The shocking death of Karen Swift, the trial of her husband and the search for answers

On the night of October 29, 2011, the small town of Dyersburg, Tennessee, was alive with Halloween excitement. That spirit became truly dark after Karen Swift, a 44-year-old mother of four, disappeared. Only her car, which was abandoned by two hunters along a rural road the next morning, and her two destroyed mobile phones, discovered near a neighbor’s house, remained.

Six weeks later, what started as a missing persons case became a murder mystery when Karen’s body was found hidden under a tangle of vines by a caretaker near Bledsoe Cemetery in Dyer County. An autopsy revealed that she suffered blunt force trauma to the head.

The case went cold and no arrests were made for more than a decade, leaving a shadow over Halloween in Dyersburg and haunting the community. On August 8, 2022, the cold case thawed when police announced the arrest of Karen’s husband, David Swift. After being indicted by a grand jury, David was charged with first-degree murder. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Watch the “20/20” episode “Her Last Halloween” airing Friday, November 1 at 9pm on ABC and streaming on Hulu starting November 2.

The arrest came as a shock to many, including David and Karen’s then 20-year-old daughter Ashley.

“I remember trying to figure out why,” Ashley Swift said in a new interview with “20/20.” “Why now? Why is this happening after all these years?”

David’s trial began on May 28, 2024. Community members wondered what evidence would explain his sudden arrest after eleven peaceful years.

On the first day of the trial, the prosecutor warned the jury that they would not present this as a DNA case, nor would their key evidence include fingerprints or ballistics tests.

Prosecutor Danny Goodman instead painted a portrait of a rocky marriage when Karen filed for divorce three weeks before her disappearance. The two have separated in the past and even divorced in 2000 before remarrying that same year, but the accuser suggested this time was more final.

On the morning of October 29, 2011, the eve of the night Karen disappeared, she declined David’s conciliatory offer to have dinner with him later that evening. The state’s theory was that rejection was “food.”(ing)to David, as Assistant District Attorney Tim Boxx put it at trial, and Boxx speculated that David was beginning to understand that Karen was really going to leave him, “and this time it’s forever.”

Daniel Taylor, David’s attorney, argued that David’s attempts to reconcile with Karen should not be read as indicators that he felt rejected, but rather as evidence of his hopes for a revived relationship.

“Did David think maybe they could work it out again, just like the first time?” Taylor asked during David’s trial. ‘Did he hope for that? Yes.’

The accuser also alleged that David tried to control and monitor his wife’s movements during the later days of their marriage.

In response, the defense attempted to convince the jury that David’s alleged actions did not occur in a vacuum.

Karen’s friends and family claimed that Karen had taken on some kind of new identity in the period before her murder. She became involved with a new circle of friends who often attended parties at The Farms Golf Club in Dyersburg. It was also said that she started drinking and going out more.

“Karen’s behavior changed with this new group,” David’s friend Kim Greene told “20/20” in an exclusive interview. ‘She was determined to have fun with them instead of staying home with the kids where she belonged… (David) only went out to see where his wife was.”

Taylor also questioned the prosecution’s premise that David had “control” over his wife. Taylor pointed out that she had access to their joint bank account and Karen could go wherever she wanted. He also highlighted that David checked on Karen regularly, “and it got on her nerves”, but there was no violence.

David echoed this sentiment in his interview with ’20/20′.

“I’ve never raised a hand on anyone, now or ever,” David told ABC News’ Juju Chang. “And I certainly wouldn’t do it to my wife or the mother of my children… It’s just not my character.”

Ultimately, David’s trial ended on June 6, with a not guilty verdict on the charges of first-degree murder and the lesser charge of second-degree murder. However, the jury was unable to reach a verdict on the lesser offense of voluntary manslaughter – an impasse that resulted in a mistrial on that charge.

The jury was not allowed to hear about the stalking charges David faces in Jefferson County, Alabama, related to his ex-wife, Kelly Essman. He met Essman on the dating site Christian Mingle in 2014, three years after Karen’s death, and the two married in May 2016.

Essman, who has not previously shared her story publicly, spoke to “20/20” in an exclusive interview.

“I look at how easily I spoke (David)“, and believed everything he told me,” Essman said. ‘And the feeling I got was that he was sincere. Why didn’t I see it? How can I trust that I can see through anything else?”

“20/20” has obtained footage of what appears to be David at Essman’s home in the middle of the night, after they had already been separated.

“I pulled up the feed,” Essman told “20/20.” “And there he was in my backyard, in the middle of the night… He had to drive 40 minutes, one way, to get to my house.”

David was charged with stalking in Alabama in July 2023 and has not yet entered a plea. His attorney did not respond to a “20/20” request for comment on the case.

Despite the allegations against him, David’s friends and family said they had seen a gentle person.

“David is too nice of a person,” Kim Greene said of her friend. “He wouldn’t hurt anyone.”

Ashley Swift also recalled her father’s compassionate moments, speaking to “20/20” about a time she saw him help a mother pay for her groceries during the holidays.

“She was putting stuff back while she was checking out,” Ashley remembers. “And my dad ended up covering it all so her kids could have a good Christmas. Things like that really stick out to me.”

On October 15, the Tennessee Court of Appeals rejected a request by David’s defense team to dismiss the case surrounding Karen’s murder, paving the way for a new trial on charges of voluntary manslaughter. He has denied being guilty of the charges.

When Karen Swift first went missing in 2011, the community of Dyersburg was gripped by a deep hunger for answers — answers that could provide closure for them and justice for Karen.

After thirteen years and one trial, this desire remains unfulfilled. But Karen’s memory – and the hopes of those who cherish it – still promises to live on.

“At the end of the day, I know the truth of my family,” her daughter Ashley told “20/20.” “And I know my mother would want me to keep fighting for her.”