The Disappearance of Niqui McCown
Good morning all! I’m so happy because today is a nice, gray day here in San Antonio, and it’s a nice change from the humidity. I have been on a binge, watching Disappeared on ID. I think it’s important to talk about missing persons cases, in hopes of being able to solve them one day. This is season 2, episode 3 titled “Vanishing Bride.’
Background
Marilyn Niqui McCown was 28 years old, and lived in Richmond, Indiana when she went missing. She was from a loving family, and had 9 siblings. She had a daughter when she was 19 years old, she named her daughter Payton.
Niqui McCown
Niqui worked at the Montgomery Education and Pre-Release Center in Dayton, Ohio. She started there in 1994, and started as a guard and worked up to become the head accountant. Her mom described her as “giving everything she had to a job, and loving it.” She was also criminal justice courses, and wanted to eventually do something in law enforcement.
Niqui and her fiancé, Robert “Bobby” Webster were 3 weeks away from getting married. Niqui and Bobby had dated in high school, went their separate ways and rekindled in 1998, when Bobby moved back from California.
Niqui and Bobby Webster
Disappearance Timeline
July 22, 2001- Niqui and Bobby were out doing errands for their upcoming wedding. Bobby said he went with his brother to get his suit altered, and Niqui was going to go to the laundromat to do laundry. This was around 12:00pm.
Niqui first dropped off her daughter at her parents house. She came back around 1pm, while she was waiting for the laundry. Her mom instantly noticed that Niqui was agitated, her mom asked her what’s wrong, and Niqui said she was being hassled at the laundromat. Her mom didn’t want her to leave again, but Niqui left and that was the last time her mom saw her.
Around 4:30pm, Bobby returned home and Niqui wasn’t there. He didn’t get nervous until around 6 or 7pm, when she wasn't home yet. By 10:30pm, Niqui still wasn't home, or contacting anyone. Her purse and ID are at the home.
July 23- 8:00am- Niqui’s family files a missing persons report.
They are also able to obtain a surveillance video of Niqui at a nearby deli, she is seen buying a soda and leaving. Nobody follows her or is seen talking to her.
Niqui’s family searches for her, and Niqui’s sister visits her work and she’s not there and no one has spoken to her. They also look through her phone records and bank accounts, they are both untouched.
Person of Interest #1
Bobby did some suspicious things a few days after Niqui disappeared. Bobby called the college Niqui attended, Sinclair Community College, to ask for her unused tuition back. It said on the show that he became upset when they told him that her work was actually paying for her classes. He also returned the wedding rings that Niqui had bought for him. Bobby said it was so that he could buy a cell phone, which they didn’t have at the time. It’s also reported that he cancelled the wedding. Bobby seemed to have an answer for everything, and Bobby said it was because he was focused on finding Niqui.
Bobby was also asked to take a polygraph test, and the question he failed was ‘were you responsible for Niqui’s disappearance.’ The officer on the show said that the “needle jumped off the page.”
According to Bobby, he was left out of the searches for Niqui and became an outcast.
Evidence
On November 3, 2001, around 7:30am, Niqui’s car was found in Dayton, Ohio. It was found at the Meadows at Catalpa apartments. Niqui’s folded laundry was found in the car. The car was taken back to Virginia for testing, and nothing is found in the car, no blood, fingerprints or DNA.
Person of Interest #2
The police found out that a man named Tommy Swint lived near the apartment complex. He was a co-worker of Niqui’s, who was interested in Niqui, but Niqui saw him more as a “big brother.” Tommy was also known to be very violent. Niqui’s sister said she went over to Niqui’s one day, and saw Niqui and Tommy fighting, and heard Niqui screaming and that she intervened.
Tommy Swint
Tommy wouldn't talk to the police.
The search for Niqui continues
In 2004, Niqui’s family put out a $100,000 reward for someone to come forward, nobody ever did.
On August 30, 2007, the police had gotten information that Tommy Swint was now a police officer in Trotwood, Ohio. Niqui’s family and the Richmond detectives were shocked and furious. The Richmond police told the Trotwood police that Tommy was a person of interest in Niqui’s disappearance. Tommy was asked to resign, and he sued the city of Richmond. He claimed he was never informed that he was a person of interest, although the Richmond police insist they told Tommy that he was. The lawsuit was dismissed.
In November of 2007, an anonymous tip came into the Dayton police about Tommy Swint. The caller said Tommy was involved in another missing woman’s death.
Tina Marie Ivey
The missing woman was 33 year old Tina Marie Ivey. She was a 33 year old woman, who had a hard life and was living a life of prostitution. Her body was found on December 17, 1991. She was partially naked, beaten and strangled. Her body was found wrapped in a blanket, and she was laying in a pile of trash.
Tina Marie Ivey
On November 17, 2009, the police went to Alabama, where Tommy had moved to. They pulled him over, and brought him in for an interrogation. He denied knowing or killing Tina, or having anything to do with Niqui’s disappearance. Tommy was let go, because they didn’t have any proof or evidence to hold him.
The police were able to take Tommy Swint’s DNA. His DNA matched the DNA on Tina’s body, and from a partial print on the tape that was around the blanket covering Tina’s body.
Indictment
On February 3, 2010, the police were able to indict Tommy for the murder of Tina Marie Ivey. The police went to Tommy’s house to arrest him, and as soon as they knocked on the door they heard a gunshot.
Tommy Swint killed himself.
Where is Niqui?
With their main person of interest dead, Niqui’s family has been unable to get the answers they deserve. Niqui’s family and Bobby believe Tommy Swint had something to do with Niqui’s disappearance.
Other
In 2002, while Niqui’s family traveled to New York to do a talk show, a physic told them that Niqui was dead, and been buried in a trench near the laundromat. Nothing was ever found.
Niqui’s daughter, Payton still has a relationship with Bobby and calls him her step-dad, Bobby says they hangout and go shopping together quite often. It seems that the rest of Niqui’s family isn’t close with him.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I just feel so bad for Niqui’s family, who are probably trying to grieve and can’t without knowing what happened to Niqui.
I do think Bobby’s behavior was VERY strange, and even in the episode I got a weird feeling from him. I don’t think he was involved, but it just was strange for me. I don’t really blame Niqui’s family for not talking to him, especially because he seemed to give up on the hopes that Niqui would come home rather quickly, but people grieve in different ways I guess.
Tommy Swint was a coward for not taking responsibility for what he did to Tina and probably Niqui. He should have at least given Niqui’s family answers. I’m happy that at least Tina Ivey’s family was given closure, and Tina DID NOT deserve what happened to her.
Sources
https://truecrimedaily.com/2018/02/19/love-and-obsession-what-happened-to-niqui-mccown/
The Disappeared episode is where I got most of my notes.
Here are a few podcasts as well that talk about Niqui’s case:
Obsessed with Disappeared
Crime Junkie
Talk Murder with Me
