Anne Swaney, 39, an executive producer for ABC-Channel 7 was found murdered in Belize - Central America

Executive producer at Channel 7 found murdered in Belize


Anne Swaney is seen in this undated photo provided by LinkedIn.
(LinkedIn)

By Chicago Tribune staff
January 15, 2016, 3:33 PM

An executive producer at ABC-Channel 7 has been found murdered in Belize, according to police in the Central American country.

Anne Swaney, 39, who lived in Ravenswood on the North Side, was reported missing Thursday evening and her bruised body was discovered Friday morning in the Mopan River near a deck where her belongings were found, the Belize News reported, quoting police.

She had suffered blunt force injuries to her head and neck, and her death was being investigated as a homicide, it said.

Channel 7 reported that Swaney was on a vacation in western Belize, a popular tourist spot, and was staying at the Nabitunich Resort near the town of San Jose Succotz.

The owner of the resort reported Swaney missing around 5 p.m. Thursday after noticing she had not returned from an area near a horse riding trail where she practiced yoga, the Belize News reported.

Read more:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-executive-producer-at-channel-7-found-murdered-in-belize-20160115-story.html

Tourist from Chicago murdered in Belize; Anne Swaney worked website at ABC7 Chicago



By: Chuck Goudie, Ann Pistone, Barb Markoff, Christine Tressel and Ross Weidner

Updated 2 hrs 34 mins ago

CHICAGO (WLS) -- One of our ABC7 Chicago colleagues was found murdered Friday while traveling in Belize, according to police in the Central American nation and the U.S. State Department.

Anne Swaney was executive producer of online operations at abc7chicago.com. She was 39.

~Snipped~

On Thursday morning, Anne was supposed to go on a group horseback trip through the woods, but there were more riders than horses, so she stayed back. She came down to a wooden deck on the river to do yoga and never returned.

"A horse riding tour returned in the afternoon and found her personal effects on the deck. This looked suspicious so they went to her cabin and she wasn't there. They told the owner who called the police. The police came with their canine unit and the scent led them along the river but due to the darkness the search was called off for the night before finding her," Supt. Arzu told the I-Team.

Police teams resumed searching Friday morning, when her body was found face down in the river. Police said there were obvious signs someone had killed her.

"Her neck and either side of her head had laceration and that led us to believe it was a case of murder," Supt. Arzu said.

Authorities said Anne was taken to San Ignacio Hospital in Belize and was pronounced dead. She was transported to the Belize city morgue, where an autopsy was underway Friday.

Read more:

http://abc7chicago.com/news/tourist-from-chicago-murdered-in-belize/1160633/

Chicago Woman Strangled In Belize: Authorities

January 15, 2016 2:37 PM

Filed Under: Anne Swaney, Belize, crime, Murder, Roseanne Tellez



CHICAGO (CBS) — A Chicago woman was murdered while on vacation in Belize, police said.

Anne Swaney, 39, was reported missing on Thursday, and her body was found in a river on Friday. Police officials, citing an autopsy report, said Swaney had been strangled and also suffered blunt force trauma to the head and neck.

Swaney was executive producer of online operations for ABC 7 in Chicago.

Her friends said Swaney loved horses, travel, and good times; and seemed to be enjoying all three while vacationing at a rural resort in the Cayo District of western Belize.

~Snipped~

When the search resumed Friday morning, police found her half-naked body face-down in the river, Arzu said. She had bruises on her neck, and lacerations on both sides of her head, indicating she might have been strangled.

“That led us to believe that she was murdered,” he said. “We also suspect that she might have been sexually violated.”

Read more:

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2016/01/15/chicago-woman-found-dead-while-on-vacation-in-belize-police-suspect-she-was-murdered/

CBS/AP / January 15, 2016, 10:24 PM

​Belize investigates killing of American tourist

BELIZE CITY, Belize -- Belizean authorities are investigating the suspicious death of an American tourist who was vacationing in the town of Benque Viejo del Carmen on the Belize-Guatemala border.

Police say 39-year-old Anne Swaney was a guest at the Nabitunich resort in the Cayo district when she was reported missing Thursday.

CBS affiliate WBBM reported Swaney worked as the executive producer of online operations for ABC 7 in Chicago.

~Snipped~

WBBM spoke with colleagues at the ABC station, where Swaney was being remembered as a newsroom leader with a passion for getting it right.

"Anne was one of those folks, she made everybody around her better. She made everybody around her smile. She was a fierce advocate for getting things right, and a fierce advocate for this news business," ABC 7 general manager John Idler said.

WBBM reporter Brad Edwards was one of the many friends Swaney had at the CBS station.

"Northwestern grad, smart superstar alum, talented, big title, but everyone loved her. She was just effervescent," Edwards described.

Read more:

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/belize-investigates-killing-of-american-tourist-anne-swaney/

Chicago Woman Murdered on Vacation in Belize

Posted: Jan 15, 2016 4:55 PM CST
Updated: Jan 15, 2016 5:22 PM CST



CHICAGO (CBS) — A Chicago woman was found dead while on vacation in Belize, the U.S. State Department confirmed.

Anne Swaney, 39, was reported missing on Thursday. Her body was found in a river on Friday.

Read more:

http://www.cbs58.com/story/30979493/chicago-woman-murdered-on-vacation-in-belize

__________________

BREAKING BELIZE NEWS

Police investigate suspected murder of American tourist

http://www.breakingbelizenews.com/2016/01/15/police-investigate-suspected-murder-american-tourist/

ABC producer was 'murdered and sexually assaulted while on vacation in Belize'

. Producer Anne Swaney, 39, arrived last Saturday to Nabatunich Resort, Benque Viejo in Belize
. She disappeared on Thursday after doing yoga by the Mopan River
. Swaney's half-naked corpse was found floating on the river on Friday

By Alexandra Klausner For Dailymail.com
Published: 20:48 EST, 15 January 2016  | Updated: 22:57 EST, 15 January 2016

An ABC producer was killed while vacationing in Belize this week.

Executive producer of online operations, Anne Swaney, 39, arrived last Saturday to Nabatunich Resort, Benque Viejo, according to ABC.

Swaney was allegedly sexually assaulted before being killed after doing yoga on Thursday morning near the Mopan River nearby the resort.

A tour guide found Sawney's yoga mat another items near the river but he didn't see her and alerted the authorities.

~Snipped~


Discovered: Benque Viejo Police Superintendent Daniel Arzu said that Swaney's injured corpse was found floating on the river. She was wearing just a bra and appeared as though she may have been sexually assaulted

Read more:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3402147/ABC-producer-murdered-sexually-assaulted-vacation-Belize.html#ixzz3xNTvR2dZ

NEWS

Police chief speaks about Anne Swaney's murder in Belize



Friday, January 15, 2016 04:50PM

http://abc7chicago.com/news/police-chief-speaks-about-anne-swaneys-murder-in-belize/1160852/

~Snipped~

A local reporter in Belize said Anne's death is quite an embarrassment to the nation.

"Because it is on the fringes of our border with our neighbor in Guatemala it also provides another element that the police have to investigate. Where if the perpetrator came across the border, they will have a difficult time they will have to liaise with their counterparts in Guatemala," said Daniel Ortiz, NEWSBELIZE.

There is not a nationwide tourist advisory in effect for Belize. However, tourists are told to exercise a high degree of caution due to an increasing rate of violent crime throughout the country. In that specific "Cayo District," armed robberies occasionally occur near the western border with Guatemala, especially near Caracol to the south.

Police say criminal activity, including armed robbery, mugging and sexual assault, is a significant problem throughout Belize. Robberies and assaults have been reported in resort areas. There has been a noted increase in violent crime targeting tourists since the end of 2013. Criminals often operate in groups and target persons traveling alone.

Cases of sexual assault against female travelers have also be been reported in that district.

Drug-related crimes are also on the uptick. The transit of drugs, particularly cocaine and precursor chemicals for methamphetamine, has risen. Belize was included on the FY12, 13 and 14 U.S. Majors List of illegal narcotic producing and/or transit countries.

In January 2014, two American citizens were kidnapped at gunpoint from a resort area near the western border with Guatemala.

A Canadian filmmaker was killed in January 2015 to the south of the district.

In May 2015, two American men were murdered in a suspected drug-related armed robbery. An 18-year old suspect was charged.

Read more:

http://abc7chicago.com/news/tourist-from-chicago-murdered-in-belize/1160633/

Autopsy Released After TV Producer Found Dead in Belize (Video)

By ABC NEWS · Jan 17, 2016, 10:32 AM ET



An executive producer at ABC station WLS-TV in Chicago was strangled in Belize, an autopsy revealed.

Anne Swaney died from "asphyxia due to compression of the neck area, throttling (manual strangulation) and blunt force traumatic injuries to the head and neck region," according to the autopsy. Her body was found floating face-down in the Mopan River on Friday morning about a quarter of a mile from where she was staying.

Swaney, 39, was the executive producer of online operations at WLS-TV, where she had worked since 1999.

Read more:

http://abcnews.go.com/International/autopsy-released-tv-producer-found-dead-belize/story?id=36342532

holding person of interest in murder of ABC7 producer



Jade Hernandez and Michelle Gallardo
Updated 4 mins ago

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Police in Belize said Monday that they are continuing to search the area where ABC7 Executive Producer Anne Swaney was found murdered in the Central American nation.

No one has been charged in Swaney's murder. However, a Guatemalan fisherman, Victor Franco, 24, is considered a person of interest. He is being held in Belize police custody, but has not been charged. He appeared in a Belize court on Monday for unrelated charges of entering the country illegally.

"I cannot say he's a suspect, but because of the investigation he was found in the general area, so he has been detained and has been questioned," said Commissioner Allen Whylie, of the Belize Police Department.

~Snipped~

Swaney's cellphone is still missing. Police said they are still trying to track it. Sources in Belize said police are interviewing employees of the eco-resort where she was staying.

U.S. Embassy officials were expected to arrive in Belize Monday to collect her personal belongings for her family. Her body is expected to arrive this week to her hometown and family in Missouri.

Read more:

http://abc7chicago.com/news/belize-police-still-holding-person-of-interest-in-murder-of-abc7-producer/1163598/

Father of Slain Journalist Anne Swaney Is a 'Mess' After Losing Second Child (Video)

By Meghan Keneally  · Jan 18, 2016, 12:50 PM ET


The investigation into the murder of Anne Swaney, seen in this undated photo, is underway in Belize.

The heartbroken father of a U.S. journalist who was killed last week while on vacation in Belize has spoken out about his grief, saying he’s “a mess.”

Jack Swaney said daughter Anne Swaney was passionate about travel and horseback riding, which led to her solo trip to Belize.

"Anne Elizabeth had a very short life, she had a very full life and it hasn't sunk in, what we've lost," he told Chicago ABC affiliate WLS-TV.

~Snipped~


Anne Swaney, 39, was the executive producer of online operations at WLS-TV in Chicago and had worked for the ABC affiliate since 1999.

Adding to his heartbreak is that his son died two years ago.

"Thursday morning, I woke up and I had a daughter. At 8:30, I didn't have a daughter," Jack Swaney said. "The day before, I'd gone to look by the cemetery and I'd visited my son … and now the next day it's go to the cemetery and see my son and see my daughter, and that's not fair.

"I'm not strong; I'm a mess," he said.

Read more:

http://abcnews.go.com/US/father-slain-journalist-anne-swaney-mess-losing-child/story?id=36358960

FBI joins Anne Swaney murder investigation in Belize; I-Team inspects scene



The United States now has federal agents on the scene in Belize to assist in the murder investigation of our ABC7 colleague Anne Swaney.

By: Chuck Goudie and Barb Markoff in Belize; Christine Tressel and Ross Weidner in Chicago

Tuesday, January 19, 2016 06:27PM

SAN IGNACIO, Belize (WLS) --  The United States now has federal agents on the scene in Belize to assist in the murder investigation of our ABC7 colleague Anne Swaney, as Belizean authorities say they are stepping up their efforts to solve the case, the ABC7 I-Team reports.

~Snipped~

On Tuesday afternoon, an FBI agent and a U.S. embassy officers interviewed the resort owner about when Anne, 39, was last seen alive - near the end of a vacation she had planned for months.


"Nobody goes out thinking something is going to happen. It's mind-boggling," said Santiago Juan, the resort owner.

Read more:

http://abc7chicago.com/news/fbi-joins-anne-swaney-murder-investigation-in-belize/1165750/

Belize police still holding person of interest in murder of ABC7 producer



Belize investigators continued Monday to search the area where Anne Swaney was found dead on Friday in the Mopan River.

By Chuck Goudie, Barb Markoff, Jade Hernandez and Michelle Gallardo

Tuesday, January 19, 2016 08:42AM

SAN IGNACIO, Belize (WLS) -- Police in Belize said Monday that they are continuing to search the area where ABC7 Executive Producer Anne Swaney was found murdered in the Central American nation.

No one has been charged in Swaney's murder. However, a Guatemalan fisherman, Victor Franco, 24, is considered a person of interest. He is being held in Belize police custody, but has not been charged. He appeared in a Belize court on Monday for unrelated charges of entering the country illegally.

"I cannot say he's a suspect, but because of the investigation he was found in the general area, so he has been detained and has been questioned," said Commissioner Allen Whylie, of the Belize Police Department.

Read more:

http://abc7chicago.com/news/belize-police-still-holding-person-of-interest-in-murder-of-abc7-producer/1163598/

New 'person of concern' in murder of ABC7's Anne Swaney



Sources familiar with the investigation told the I-Team they have identified such a "person of concern" in the murder of Anne Swaney.

ABC7 I-Team Investigation

By: Chuck Goudie and Barb Markoff in Belize; Christine Tressel and Ross Weidner in Chicago

Tuesday, January 19, 2016 10:47PM

SAN IGNACIO, Belize (WLS) -- The ABC7 I-Team has uncovered new details about the search for our colleague's killer, including a potential lead in the investigation, after Anne Swaney was found dead in Belize last week.

Law enforcement in Belize has a term called "person of concern" that is similar to a "person on interest" in Chicago. Sources familiar with the investigation told the I-Team they have identified such a "person of concern" in the murder of Anne Swaney: A resort employee who may have withheld information during his first interview.

~Snipped~

"This is a big area. This is 400 acres and nothing is that difficult. It's along the river. So, if somebody would like, they can come down the river," Juan said.

According to the police record obtained Tuesday night by the I-Team, the attack was more vicious than first reported. Authorities found "gashes on both sides of the forehead about one inch deep."

The report also cites "bruise marks on the neck, back and hands" that could indicate she tried to fight off her attacker.

On the platform are police markings showing where her backpack and shoes were found, along with her yoga mat.

Unexplained in the police report is a reference to tour guides and farm workers saying they saw her cell phone on the deck earlier in the day.

Authorities told the I-Team that police divers searched the river on Monday and never recovered her cellphone - evidence considered potentially important.

Read more:

http://abc7chicago.com/news/new-person-of-concern-in-murder-of-abc7s-anne-swaney/1166094/

Promising lead goes cold in Anne Swaney murder investigation



By: Chuck Goudie and Barb Markoff in Belize; Christine Tressel and Ross Weidner in Chicago

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

SAN IGNACIO, Belize (WLS) -- The ABC7 I-Team reports that a "person of concern" in the murder of our colleague Anne Swaney is no longer considered a possible suspect. Anne was found dead nearly a week ago while vacationing in Belize.

The optimism police had that a break in the case might be near has been replaced by pessimism on Wednesday. Sources familiar with the investigation now tell the I-Team that they are back to square one.

The last resort workers to see Anne alive spoke to the I-Team about that morning last Thursday.

"I met Anne going down towards the river just outside the resort," said Rudy Juan.

Juan, a resort owner, was in his truck coming back from inspecting the deck area on the Mopan River about a half-mile from her cabin. Anne was heading to the river to do yoga and told Rudy she was also going to buy gifts for her ABC7 colleagues.

Read more:

http://abc7chicago.com/news/promising-lead-goes-cold-in-anne-swaney-murder-investigation/1167135/

3 weeks later, no new leads in Anne Swaney murder investigation



By Chuck Goudie

Friday, February 05, 2016 09:58PM

CHICAGO (WLS) --  It's been three weeks since our Eyewitness News colleague Anne Swaney was found dead in Central America, and the ABC7 I-Team has been on the case since then.

The day Anne's body was found in the Mopan River in western Belize, human scent evidence dogs found only one trail from the wooden deck to the river. But we knew that three weeks ago.

On Friday, authorities in Belize said they have no new leads, no new suspects, no motive and no apparent progress in bringing her killer to justice.

A spokesman for the Belize National Police told the I-Team that there are no new developments, although he assured us that they are continuing to work on the case.

Read more:

http://abc7chicago.com/news/3-weeks-later-no-new-leads-in-belize-murder-investigation/1189159/