Crime Junkie – MISSING: Marilyn “Niqui” McCown (Jan 26, 2026)

Brief Overview

In this special episode, host Ashley Flowers (with Britt Prawat) revisits the first case ever covered on Crime Junkie: the 2001 disappearance of Marilyn “Niqui” McCown. Armed with new evidence, firsthand accounts, and case files acquired over 8 years of investigative evolution, Ashley and her team examine the possibilities—and the red herrings—that have haunted this cold case for nearly 25 years. The episode dives deeply not just into Niqui’s disappearance, but also the suspects, missed leads, odd behaviors, new theories, and the persistence of her family’s search for answers.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Recapping the Disappearance (03:00–06:00)

• On July 22, 2001, Niqui McCown runs routine errands after church in Richmond, Indiana, with her fiancé Bobby Webster. She takes his GMC Jimmy SUV to do laundry, is seen at a local laundromat, and then briefly tells her mother she feels harassed by men there.
• Last confirmed sighting: 3:00 PM back at the laundromat; by evening, she never returns home and her family reports her missing the next day.

Quote:
Ashley (03:00):
"With the wedding just weeks away, this whole runaway bride theory was a convenient narrative, right?"

2. Initial Investigation & Early Suspicions (06:17–11:20)

• Police theorize Niqui might have left due to “cold feet”—a narrative her family rejects, given Niqui’s excitement for her upcoming wedding.
• Fiancé Bobby Webster’s behavior immediately raises red flags: within days he seeks refunds for her college tuition, returns her engagement ring, and cancels their wedding reception.
• Bobby offers a shaky alibi (shopping at a mall for tuxedos with his cousin), but takes and reportedly fails a polygraph, reportedly to the question “Did you have anything to do with or know anything about Niqui’s disappearance?” Though Bobby disputes the phrasing of the question and meaning of the result.

Quote:
Britt (07:36):
"Kind of like he's sure she's not going to be going to class anymore."

3. Discovery of the SUV & Ohio Connection (11:21–15:30)

• Niqui’s SUV is discovered in November 2001 outside the Meadows of Catalpa apartments in Dayton, Ohio—months later and 45 minutes from the crime scene.
• The car had been tampered with and partially ransacked, but household laundry remained in the back seat.
• The location is significant: Niqui used to live there, and her ex-boyfriend Steven Johnson (since cleared by polygraph and DNA) still resided there.

Quote:
Ashley (14:23):
"How does no one see this car? How does he not see this car?...It would almost be weirder to me if he had something to do with it and then left the car in his own complex."

4. Suspects: Bobby vs Tommy Swint (15:38–21:00)

• Focus shifts between Bobby, who had personal motives and suspicious behaviors, and Tommy Swint, a Dayton corrections officer rumored to be infatuated or obsessed with Niqui.
• Swint’s behavior is described as “protective” by some but obsessive by others. Years-old rumors of Swint pinning Niqui down in a “playful” way at work add to suspicion.

Quote:
Ashley (17:13):
"Tommy had a reputation for being close to her—maybe too close."

5. Tommy Swint: From Person of Interest to Murder Suspect (19:03–22:00)

• In 2007, Swint is forced to resign from a police job after his status as a person of interest becomes public, leading him to sue for defamation—thereby reigniting publicity around the case.
• A tipster connects Swint to the 1991 unsolved murder of Tina Marie Ivory. DNA evidence and a fingerprint on tape at that scene eventually result in Swint’s indictment for murder in 2010.
• Before he can be arrested, Swint dies by suicide, leaving no confession, but many presumed this unofficially solved both cases.

Quote:
Ashley (21:00):
"He left no confession, no explanation, no answers about Tina or about Niqui. But for many people, his actions said more than enough."

6. Reopening the Case: New Information—Questioning the Old Conclusion (22:00–29:16)

• Ashley and her team gain access to new case documents and witness statements.
• Bobby’s behavior is further scrutinized: emotionally inappropriate responses, obsession with the movie "The Gift" (which mirrors the circumstances of Niqui's disappearance), and conflicting explanations about Niqui’s rings.
• Witness ID (years after the fact) places Bobby with Niqui at the laundromat on the day she vanished—a claim that cannot be corroborated but is troubling.

Quote:
Michelle (Britt) (25:13):
"Michelle said she remembers standing there just, like, in shock, watching him just like play this same movie, thinking, like, why this one? Why now?"

Ashley (29:16):
"To me, this isn't a super strong alibi, especially if we believe that Nikki left the laundromat alive and well."

7. New Perspectives & Unsettling Revelations (31:10–36:19)

• Interview with Kim, a former friend (and later, a brief romantic interest) of Bobby, reveals his disturbing behavior soon after the disappearance—wearing Niqui’s jewelry, expressing certainty about her fate, and refusing to let Kim search for Niqui.
• In a late-night conversation years later, Bobby confides suspicions that Niqui and Swint were lovers, admits he followed her, but offers little direct evidence.
• After Bobby’s 2021 death (heart attack), Kim brings this information to police.

Quote:
Kim (quoted by Ashley) (35:49):
"She looked square at Bobby and asked him point blank if he killed Nikki. According to Kim, Bobby didn't answer. He didn't deny it. He didn't defend himself. He just broke down crying."

8. Anonymous Letters, Red Herrings & Dump Site Tips (38:38–47:00)

• In 2003, police receive an anonymous letter (signed “634-5789”) accusing Niqui of an affair with the prison warden—a claim quickly dismissed as misdirection.
• Anonymous tips point investigators to illegal dump sites in Ohio, one traced to a Nebraska-based trucking company, but no remains found and callers unidentified.

Quote:
Ashley (41:17):
"And the case report states that investigators followed up on this, but they didn’t find anything to support it. But did they?"

9. The Meadows of Catalpa Mystery Grows (47:00–50:08)

• Repeated convergence on the Meadows of Catalpa apartments: where Niqui’s vehicle is located, where her ex Steven lived, where key witnesses and suspects have previously worked, and linked to another unsolved murder victim, Kelly D. Wilson (whose DJ name was “Nikki”).
• Investigators say there’s no evidence Kelly’s and Niqui’s cases are connected, but the circumstantial parallels are striking.

Quote:
Ashley (48:18):
"Everything comes back to these apartments. And guess who frequented those apartments? Tommy Swintz."

10. The Darlene Williams Angle: New Suspect, New Theory (50:23–67:47)

• Darlene Williams, a prison coworker, is revealed as Tommy’s mistress and a close friend of Niqui’s—possibly the last person to speak with Niqui.
• Darlene’s story of an innocuous phone call from Niqui about vitamins is questionable; the timing (anywhere from 3:30–6:00pm) is uncertain and unverified.
• Darlene and Tommy both call off work the day after Niqui vanishes, claiming they went to help search, which family denies, raising suspicions about their whereabouts.
• Niqui’s vehicle could have been moved/stored at Darlene’s house, nearly a mile from where it was found. Years later, Darlene’s property is searched with dogs and radar, but no trace is found—except a K9 alert in the adjacent woods, which may have never been fully investigated.

Quote:
Ashley (63:04):
"So now they know who she is. Darlene's pretty upset. And so he says, like, this is the point where they kind of, like, end their interview. But it got me wondering. What if the GMC was at her house at some point?"

11. Where the Case Stands: Official Theories & Unanswered Questions (67:47–74:47)

• Detective Redmond theorizes that Darlene and Tommy collaborated in disposing of Niqui—the evidence resting on circumstantial timings and geographic overlaps rather than physical proof.
• Before his suicide, Tommy called Darlene, and in his note denied involvement in “any deaths”—a claim contradicted by DNA in Tina’s murder.
• Darlene never responds to the podcast’s requests for comment, and police have not confirmed if the woods near Catalpa were ever fully searched.

Quote:
Ashley (71:37):
"So after all this, those woods around Meadows of Catalpa could still hold the key to everything, after all, and we don't even know if anybody even followed up on it."

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Ashley, on true crime evolution (01:54):
  "What started out as me and Britt here just retelling a story...this is now a full-fledged investigative reporting operation...bringing you never before released information that you aren't going to believe."

• Peyton (Niqui's daughter), on closure (72:51):
  "We're not going to stop...At this point, I'm not looking to see anybody really serve time. I just want answers. I want to be able to go somewhere and take my daughter so she can at least speak to her grandmother..."

Important Timestamps

• 03:00–06:00 – The day of Niqui’s disappearance; last sightings.
• 07:00–08:20 – Bobby’s post-disappearance actions; initial suspicions.
• 11:25–14:00 – Discovery of Niqui’s vehicle at Meadows of Catalpa.
• 19:03–21:00 – Tommy Swint’s DNA link to 1991 murder and suicide.
• 25:13–25:41 – Michelle’s account of Bobby watching "The Gift."
• 29:16–31:10 – Eyewitness places Bobby with Niqui at laundromat; timeline inconsistencies.
• 35:49–36:19 – Kim confronts Bobby; his reaction.
• 63:04–67:47 – Police interview with Darlene; implications about vehicle location.

Flow & Structure

• The episode methodically layers in new facts to challenge the original narrative, culminating in the case now centering around not just Tommy Swint, but Darlene Williams, and potentially Bobby Webster.
• The tone oscillates between methodical, deeply empathetic, and at times frustrated, especially over dead-end leads and authorities’ lack of action.
• Peyton’s closing statement brings an emotional resonance, underlining the grief and persistence of families in missing persons cases.

Conclusion

This episode exemplifies the evolution of true crime reporting by moving beyond narratives of blame and into the relentless search for answers. With new sources, testimony, and investigative hindsight, Ashley and Britt uncover more questions than answers, demonstrating that Niqui McCown's story may never be truly closed until her remains are found, and the real events of July 22, 2001, are known. The call to action is clear: someone, perhaps still living, knows the truth, and it is not too late for justice—or resolution.

If you have any information about Niqui McCown's disappearance, contact the Richmond, Indiana Police Department at 765-983-7247.

For full sources, interview links, and further information, visit crimejunkie.com.