I'm a big fan of poll questions, so I thought I'd start another one. What do you guys and gals think of this bizarre case?

I'm leaning towards the fiancee being involved. I'm not totally sure he's the one that actually did her in, but I do think he at least knows who did it. He failed the lie detector test big time, and also acted strangely after Niqui disappeared (cancelled the wedding, tried to return the ring).

My theory is that he could have drove or had someone drive the SUV to Dayton, OH, knowing that's where her ex-boyfriend lived, as an attempt to transfer some of the suspicion off of him and on to the ex. I think the accosters at the laundromat is a very bizarre coincidence. I don't think Niqui would have returned to the laundromat by herself if she feared something bad would happened. laundry isn't more important than your life. The segment played up the laundry neatly folded angle quite a bit, that makes me think the fiancee did it, because if it was someone she didn't know, the laundry would probably be strew about and disheveled.

One thing I can't explain though: it seems Niqui was on her way to Dayton anyways for the specialty items for her wedding.

this is a strange one, so many possibilities. what do you think?

Good poll question Wiseguy. I tend to think Niqui was accosted and possibly murdered by the guys who were giving her a hard time at the laundromat. First off she apparently left her clothes there as she had told her mother she didn't want to go back and get them. I do know her clothes were found neatly folded but I think thats because they waited until Niqui folded and put her clothes in her SUV and then accosted her and proceeded to drive her car possibly with her in it. They could have assaulted her, possibly murdered her and disposed of her body and drove her car to that apartment complex. Maybe they knew someone there or thought it would a good place to leave it since it seemed to be such a huge apartment complex and it was nowhere near where Niqui had last been seen. I think it was just coincidence that Niqui's ex lived there. I do think the boyfriend acted strange but he may have just been "freaking out" and not knowing what to do with his fiancee going missing. I can't see much of a motive for him doing something to her since they hadn't yet gotten married and there was no type of life insurance or anything.

I haven't seen this segment in forever, so many of these I have forgotten about. But...thought I would reply because I live in dayton, OH.. so it was weird to see that.

come to think of it, maybe something happened to her in Dayton as she was going there anyways, and had placed a call there the morning she disappeared. That her laundry was in the SUV and neatly folded kind of suggests to me she made it out of the laundromat ok. Man, I don't know about this one. I think I would pick this one as my answer to that thread question from awhile back: "if you had the power to solve 1 UM mystery..."

weird, weird, WEIRD case.

I don't buy the random attack theory or the ex-boyfriend as he had an alabi, my belief is her fiancee wanted her gone and arranged for her to be taken- no way were his actions after the event normal, if the person you were intending to marry went missing you would be more concerned with trying to find her rather than cancelling the wedding(why would you not just postpone it like the segment said?) and trying to get refunds and being obnoxious.

sort of off topic here but I was searching for any articles about Niqui on Google and I notice that her daughter Payton has a MySpace page. She's 15 now and she seems to devote a lot of it to getting more info about her mom's disappearance. I hate it for her that she and her family is still no closer to geting the answers they need and deserve regarding Niqui's disappearance.

sort of off topic here but I was searching for any articles about Niqui on Google and I notice that her daughter Payton has a MySpace page. She's 15 now and she seems to devote a lot of it to getting more info about her mom's disappearance. I hate it for her that she and her family is still no closer to geting the answers they need and deserve regarding Niqui's disappearance.

Thanks for the info. Very nice that she has devoted most of her MySpace link to helping find her mother. Hopefully she will find the answers one day.

6 years later, I'm still not sure where I stand. I just saw the Disappeared episode and now I'm as confused as ever. I think I voted for the fiancee in my poll, but any of the poll options could be true. And now there's Tommy Swint.

The episode had talked about how Swint had attempted to rape Niqui and that one of her sisters just happened to come by at the right split second to break it up. I don't know if he killed Niqui, but he's obviously a dirtbag, and so his lawyer. I didn't believe their claims they were never notified that Swint was a suspect.

The fiancee still bothers me. It also talked about how he called Niqui's college and attempted to get refunds on her money for courses she signed up for. What bothers me most about this, as well as the wedding ring thing, was that it was NIQUI'S money. It's not like the fiancee forked over his own cash and was worried about "losing" it.

And what about those guys at the laundromat? They were harassing her right before her disappearance. They must have been the last ones known to have seen her.

And then again, maybe somebody from Dayton nabbed her. There was some damage and vandalizing done of her vehicle.

I'll say it again: Weird, weird, WEIRD case.

Oh, and here's another nugget: McCown's family was so desperate to find out what happened, they traveled to New York to talk to SYLVIA BROWN (puke, vomit). She told them Niqui was dead and in a trench somewhere near the laundromat. Investigators looked and, needless to say, she wasn't found there.:(

Tommy Swint murdered Niqui McCown. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.

-There was video surveillance at the laundromat. There is no footage of anyone harassing or following Niqui after she left. The investigator ruled this out on "Disappeared".
-Niqui's fiancee Bobby had an alibi for the day and time she disappeared. He was trying on tuxedos.
-Niqui's ex was ruled out by investigators (IIRC at the time of the UM taping).

That leaves Swint. From an older post:

Swint and Niqui worked together at a prison, and according to Niqui's sister these two were "more than friends" on a couple of occasions. In other words, she was having an affair with Swint. I believe the "coworker" (that UM referred to towards the end of the segment) that Niqui called from the payphone was Swint, or someone both Swint and Nicqui knew. Perhaps she set up a meeting with Swint to break off the affair once and for all, and this is what led to her death. And after he killed her, he decides to ditch her car at her ex-boyfriend's apartment complex to throw the suspicioun on him. It's safe to assume that since Swint and Niqui were having an affair that she intimated to him where she used to live with her ex-boyfriend. I think it's possible that the car was vandalized by a random theif well after Swint abandoned the car there. That would explain the broken lock on the door, and the missing stereo system. Or there's also the possibility that this was all staged by Swint to make it look like a robbery gone bad. Or it's possible that Swint ditched the car elsewhere and a carjacker happened upon it and in a remarkable coincidence abandoned it where her ex-boyfriend lived (after stealing the stereo system, etc.).

As I stated above, Niqui's sister confirmed that there was an affair and if Niqui in fact told him she wanted to end it (which seems obvious since she was making all of these wedding plans and intended on marrying Bobby Webster) this gives him a motive. He also refused to take a polygraph while the other two potential suspects both consented to one. The big clincher for Swint being responsible is that he was indicted for another murder (that took place in 1991), but before police could serve the warrant, Swint killed himself. So we may never know for certain whether or not Swint was involved in the disappearance of Niqui McCown, but IMHO all roads point to him being responsible. Unfortunately, since Niqui's sister remained tight lipped about her affair with Swint so long, he never became a POI until 2007. Had she spoke out earlier, this case may have been solved by now.

Tommy Swint murdered Niqui McCown. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.

-There was video surveillance at the laundromat. There is no footage of anyone harassing or following Niqui after she left. The investigator ruled this out on "Disappeared".
-Niqui's fiancee Bobby had an alibi for the day and time she disappeared. He was trying on tuxedos.
-Niqui's ex was ruled out by investigators (IIRC at the time of the UM taping).

That leaves Swint. :
I would also like to add that Niqui's car was found in front of her ex's apartment building, almost like someone was trying to frame him. That seems like too big of a coincidence for a mere stranger of an assailant to have done. I also feel that Swint is most likely responsible for this crime.

I was living in Columbus, GA when Tommy Swint shot himself in Phenix City, AL, which is right next door over the state line and heard about it the day it happened. The original news reports didn't mention his connection to the Niqui McCown disappearance (authorities were closing in on him for an unrelated 1991 murder), but I knew he seemed vaguely familiar. I guess I was pretty surprised to learn I'd lived so close to the person that I later came to totally believe was the last person to see Niqui McCown alive.

The fiancee still bothers me. It also talked about how he called Niqui's college and attempted to get refunds on her money for courses she signed up for. What bothers me most about this, as well as the wedding ring thing, was that it was NIQUI'S money. It's not like the fiancee forked over his own cash and was worried about "losing" it.

Right. I know he's said numerous times that he needed to purchase a cell phone to help with the search effort and similar, but honestly I've never believed that at all. Unfortunately I think he just saw an opportunity to gain some money. The exchange in the jewelry shop concerning the rings was pretty heinous as well.

I don't think he had anything to do with Niqui's disappearance, but he seemed like a real winner.

Right. I know he's said numerous times that he needed to purchase a cell phone to help with the search effort and similar, but honestly I've never believed that at all. Unfortunately I think he just saw an opportunity to gain some money. The exchange in the jewelry shop concerning the rings was pretty heinous as well.

I don't think he had anything to do with Niqui's disappearance, but he seemed like a real winner.
While I think it's nice that he is there for the family and Niqui's daughter (according to the Disappeared segment), I found this rather offputting as well. The whole tuition thing is especially crazy. This was in the early days of her disapperance. Why go through all that trouble and act as though she's never coming back at this stage? Why the focus on money? I don't believe the cell phone story, either. He was planning his wedding and dropping loads of money on it and other things, but can't afford a cell phone? Too far-fetched. That being said, I also believe he's innocent but I found that to be rather unlikable.

While I think it's nice that he is there for the family and Niqui's daughter (according to the Disappeared segment), I found this rather offputting as well. The whole tuition thing is especially crazy. This was in the early days of her disapperance. Why go through all that trouble and act as though she's never coming back at this stage? Why the focus on money? I don't believe the cell phone story, either. He was planning his wedding and dropping loads of money on it and other things, but can't afford a cell phone? Too far-fetched. That being said, I also believe he's innocent but I found that to be rather unlikable.

To play devil's advocate here, we don't know if Webster had paid for any portion of the wedding. And for those who have been married (or are in the process of getting hitched) they know how expensive a wedding is. Now I'm in no way saying that I would do the same thing in the same situation, but I could see how someone strapped for cash (especially in trying to find their missing loved one) would want to cancel things already paid for to get quick money. For all we know, Webster may have thought Niqui was alive and well and ran off with her ex (or even Swint), and the cancelling the wedding/demanding a refund may have been a ruse to try to get her to come forward. Or (even more likely) his actions came off as strange to those who have never been in a similar situation. His tiff with the jewelry manager may have simply been because he was distraught over the fact that Niqui was missing. I don't know maybe it's just me, but I don't find Webster's actions that overtly suspicious.

I also hated how the fiancee went on and was whining about how Niqui's family wasn't having anything to do with him since her disappearance. HELLO? All of your actions after her disappearance indicated you were more concerned about money than Niqui and seemed to indicate you knew she wasn't going to be coming back and that you may have been responsible for her disappearance/death. Of course the family will give you the cold shoulder for that. Pfft. Hated that guy.

I also hated how the fiancee went on and was whining about how Niqui's family wasn't having anything to do with him since her disappearance. HELLO? All of your actions after her disappearance indicated you were more concerned about money than Niqui and seemed to indicate you knew she wasn't going to be coming back and that you may have been responsible for her disappearance/death. Of course the family will give you the cold shoulder for that. Pfft. Hated that guy.

I didn't like him, either. I got the distinct impression his first question was always "But what about me?!" before ANY about Niqui.

To play devil's advocate here, we don't know if Webster had paid for any portion of the wedding. And for those who have been married (or are in the process of getting hitched) they know how expensive a wedding is. Now I'm in no way saying that I would do the same thing in the same situation, but I could see how someone strapped for cash (especially in trying to find their missing loved one) would want to cancel things already paid for to get quick money. For all we know, Webster may have thought Niqui was alive and well and ran off with her ex (or even Swint), and the cancelling the wedding/demanding a refund may have been a ruse to try to get her to come forward. Or (even more likely) his actions came off as strange to those who have never been in a similar situation. His tiff with the jewelry manager may have simply been because he was distraught over the fact that Niqui was missing. I don't know maybe it's just me, but I don't find Webster's actions that overtly suspicious.

My thoughts exactly.