Niqui McCown's love life had been turbulent. She had separated from her boyfriend, with whom she shared a 3-year-old daughter, Payton.
In 1997, Niqui reconnected with her high school sweetheart, Bobby Webster. The couple got engaged and set their wedding date for 18/8/2001. Her family said Niqui was excited and "seemed ready to get married."
On the morning of 22/7/2001, Bobby went for a suit fitting with his best man, while Niqui went to the laundromat. By evening, Niqui was nowhere to be found. Bobby said his fiancee wasn't home, despite their plans to finish their wedding invitations. After calling some of Niqui's friends, Bobby went to her mother's house to report her missing.
Panic ensued.
Unusual behavior before the disappearance
Niqui's mother, Barbara, said she saw her daughter earlier that day when she dropped Payton off at the laundromat. She said Niqui left around 2 PM, looking worried. "She was pacing back and forth, saying 'He won't leave me alone,'” Barbara recounted. When her mother asked who was bothering her, Niqui said it was "some guys at the laundromat."
Barbara reassured her daughter that the men were probably just flirting, but advised her to pack up and come home if she felt uneasy.
Niqui heeded her mother's advice and left the laundromat, but she never made it home.
 |
The laundromat where Niqui McCown disappeared. Photo: Dayton24/7 |
The laundromat where Niqui McCown disappeared. Photo: Dayton24/7
That evening, with still no sign of Niqui, her father told Bobby to call the police. Bobby thought it was too soon, but her father insisted, "Well, if you don't, I will."
The next morning, 23/7/2001, Bobby reported Niqui missing. The police initially dismissed it, assuming Niqui was experiencing pre-wedding jitters and had gone somewhere to clear her head. However, the family explained that Niqui had an autoimmune thyroid condition that required medication, intensifying their worry.
The Richmond, Indiana, Police Department discovered video footage of Niqui at Village Pantry, a convenience store near the laundromat, at 3:19 PM on 22/7.
The grainy video showed Niqui entering the store, getting change, and leaving. It was the last known sighting of her.
Investigators searched the area around the laundromat, but found nothing. They also questioned the men who had allegedly bothered Niqui at the laundromat; all denied any serious interaction with her.
Fiance under suspicion
A search of Niqui and Bobby's Richmond apartment yielded no evidence, but Bobby remained a person of interest.
Niqui's family initially suspected Bobby because, after her disappearance, he quickly canceled the wedding and tried to return the ring. "I thought it was meant to be, a lot of people did, but after she went missing, a lot of red flags went up. Several people witnessed him being violent with her," Niqui's sister, Michelle, said.
Michelle hadn't witnessed any physical violence, but had seen him throw things.
On 25/7, a few days after Niqui disappeared, Bobby was summoned to the Richmond Police Department for questioning. He claimed to have gone for his suit fitting, visited his grandmother, and then returned home on 22/7. In the interrogation recording, Bobby expressed confusion over Niqui's disappearance, saying "nobody understands what's going on."
Investigators subjected Bobby to a polygraph test. Some of his actions after Niqui's disappearance, such as returning the engagement ring and inquiring about her student loans, raised investigators' suspicions.
Michelle asked Bobby if he had anything to do with Niqui's disappearance. He denied it, saying, "I love her. I wanted to marry her."
Car found near ex-boyfriend's apartment
In 11/2001, four months after Niqui vanished, police found her car in the woods surrounding Meadows of Catalpa, an apartment complex in Dayton, Ohio, almost an hour's drive from Richmond.
Niqui had been driving Bobby's black GMC Jimmy on the day she disappeared. There were no signs of struggle or injury inside the vehicle. However, some parts were missing. Niqui’s laundry was still inside.
Meadows of Catalpa was also where Niqui's ex-boyfriend, Steven Johnston, lived. The car's location immediately struck Niqui's family as suspicious. Payton, Niqui and Steven's daughter, had been with her grandmother that day, so there seemed to be no reason for Niqui to be near her ex-boyfriend's apartment.
Steven and Niqui had a tumultuous relationship before their breakup, marked by his abusive behavior. In a 2018 interview, Steven admitted to mistreating Niqui. "I cheated, I was abusive," he said.
Steven fully cooperated with the police, passed a polygraph test, and was never formally considered a suspect in Niqui's case.
It remains unclear why the car Niqui was driving was found at that location.
Colleague accused of sexual harassment
Another significant person of interest was Tommy Swint, a close male colleague of Niqui's. Tommy was a corrections officer at the prison where Niqui worked.
According to Michelle, Tommy and Niqui's friendship took a disturbing turn. Once, while visiting Niqui during her lunch break, Michelle heard screaming. She entered the room to find Niqui sitting on a chair with her feet pressed against Tommy's chest. "He was leaning down, and she said, 'Help, he's trying to rape me,'” Michelle recounted.
However, Tommy then started laughing and chasing both sisters, leading Michelle to believe he was joking. She asked Niqui about it, and Niqui brushed it off, saying "Don't worry about it."
The Richmond Police Department also eyed Tommy due to his lack of an alibi. They received numerous complaints about him sexually harassing women and similar issues at his workplace.
Nearly 10 years of dead ends
In 2010, almost a decade after Niqui's disappearance, suspicions surrounding Tommy intensified. He was charged with the 1991 murder of a woman in Dayton, Ohio, based on DNA and fingerprint evidence.
Tommy committed suicide when police attempted to arrest him for the murder at his home in Alabama. At this point, Tommy remained a suspect in Niqui's disappearance, while Bobby and Steven were cleared.
Payton always believed in Bobby's innocence and maintained a close relationship with him until his death in 2021. "We talked about it a few times, and he explained why he did what he did. He was just trying his best to figure out what happened to his loved one," Payton said.
After her mother’s disappearance, Payton moved in with her grandmother, Barbara, but remained close to her father, Steven. She never believed he was involved in her mother’s disappearance. "My mom is a very touchy subject for him because he always blames himself. He thinks if he had treated her better when they were together, maybe she would still be here," Payton said.
 |
Niqui McCown disappeared when her daughter Payton was 9 years old. Photo: NBC |
Niqui McCown disappeared when her daughter Payton was 9 years old. Photo: NBC
As for Tommy, Payton "believes that a person is innocent until proven guilty." She believes "someone out there knows something. I don't believe Tommy could keep all the secrets to himself."
Michelle is also unsure of Tommy's involvement in her sister's disappearance. "We may never know if he had anything to do with it. We may never know where Niqui is or if he did anything to her," she said. Michelle hopes that "new technology or something will come up… You can’t just disappear.”
Over 20 years of searching for answers
Detective Mike Wright took over Niqui's case in 2002. Ever since, he has been working to give her family closure.
Mike's department has re-searched the vast wooded areas in Richmond, hoping to find new evidence. Mike’s office has Tommy’s old computer. “It’s almost 15 years old, so I don’t know if technology has advanced to where we can retrieve deleted files or any other information," he said.
Niqui’s case remains open. "The difficult thing is we don’t know what happened. We don’t have a body, we don’t have evidence. We’ll continue to follow up on leads and just hope that, at some point, if somebody out there has information on the case, they’ll provide it to us," Mike said.
Barbara died of cancer on 21/7/2020, just before the 19th anniversary of her daughter's disappearance. Barbara’s tireless efforts to find Niqui have inspired Payton to continue the search. She vows to never stop looking for her mother.
Michelle is now the director and coordinator of the Dock Ellis Foundation, a nonprofit focused on missing people of color. She wants to help families going through similar ordeals. "The foundation has helped me a lot in my healing process. When we are able to bring somebody home, that’s rewarding. Even bringing a body back, it at least gives them some type of closure," Michelle shared.
Michelle still hopes to bring Niqui home one day: "I still have hope. And I want to say if Niqui’s out there, 'Don’t give up. We’re coming to get you.'"
Niqui was 5'4" and weighed 120 pounds at the time of her disappearance in 2001. She was last seen wearing a dark-colored swimsuit, athletic shorts, and sandals. If alive, Niqui would be 52 years old today.
Tue Anh (NBC News)
