Forensic Files Season 11, Episode 8 - Concrete Alibi - Full Episode

TL;DR

Karyn Slover, an aspiring model, mysteriously disappears after landing her first professional job, only to be found dismembered in garbage bags in a lake.

Transcript

>> Narrator: A YOUNG WOMAN JUST LANDED HER FIRST BIG MODELING JOB. A FEW HOURS LATER, SHE DISAPPEARED. THE WEAVE PATTERN ON SOME FABRIC, THE MIXTURE OF SOME CONCRETE, AND A DOG HAIR WERE THE KEYS TO THE MYSTERY. IT WAS A FRIDAY NIGHT IN CENTRAL ILLINOIS, AROUND 10:00 P.M. A MOTORIST SAW AN ABANDONED CAR ALONG THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE DRIVER'... Read More

Key Insights

• 🚘 A young woman disappeared after landing her first modeling job. She was last seen leaving work to pick up her son, and her abandoned car was found 40 miles away facing a different direction.
• 👛 The inside of the car was disheveled and suspicious, but there was no identification in the purse. The car's license-plate number was registered to David Swann, her boyfriend who said she had borrowed his car that night.
• 🚨 Investigators initially considered the possibility of abduction or hijacking, but friends said Karyn was excited about her modeling job and had received a call indicating possible work out of state.
• 🔎 Boaters on Lake Shelbyville discovered garbage bags containing a woman's body. Dental records confirmed it was Karyn Slover. The bags were sealed with duct tape, and six dog hairs were found on a piece of the tape.
• 💔 Karyn was shot in the head six times with a .22-caliber handgun at point-blank range. Friends and family confirmed that she had no reason to run away.
• 🔍 Investigators initially looked at Karyn's ex-husband, Michael Slover, as a potential suspect due to past violence in their relationship. However, he had an alibi for the time of the murder. They then turned their attention to her current boyfriend, David Swann, who had a history with law enforcement.
• 🔐 David Swann had an alibi for the night of the murder, except for a 45-minute period he said he was running errands. However, he was eventually cleared after surveillance footage from an ATM confirmed his story. ⏰
• 📚 Investigators suspected Karyn's ex-in-laws, Michael Slover Sr. and Jeannette Slover, due to their contentious relationship with her and their possible motive of gaining sole custody of her son. Forensic evidence, including similar concrete from their car lot and matching buttons from Karyn's clothes, linked them to the crime.

Questions & Answers

Q: How did the police initially consider Karyn's ex-husband as a potential suspect?

The police considered Karyn's ex-husband as a potential suspect because there was violence in their relationship and he had previously exhibited abusive behavior towards her.

Q: What evidence linked the Slovers to the crime?

The Slovers were linked to the crime through forensic evidence, such as buttons from Karyn's clothing matching those found at their car lot, concrete and cinders consistent with their lot found with Karyn's body, and DNA from their dog found on the duct tape used to seal the garbage bags.

Q: What was the motive behind Karyn's murder?

The motive behind Karyn's murder was that her ex-mother-in-law, Jeannette, wanted sole custody of her grandson and saw Karyn as a threat.

Q: How did the forensic evidence help solve the case?

The forensic evidence, including matching buttons, concrete, and dog hair, helped link the Slovers to the murder, providing a strong circumstantial case against them.

Q: Why did it take so long to find the forensic evidence linking the Slovers to the crime?

It took a while to find the forensic evidence because the crime scene was initially searched thoroughly but the evidence was not discovered until investigators returned to the scene with a different perspective and continued sifting through the debris.

Q: What role did the United States Army play in the investigation?

The United States Army assisted in the investigation by helping remove topsoil from the Slovers' car lot and analyzing the debris for forensic evidence, ultimately leading to the discovery of buttons and other crucial evidence.

Q: How did Karyn's murder impact the investigators?

Karyn's murder deeply affected the investigators, with one of them stating that it affected them worse than anything they had seen before in their 33-year career in law enforcement.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Karyn Slover goes missing after borrowing her boyfriend's car to pick up her son from her ex-in-laws' house.

• Her dismembered body is later found in garbage bags in a lake, with evidence linking her ex-mother-in-law, Jeannette, and ex-father-in-law, Michael, to the crime.

• The forensic evidence includes buttons and concrete, as well as DNA from the Slovers' dog, leading to the conviction of all three of them for first-degree murder.