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February 7, 2025 6 mins

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Could the chilling puzzle of Niqui McCown's disappearance finally be pieced together by examining the shadowy figure of Tommy Swint? As we peel back layers of this decades-old mystery, we confront the stark and unsettling possibility that Swint, with his law enforcement background, may hold the keys to not just one, but two unsolved cases. Discover how a web of connections and a shocking link to the unsolved murder of Tina Ivory through DNA evidence forced investigators to reexamine Swint's ties to Niqui, reigniting a cold trail that many had thought went dark forever.

With Tommy Swint's menacing presence looming large, we trace the timeline of events leading up to Niqui's disappearance, including her last known movements and the haunting discovery of her SUV in Dayton, Ohio, eerily close to Swint's home. As we scrutinize the unsettling parallels between Niqui's case and the brutal murder of Tina Ivory, we grapple with the notion that Swint's untimely suicide in 2010 may have taken the truth to the grave. This episode delves into a narrative that combines obsession, desperation, and unanswered questions, leaving us to wonder if we're forever on the brink of uncovering the truth. Listen as we navigate the twists and turns of a case that refuses to fade into obscurity.

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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the Missing Pieces podcast, where we
go beyond the headlines tounderstand the people, places
and mysteries that leavefamilies searching for answers.
In this second installment ofVanished Without a Trace the
Disappearance of Nicky McCown weturn our attention to a name
that has haunted this case foryears Tommy Swint.
Who was he, what was hisconnection to Nicky, and could

(00:24):
he be the key to solving thisdecades-old mystery?
In Part 1, we explored theevents leading up to Nikki's
disappearance her last knownmovements, the discovery of her
SUV in Dayton Ohio and thequestions surrounding her fiancé
, Bobby Webster.
Now we dig deeper into theinvestigation, the unsettling
details that surfaced and aconnection to another crime that

(00:48):
changed everything.
A suspect, her fiancé, bobbyWebster, had raised suspicions
by canceling their wedding sosoon after she went missing, but

(01:08):
there was no physical evidencelinking him to her disappearance
.
Then a name kept resurfacingTommy Swint.
Tommy wasn't a stranger toNikki.
They had worked together ascorrections officers and some
people believed he had a deepadmiration for her, maybe even
an obsession, but at the timethere wasn't much to go on.
No evidence directly connectedhim to the case and

(01:30):
investigators had little reasonto pursue him further.
That would all change yearslater.
To understand why Tommy Swintbecame a person of interest, you
have to look at his past.
Born and raised in Dayton, ohio, he was known for having a
strong presence, both physicallyand in personality.
He was a big guy, confident andcarried himself in a way that

(01:52):
made some people uneasy.
He worked in law enforcement,first as a corrections officer
and later attempting to join thepolice force.
On paper he was someone whoenforced the law, but, as
investigators would laterdiscover, there was a much
darker side to Tommy Swint.
In 2007, six years after Nikkidisappeared, swint became a

(02:14):
suspect in an unrelated murderin Dayton the brutal 1991
killing of a woman named TinaIvory.
Investigators had long believedTina's case was connected to a
serial offender and when new DNAtechnology became available,
evidence pointed directly toTommy Swint.
The fact that his name was nowlinked to a violent murder

(02:36):
forced authorities to takeanother hard look at his
connection to Nikki.
One of the biggest reasonsinvestigators started to
reconsider Swint as a suspectwas timing.
Nikki disappeared in July 2001.
At the time, swint was livingin Dayton, where her SUV was
later found.
He had worked with her at theprison.

(02:56):
They had a known professionalrelationship, but some people
close to Nikki claimed he mayhave wanted more.
Was it possible that Swint hadbeen following her waiting for
an opportunity?
When Nikki's car was discoveredin Dayton, it was near Swint's
home.
Investigators now had to wonderwas that a coincidence, or had

(03:16):
the person responsible for herdisappearance chosen to leave it
there deliberately?
One troubling theory emergedwhat if Swint had made a move on
Nikki that day at thelaundromat?
What if she rejected him and itescalated into something more?
One of the most chilling aspectsof Tommy Swint's involvement in
Nikki's case is how much itmirrors his suspected role in

(03:38):
Tina Ivory's murder.
Tina Ivory was a woman fromDayton, ohio, whose body was
found beaten and strangled in1991.
For years, her case wentunsolved until DNA linked Swint
to the crime.
When police confronted him withthe evidence, swint denied
everything, but instead offacing trial, he took his own

(04:01):
life in 2010 before he could bearrested.
The parallels to Nikki's casewere impossible to ignore.
Like Nikki, tina had vanishedwithout a trace.
Her case involved a violent andcontrolling man with a history
of working in law enforcementand, most disturbingly, both
cases had clear links to DaytonOhio.

(04:21):
The very place where Nikki'sSUV had been found had clear
links to Dayton Ohio, the veryplace where Nikki's SUV had been
found.
If Swint was capable ofmurdering Tina Ivory, could he
have been responsible forwhatever happened to Nikki?
The problem with Swint's suicidewas that it took answers with
it.
By the time police had enoughevidence to charge him for Tina
Ivory's murder, it was too late.

(04:42):
He had avoided accountabilityand in doing so he may have
taken the truth about Nikki withhim.
There's something unsettlingabout the way his name kept
creeping back into the case.
If he was involved in Nikki'sdisappearance, what happened
that day?
Did he approach her at thelaundromat?
Did she willingly get into acar with him or was she forced?

(05:02):
And perhaps the biggestquestion of all, if Swint was
responsible, where is Nikki?
Because, despite all thesuspicion surrounding him, her
body has never been found.
For Nikki's family, theconnection to Swint only brought
more frustration.
If he was involved, why hadn'tinvestigators zeroed in on him
sooner?
Why had it taken another murderyears later to put his name

(05:26):
back in the spotlight?
And, most painfully, would theyever get the closure they so
desperately needed?
Her mother, barbara, has neverstopped searching.
She has pleaded for anyone withinformation to come forward.
Her sister, michelle, hascontinued to push for justice,
keeping Nikki's name alive inthe hope that one day someone

(05:47):
will break their silence,because someone out there knows
what happened.
Someone saw something, andwhile Tommy Swint may have taken
some answers to the grave, thatdoesn't mean the case is closed
.
As we move into Part 3, we'regoing to focus on what comes
next.
What is the most likely theoryof what happened to Nikki?
Is there anyone else who couldbe involved?

(06:08):
And, with modern technology andnew investigative methods, is
there still hope for solvingthis case?
Because, after more than twodecades, her family deserves
answers.
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