for Swift was held Friday at the McNabb Funeral Home Chapel in Pocahontas, Ark. Swift's funeral will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Pocahontas Church of God. According to the Dyersburg State Gazette, Swift is from the Pocahontas area.

The body of Swift was found just two miles from her Tennessee home, nearly six weeks after the 44-year-old mother was reported missing.

According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the body was discovered on Dec. 10 in Dyer County, Tenn., near Bledsoe Cemetery.

Swift was last seen at 1:30 a.m. on Oct. 30. Later that day, her 2004 Nissan Murano was found abandoned on the Millsfield Highway, roughly half a mile from her home, 77 miles northeast of Memphis, Tenn.

Swift had filed for divorce on Oct. 11, citing irreconcilable differences. However, she and her husband, David, were still living together.

Police have not yet released a cause of death in the case but have confirmed that are investigating Swift's death as a homicide.

The Dyer County Sheriff's Department is asking anyone with information in the case to contact the sheriff's office at 731-285-2802 or the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation at 1-800-TBI-FIND.

KAREN JOHNSON SWIFT CASE PHOTOS:

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Comments

[browningbunch]

04:17 PM on 02/27/2012

REALLY??? No Coroner's report yet REALLY??? Are you kidding me???? Pitiful!!

[ArchieB55]

02:51 PM on 04/01/2012

In December, a judge ordered it not to be released until the murderers are arrested and charged. The order refers to multiple parties.

[ArchieB55]

10:42 PM on 02/15/2012

It's easy to assume the husband did it, and many people automatically react that way. But that is a simple answer, and the police have described this case as "complex." Mrs. Swift had recent conflict with their neighbor. She attended a party the night before her death, and on the basis of a text message some friends suggest something happened there that upset her. There is a registered sexual offender reportedly living nearby, and a known serial killer reportedly in the area. Like much of rural America, the drug trade is pervasive where Karen Swift lived. She may have sought to protect her kids from that and placed herself at risk. Police are understandably tight-lipped with information about the case, but it appears they are considering more possibilities than the husband-kills-wife scenario. The home has been thoroughly searched. The husband has cooperated in the investigation according to police. After three months, the husband has not been named a suspect or even a person of interest by police.

[ArchieB55]

10:24 PM on 02/15/2012

It's understandable that people affected by worst case scenarios react with advice like Blink's. But we should remember that violence in reaction to a divorce is a rare event. Millions of divorces have occurred without any violence. There is no substitute for good judgment. It's good to err on the side of safety, but in the end you are the best judge whether the potential for a violent reaction is present.

[blinkthink]

12:41 PM on 02/12/2012

In terms of human relationships, the only people who know what transpires between the two people are the two in the relationship. Just sayin'.

[Cody30]

08:33 AM on 02/12/2012

Will police learn from the Powell case, or just wait till the kids are dead too?

[Razpooten]

06:26 PM on 02/11/2012

This does not speak well for the "sanctity" of marriage.

[TAIsabel]

01:20 PM on 02/11/2012

Another wife killed by her husband. Now, how long are they going to wait until he gets locked up, a fire perhaps?

[Kalie]

02:25 PM on 02/11/2012

Seems to be a trend. It is a coward who kills a woman.

[DannyeSue]

02:38 PM on 02/11/2012

How do you know Ms Swift was killed by her husband? I live in the town she was from, and I assure you that there has been NO proof whatsoever of any involvement by her husband. Even though they were in the process of a "second divorce", they still shared the same home so there must have been good feelings between them just based upon that evidence. Please do get your story straight before making unjust and unfounded accusations. Do you have a clue how hurtful such things are to the children of these parents?

[TAIsabel]

04:34 PM on 02/11/2012

Write back to me when they finally convict him. Do his children post on Huff?

[blinkthink]

12:27 PM on 02/11/2012

This is so sad. Prayers to the family and those touched by the mur.der of this lady. I hope the perpetrator will be found and brought to justice.

If I could give any advice to women, I would say never continue to live in the same household while going thru a divorce. No matter how amicable or mutual the divorce is at the start, it becomes negative for everyone, especially children. Sometimes it is a recipe for domestic violence.

I found in my state if a women's attorney enters the mutual living arrangements into a motion, then you give up all protection-no one can force the man to leave, no restraining order is ever possible. It is clearly what not to do.

[Kalie]

02:26 PM on 02/11/2012

Many woman dont have the money to move out. Solution?

[blinkthink]

03:17 PM on 02/11/2012

There are no simple solutions, unfortunately. Obviously, the most desirable scenario is to have him move out, don't just agree to let him stay, especially if there are children there.

If a woman feels like she is in danger, she should check with family, friends or seek a shelter to try to keep herself and the children safe.

I speak as a survivor of something that I never thought could happen to me-and that's why I said what I did. Maybe it will help someone.

[DannyeSue]

02:40 PM on 02/11/2012

I join you in hoping that the perpetrator will be found and brought to justice, but I do believe it's wrong to make accusations against Mr Swift when no evidence against him has been found. They were going through their second divorce so she must have found something good in him to have married him a second time and continue sharing a home with him whilst they were going through a second divorce.

[blinkthink]

03:20 PM on 02/11/2012

I made no accusations, please do not read anything into my words.

[blinkthink]

03:25 PM on 02/11/2012

Never said that.

[hot crispy]

12:17 PM on 02/11/2012

water boarding for the killer, this lady should have lived to see her kids graduate get married and be grand mother.

this is so unfair

[MrOnePercent2012]

12:01 PM on 02/11/2012

The husband did it.
Case solved.

[DannyeSue]

02:42 PM on 02/11/2012

You DO NOT know that to be a fact and there has been no evidence pointing to it being a fact. I live in the small town in which this took place and I can tell you that Mr Swift has been investigated with a fine tooth comb and there is no evidence pointing to him as the perpetrator.

[Diana Hibbard LoCascio]

04:13 PM on 02/11/2012

I sure hope it isn't him, esp for the children's sake. If it isn't, I hope they figure out who did it. It would be unfair for him to carry the stigma if he did not earn it.
Sadly, most often, it is the spouse who did it, esp. when a couple is separated or divorced. Odds are he did it, but that does not mean he did.
I hope her family gets closure and support. This is a very sad story.

[TAIsabel]

04:36 PM on 02/11/2012

You must know him better than most.