#2 The Missing Pieces: Vanished Without a Trace - The Disappearance of Niqui McCown (Part 1 of 3)

What if the person you loved vanished without a trace just weeks before your wedding? This is the haunting reality faced by the family of Marilyn 'Niqui' McCown, a respected corrections officer and mother who disappeared from the small, tight-knit community of Richmond, Indiana. As we unravel Niqui's story, we examine the personal doubts she harbored about her upcoming nuptials to Bobby Webster and the unsettling encounter that left her visibly shaken on the day she went missing. Was this simply a case of pre-wedding jitters, or was there something more ominous lurking beneath the surface?

Join us as we walk through the events of July 22, 2001 in Richmond, Indiana. A day that began with routine Sunday activities and ended in a perplexing mystery. We explore the reactions of Niqui's community and loved ones, delving into the suspicious actions taken by her fiancé, Bobby, who hastily canceled their wedding plans instead of postponing them. As the search for Niqui continues and her family holds onto hope, we piece together the clues and ponder the many unanswered questions surrounding her disappearance. Listen in as we navigate this emotional and mysterious case, seeking the truth behind Niqui McCown's vanishing. Subscribe for part 2 of this story.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Welcome to the Missing Pieces podcast, where we don't just tell the story, we try to understand it. In this three-part series, we're diving into the disappearance of Marilyn Nikki McCown, a 28-year-old woman from Richmond, indiana, who vanished just weeks before her wedding. We put ourselves in the places, in the moments and in the minds of the people involved. Some cases leave us with more questions than answers, and this is one of them. Nikki McCown disappeared three weeks before her wedding. She walked into a laundromat and no one ever saw her again. No goodbyes, no explanations, just gone. What should have been the happiest time of her life turned into a nightmare that her family is still living through today. And as we look closer at the details, one thing becomes clear this was no accident. Richmond, indiana, a town that doesn't forget Richmond, isn't a big city. It's not a place where people disappear without someone noticing. It sits right on the Indiana-Ohio border, a mix of historic charm and working-class grit. In 2001, it had just under 37,000 residents, the kind of place where people leave their doors unlocked, where families have lived for generations and where everyone knows everyone's business. And that's why, when Nikki went missing, people took notice. She was well-known, especially in her community and at work. She was a corrections officer, working in a prison where you had to be tough to survive, and Nikki was tough. She carried herself with confidence. But she also had a warm personality, a smile that could light up a room. She had a nine-year-old daughter. She adored a family who loved her fiercely and a wedding on the horizon. But not everyone believed that wedding was a good idea. A bride-to-be with doubts. By all accounts, nikki was excited about her future with Bobby Webster, but some people close to her noticed cracks in the picture-perfect engagement. Her family wasn't completely sold on him and in the days leading up to her disappearance she confided in her mother and sister. She was having second thoughts. Cold feet Maybe, but when a woman goes missing three weeks before her wedding and she had already voiced concerns, it makes you wonder. Was she having doubts because of stress or was something else going on?

Speaker 1: 2:32

The last day she was seen, sunday, july 22, 2001, started off like any other summer day in Richmond. The sun was high, the air thick with heat, Churchgoers dressed in their Sunday best, families gathered for meals and people went about their routines. Nikki attended church with Bobby and her daughter then stopped by her mother's house, something she often did. But this time she wasn't her usual self. She was upset. She told her mom that two men had been harassing her at a local laundromat earlier that day. They made her uncomfortable watching her saying things the kind of attention that doesn't just make you roll your eyes, it makes your skin crawl. Her mother told her not to go back there alone. But Nikki ever independent, said she just needed to grab her laundry and head home. So she left, and that was the last time anyone saw her.

Speaker 1: 3:27

When concern turns to panic. At first no one was overly alarmed. Maybe she got sidetracked, maybe she ran errands. But as night fell and there was still no word from her, the unease started creeping in. Bobby began calling around, checking with family, seeing if anyone had heard from her. No one had. By Monday morning he filed a missing persons report, but the police didn't immediately treat it as an emergency. Adults go missing all the time. Right, maybe she left on her own, maybe she needed a break. Her family knew better. Nikki wasn't the type to just leave. She had a daughter who meant the world to her. She had plans, she had a future she was looking forward to, and just like that it was gone. A Strange Move by Bobby.

Speaker 1: 4:20

While Nikki's family was doing everything they could to find her, bobby did something that raised eyebrows. He cancelled the wedding, not postponed cancelled. He called vendors, told them to refund deposits, even tried to return his wedding band. Now some people might say he was being practical, why pay for a wedding that might not happen? But to others, especially Nikki's family, it feltoff. It was as if he already knew she wasn't coming back.

Speaker 1: 4:50

Three months later, a discovery in Dayton, ohio. The case dragged on for months with no sign of Nikki, no phone calls, no credit card use, no sightings. Then in November, there was a break. Her SUV was found in Dayton, ohio, about 45 minutes away from Richmond. It was parked in the lot of an apartment complex, the kind of place where cars sit for weeks blending into the background. The locks had been punched out, the ignition was tampered with, the stereo was missing. It looked like a simple car theft, except for one thing Inside the vehicle, her freshly folded laundry was still there. Why would a car thief take the stereo but leave her things untouched? And why was the SUV in Dayton?

Speaker 1: 5:38

The ex-boyfriend theory falls apart. One of the first things police considered was Nikki's ex-boyfriend, after all, the SUV was found near where he lived. Maybe she had gone to see him, maybe an argument had turned deadly, but he had an airtight alibi. He also passed a polygraph. Eventually, investigators cleared him, which meant they were back to square one.

Speaker 1: 6:02

But then another name started coming up, someone who had worked with Nikki, someone with a reputation that would later become chilling. His name was Tommy Swint. Who was Tommy Swint? Tommy Swint was a former corrections officer, just like Nikki. He knew her and there were rumors that he was interested in her. But here's where things get disturbing. Years later, tommy Swint would be linked to another crime, a murder, the kind of murder that makes you question whether Nikki's case was ever really a mystery at all. In part two, we'll take a deep dive into Tommy Swint, his connection to Nikki, his dark past and the evidence that suggests he might have been involved in more than just one crime. If you have any information about the disappearance of Nikki McCown, please contact the Richmond Police Department. This is the Missing Pieces Podcast. Stay safe, stay aware and we'll see you next time.