GUILTY Canada - Nancy Swenty, 33, Fisher Branch MB, 27 July 2011

[Crosby87]

From the link you provided, those same procedures set out:

<bbm>

Can't deliver a summons to someone whose whereabouts are unknown. They got a Canada-wide warrant because he evaded justice by taking off before they could make an arrest. It appears he anticipated an arrest, but instead of seeking legal representation, he fled. This can infer consciousness of guilt, but can also be interpreted as fear of being unjustly accused.

ETA: As for what evidence LE presented that resulted in a warrant being issued, doesn't necessarily have to be forensic evidence. Could be that McD sold them a bunch of BS that they subsequently discovered were a pack of lies (i.e. during questioning said he never saw Swenty or her vehicle vs his goodbye note saying he saw her vehicle but the battery was dead)

Thank you for pointing that out SB. I think McD left the Interlake early Thursday morning after he called his ex-roommate; then he travelled in a stolen vehicle from FB to Winnipeg and arrived in Saskatoon, SK by 11:30 pm. If a summons had been issued first, he might not have panicked and fled. If Mc has no legal knowledge & experience to guide him and he didn't have the resources to hire a lawyer at that point, his behavior is rational. I'm curious to know why the RCMP didn't charge McD with first degree murder.

The fact NS's jacket was removed and her body was discovered the following day by RCMP has me baffled. If the COD was caused by a firearm, there would be a bullet for evidence but if she was strangled to death, there may be no such evidence.

Police can't arrest someone on mere suspicion, or just to help with an investigation and I can't put my finger on why McD would murder Nancy Swenty. NS supposedly returned home from work on Wednesday and McD said he saw her truck downtown and the battery was dead which sounds suspicious but isn't enough to charge him with murder. Nancy Swenty lived outside of town alone in a house and it&#8217;s unclear whether she had any neighbors living close by on the same road who could see what was going on at her house.

Although FB's main industry is agricultre, because it is located on a main highway it is a community that attracts thousands of tourists and sports enthusiasts of all kinds during the summer.

This has been one of Manitoba's best summers weather-wise so the Interlake area would have been swarming with thousands of tourists near the end of July and it would have been very busy in the Co-op Store where NS worked as a cashier/clerk. Alot of people stop there for food and supplies so it is possible NS was stalked and attacked by a non-local. MO

 

[Hazel]

Sheesh !! Is this 2006 Ford Ranger grey or red?? Pretty important detail with this guy on the lam.

If he stole the truck, then he's probably changed the plates already. The Hope RCMP detachment should be on the alert ... there are 3 main BC highways that converge there that would bring him into the Lower Mainland where he could get nicely lost for a long time.

This is just heresay:
There is a comment by someone who claims the truck belonged to her FIL, and she says the truck is GRAY -- look for post by MS -- http://www.winnipegsun.com/2011/09/02/details-on-swenty-murder-coming-this-afternoon#disqus_thread

 

[Hazel]

NS and RMcD may not have been "romantically involved" but IMO that doesn’t rule out the probability he was “interested” in her.

In one of the many articles, someone made a comment re what the "relationship" was, and the possible "motive". Was trying to look for it again, no luck so far or it might have been removed.

 

[Hazel]

If McD stole the 2006 Ford Ranger pickup truck on Aug. 31st, then he doesn't have anything to do with this other woman missing in Alberta since Aug. 16th. She was last seen in Edmonton, and her cell was last used in Calgary.

For a moment I thought there could be a connection, since her car is also missing. Will post the link to her thread just in case:

Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community > Missing!! > Missing Forum Discussion > CANADA - Dana Jane Turner, 31, Edmonton, Alberta, 14 Aug 2011

 

[Crosby87]

In one of the many articles, someone made a comment re what the "relationship" was, and the possible "motive". Was trying to look for it again, no luck so far or it might have been removed.

Thanks Hazel. From yesterday's reports on the public memorial service held for Nancy Swenty, she lived alone but had a boyfriend with children and apparently Nancy was friends with RMcD's ex-girlfriend and the two, (Nancy and Russell) were "closely connected but not romantically involved". The reports I read didn't reveal a motive. Recent reports said RMcD lived in Fisher Branch for most of his adult life so he may have lived there for 30 years.

 

[Crosby87]

Nancy’s body was discovered outdoors on Sunday, August 28th exactly 1 month after she disappeared, so exposure to the elements and possible damage caused by animals would have caused significant changes to her body before the autopsy was conducted.

Right after the ME completed NS’s autopsy and police ruled the manner of NS’s death a homicide, they immediately issued a warrant for McD’s arrest. Whether RCMP found evidence at the farmhouse which implicates RMcD isn’t public knowledge but McD had plenty of time to remove evidence from there. The RCMP may suspect he is guilty based on the fact they know he was in the area where NS’s truck was found on Sunday, July 31, 4 days after she went missing and based on what his note said.

However, there is nothing to indicate the area where NS’s truck was found was searched by a civilian search team or RCMP and it wasn’t until MD notified the RCMP on Thursday and told them RMcD was in Fraserwood that the RCMP went and searched the farmhouse for clues.

Timeline:

Sunday, July 31: Nancy Swenty’s truck is found in the Fraserwood area which is where the abandoned farmhouse is located.

Saturday, Aug. 27: Members of a civilian search team find various items — including a Co-op jacket — deemed linked to Swenty in the Poplarfield area, about 20 km south of Fisher Branch.

Sunday, Aug. 28: RCMP officers, following up on the discovery of the items a day earlier, locate human remains nearby.

Tuesday, Aug. 30: An autopsy is conducted in Winnipeg on the remains found in Poplarfield.

Wednesday, Aug. 31: Authorities confirm the remains are those of Swenty and that her death is believed to be a homicide. McD stole a truck from Balaton Beach which is east of Arborg.

Thursday, Sept. 1: RMcD ex-roommate received a phone call at1 am presumably from Russell and later that day RCMP search an abandoned farmhouse in Fraserwood where RMcD once lived with MD. RMcD stole a truck north of Fraserwood and was spotted in Saskatoon @ 11:30 pm.

Friday, Sept. 2: RCMP announce Russell Gordon McDiarmid, 51, of Fisher Branch, is charged with second-degree murder. They issue a Canada-wide warrant for his arrest and ask the public for information on his whereabouts.

 

[Sillybilly]

Bluesky, the truck was stolen in Arborg Aug 31. Could you please edit your timeline above. Thanks !!

 

[Sillybilly]

If McD stole the 2006 Ford Ranger pickup truck on Aug. 31st, then he doesn't have anything to do with this other woman missing in Alberta since Aug. 16th. She was last seen in Edmonton, and her cell was last used in Calgary.

For a moment I thought there could be a connection, since her car is also missing. Will post the link to her thread just in case:

Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community > Missing!! > Missing Forum Discussion > CANADA - Dana Jane Turner, 31, Edmonton, Alberta, 14 Aug 2011

McD's whereabouts were unknown since he attended at LE July 30th or 31st in response to the public alert. His next known(?) activity was Aug 31 when the truck was stolen in Arborg. Presumably he was in the general area during that month, but it is possible (though not probable) that he went out of province and returned.

 

[Crosby87]

Can anyone recall whether helicopters were used to search for Nancy? Her red truck was found abandoned in Fraserwood several days after she went missing and I wonder if a helicopter searched the main roads and fields from Fraserwood to Fisher Branch which includes the town of Poplarfield where NS&#8217;s body was found 1 month later.

It isn&#8217;t certain when Nancy&#8217;s body was left in Poplarfield but the black and white clothing she was last seen wearing would have been easy to spot from the air along with her red truck so it seems the case could have progressed quicker and more efficiently if the RCMP had made the decision initially to search by air.

Since the RCMP expected RMcD to be travelling west on the Trans Canada Hwy in a gray truck, which turned out to be true, a helicopter search down the #1 Highway would have easily spotted the truck from the air on Thursday and he would be in custody by now.

I don&#8217;t know how far NS&#8217;s truck was from the abandoned farmhouse RMcD lived at but RCMP should have made it a priority to locate and search through the abandoned buildings and property in Fraserwood immediately after NS&#8217;s truck was found because NS's body could have been hidden there.

RCMP issued an alert for RMcD on July 30 the day before NS's truck was found and it is unclear what led them there.

 

[Crosby87]

McD's whereabouts were unknown since he attended at LE July 30th or 31st in response to the public alert. His next known(?) activity was Aug 31 when the truck was stolen in Arborg. Presumably he was in the general area during that month, but it is possible (though not probable) that he went out of province and returned.

IF McD murdered NS, why didn’t he leave for BC before or soon after the alert was issued on July 30, the day before Nancy’s truck was found?

Why would McD stay in the Interlake Region near Fisher Branch if he knew where NS’s body was and it was just a matter of time before she was found?

 

[Sillybilly]

IF McD murdered NS, why didn’t he leave for BC before or soon after the alert was issued on July 30, the day before Nancy’s truck was found?

Why would McD stay in the Interlake Region near Fisher Branch if he knew where NS’s body was and it was just a matter of time before she was found?

With neither Nancy nor her truck being located at the time the alert was issued, he would have been stupid to run and leave behind an appearance of guilt in the absence of any evidence to the contrary. I think he hung around the area because Nancy's body hadn't been located, "no body, no crime" scenario, and even when her vehicle was located, the case was still a "missing person" investigation. IMO, he ran as soon as he heard the missing person investigation was upgraded to a murder investigation. He stole the truck and left the same day.

 

[Crosby87]

With neither Nancy nor her truck being located at the time the alert was issued, he would have been stupid to run and leave behind an appearance of guilt in the absence of any evidence to the contrary. I think he hung around the area because Nancy's body hadn't been located, "no body, no crime" scenario, and even when her vehicle was located, the case was still a "missing person" investigation. IMO, he ran as soon as he heard the missing person investigation was upgraded to a murder investigation. He stole the truck and left the same day.

Several of Nancy Swenty’s personal items were located along a main road 8 miles directly south from where she was last seen which led to the discovery of her body, so whoever put NS's body there made no attempt to hide her where she would likely never be found in order to conceal their identity and escape murder charges.

Right after Nancy disappeared, RMcD was labeled "the prime suspect" based on rumors floating around the community and he was charged with 2nd degree murder immediately after the autopsy ruled NS’s death a homicide.
In this limited amount of time, one has to wonder what concrete evidence the RCMP has in order to charge RMcD with 2nd degree murder beyond hearsay: “the pair were connected”.

IMO, if RMcD committed this crime, he would have taken her body & personal items and hidden her deep in the woods which he knows like the back of his hand. It doesn’t make sense to me that McD would carelessly leave the victim’s personal items strewn across the grass indicating where her body was when he knew searchers were looking for her and he was the prime suspect if he really knew where she was and what the state he had left her body and personal items in. This situation would have been untolerable and RMcD would have gone and moved her body and personal belongings to prevent her from ever being found. If RMcD killed NS, it dosn't add up that he would leave her out in the open like this.

 

[Sillybilly]

Several of Nancy Swenty&#8217;s personal items were located along a main road 8 miles directly south from where she was last seen which led to the discovery of her body, so whoever put NS's body there made no attempt to hide her where she would likely never be found in order to conceal their identity and escape murder charges.

Right after Nancy disappeared, RMcD was labeled "the prime suspect" based on rumors floating around the community and he was charged with 2nd degree murder immediately after the autopsy ruled NS&#8217;s death a homicide.
In this limited amount of time, one has to wonder what concrete evidence the RCMP has in order to charge RMcD with 2nd degree murder beyond hearsay: &#8220;the pair were connected&#8221;.

IMO, if RMcD committed this crime, he would have taken her body & personal items and hidden her deep in the woods which he knows like the back of his hand. It doesn&#8217;t make sense to me that McD would carelessly leave the victim&#8217;s personal items strewn across the grass indicating where her body was when he knew searchers were looking for her and he was the prime suspect if he really knew where she was and what the state he had left her body and personal items in. This situation would have been untolerable and RMcD would have gone and moved her body and personal belongings to prevent her from ever being found. If RMcD killed NS, it dosn't add up that he would leave her out in the open like this.

We have not seen any reference to Nancy's body or the personal items being left "in the open". Could you please provide some links to resources that would indicate that. Given her body was not recovered for approx a month, i doubt she was that visible.

We are not privy to what evidence LE has, and IMO it is unreasonable to assume the crown would lay murder charges based on hearsay.

PS: My computer is out of commission and i am on a friend's laptop ... will only be here sporadically until I can either figure out the problem or hire a guru.

 

[Crosby87]

We have not seen any reference to Nancy's body or the personal items being left "in the open". Could you please provide some links to resources that would indicate that. Given her body was not recovered for approx a month, i doubt she was that visible.

We are not privy to what evidence LE has, and IMO it is unreasonable to assume the crown would lay murder charges based on hearsay.

PS: My computer is out of commission and i am on a friend's laptop ... will only be here sporadically until I can either figure out the problem or hire a guru.

RCMP didn&#8217;t confirm whether forensic or toxicology tests were underway on Nancy&#8217;s remains which is highly unusual in a murder case.

The Co-op where Nancy worked has a service station and a store so surveillance cameras in and around the store may hold important clues.

After following this case, MO is the RCMP bungled the case and permitted RMcD to slip away so they could deflect criticism away from themselves and to prevent this case from going to trial. I think the Judge who immediately issued an arrest warrant rather than a summons for RMcD after the case was changed to a homicide, may have made a mistake which prevented the investigation from unfolding as it should. If the RCMP can prove RMcD is the killer he&#8217;d be in custody IMO. RMCP had the means and resources they needed to find RMcD and arrest him while he was travelling from Manitoba to Saskatchewan and they didn&#8217;t bother to use them.
I doubt the Police are ready to make an arrest in this case IMO. Although RCMP have told the public &#8220;It&#8217;s still very much a live and ongoing investigation.&#8221;, because RMcD still hasn&#8217;t been found, RCMP want this case to go cold.

This article in the Winnipeg Free Press states that &#8220;on Saturday, searchers near Poplarfield -- 20 kilometres (8 miles) south of the Interlake community of Fisher Branch -- stumbled onto what police would later call "items of interest", things lying in a wet and grassy ditch on a wooded stretch of Highway 17B. There was a tarp. There was also a black-and-navy jacket, emblazoned with the Co-op logo. On July 27, the day she disappeared, Nancy Swenty was wearing a jacket just like that one. Chilled, searchers flagged the find and called police. The next morning, RCMP search teams made the discovery that residents of this close-knit community have feared for weeks: near the jacket, there was a body.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/clues-lead-police-to-body-near-fisher-branch-128659003.html

Because Nancy&#8217;s jacket and tarp (which may be fairly large in size) were both found together on top of grass in a ditch which runs parallel to the main highway, #17B, I think the killer wanted to dispose of her body and personal items as quick as he could to avoid being seen by the next passing motorist. TMK, RCMP have not asked the public if they recall seeing a vehicle parked along the shoulder where Nancy's body was found which might jar someone's memory.

I think after Swenty's killer parked the vehicle on the shoulder of the highway, he quickly grabbed Nancy&#8217;s body from either the cab or the bed of the truck and carried it just inside the tree line where it would be less obvious to passing motorists, dropped it, ran back to the truck, grabbed the tarp and black and white jacket, threw them together into the ditch, jumped back into the truck, and took off as fast as he could down the road.

If I was the killer and I lived in Fisher Branch, I would not dispose of her body along a highway which is busy both day and night. I would have driven to a private location and placed her where the chances of her never being found would be much greater and I had time to come up with a plan to dispose of her remains.

RMcD probably knows that without a body it is more difficult to win a conviction in a murder case and because RMcD did not hide her body or take it out of the Interlake area altogether (since he was supposedly the driver and had the opportunity to do this), he's either:
1. not guilty, or
2. RMcD was functioning at a diminished capacity and therefore insane when he committed the crime.

http://www.winnipegsun.com/2011/09/02/details-on-swenty-murder-coming-this-afternoon#disqus_thread

 

[Crosby87]

Is it a fact that after Nancy left work on Wednesday and went home, none of her friends and family members spoke with her or saw her again? Won&#8217;t her home phone records and/or cell phone reveal the last time she used her phone or received an incoming call?

On Wednesday, July 27, the maximum temperature in Fisher Branch was 26 degrees Celsius with no precipitation so it was hot outside so I doubt Nancy bothered to put her jacket on when she left work and it was left in the cab of her truck until it was tossed into the ditch seperate from her body.

IF Nancy wore her jacket home on Wednesday, it should have been found in her house.
If she didn't wear her jacket when she left work I would expect she would take it inside the house so she could wear it in the morning when she left to meet her mom for coffee. But no, her jacket was still in the truck. When the killer disposed of her body, she wasn't wearing her jacket so it must have still been in the cab where Nancy put it when she left work. There's been no word whether signs of a struggle were found inside her house so how do they know Nancy was in her house after work?

I understand why the killer disposed of Nancy&#8217;s body and jacket but why throw out the tarp? Will investigators be able to retrieve fingerprints off the body, tarp, and jacket?

http://www.theweathernetwork.com/index.php?product=historical&placecode=camb0065

 

[Thyme]

Russell McDiarmid found at campsite in Canmore area.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/story/2011/09/15/swenty-suspect-vehicle-canmore.html

 

[Crosby87]

Russell McDiarmid found at campsite in Canmore area.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/story/2011/09/15/swenty-suspect-vehicle-canmore.html

Wow! Great News ! Russell is alive and he surrendered to the RCMP!

The people at Three Sisters Campground must have recognized his face. The truck probably ran out of gas and RMcD had no money to keep it going so he abandoned the truck and was walking when he stumbled upon the campground. I wonder where the rifle he took with him is? This evening I was thinking about this case and had a "hunch" RMcD had abandoned the vehicle earlier today. I went to my computer to find out what happened afterwards and found a report stating RMcD had abandoned the truck Thursday afternoon and surrendered to the police after they were notified by vigilant campers.

Nancy Swenty and Gina Swanson's cases are very similar. Gina Swanson lived in Winnipeg Manitoba and was "a dedicated mother with an effervescent personality, along with a smile and a laugh to match." The links below include a photo of Gina. Like Swenty, Swanson failed to show up for work in the morning. On Saturday May 14, 2011, staff tried calling Gina on her cell phone and when she failed to answer, they called her parents. Swanson's father, a retired police officer, found her body inside her home shortly before noon.

Nancy & Gina were both beautiful, well-liked, 33 years of age, and single when they were murdered. Schuyler Francis Van Wissen, (whose goes by 'Skylar'), 26, has been charged with first-degree murder and assault with a weapon. Skylar, who has a history of drugs, was arrested in Toronto Ontario where he often travelled; however he was staying with his parents who lived across the street from Gina & her daughter when he allegedly killed Gina after she returned home from bartending Friday evening. She was bound and stabbed to death in the upper chest and Police said the attack may have been a robbery gone wrong. After the murder, SFVW was seen on camera at Nancy's bank making a withdrawal. Initially the Ontario Police (OPP) did not specify how the 33-year-old died, but they did say she was "physically assaulted to the upper body" and the case is considered a homicide. None of the reports on the Swanson case said where her daughter was when she was murdered but she was most likely with relatives since Gina worked Friday evening and was scheduled to work the following day. I didn't find a thread for Gina Swanson but I've been following her case.

Unlike Skylar who was charged with first degree murder and assault with a weapon, RMcD was charged with second degree murder and not with the additional charge of assault with a weapon which might mean Nancy was suffocated or strangled to death - assuming a person's hands are not considered a weapon.

Skylar and RMcD are likely both being held at the Winnipeg Remand Centre. I live in Winnipeg close to Portage Avenue so it's very possible RMcD will pass by my place several times.

http://winnipeg.ctv.ca/servlet/an/l...erton_death_110518/20110813/?hub=WinnipegHome

http://www.torontosun.com/2011/05/19/man-finds-daughters-assaulted-body

 

[Crosby87]

Routine patrol nabs suspect, Truck leads Alberta RCMP to McDiarmid

This media report says RCMP officer Bell noticed a grey pick-up truck without a licence plate in a parking area off the Trans-Canada Highway at about 7:45 a.m. on Thursdays and her discovery led to McD&#8217;s arrest later that same day.

Bell's hunch something about the vehicle was suspicious was proved right after she ran its vehicle identification number (VIN) -- and realized the vehicle could be linked to a suspect wanted for murder.

Bell's find led officers to canvass nearby communities. Witnesses told police McDiarmid had been spotted in a gas station restaurant and at a campground in Dead Man's Flats. Members of the RCMP Emergency Response Team located McDiarmid kilometres away from where the pick-up had been abandoned, in the bushes surrounding a campground in Dead Man's Flats.

"He had his campsite set up," said Cpl. Darleen White, also of the RCMP Canmore detachment, who said she was "very pleased" about finding McDiarmid. "He had a tent, some of his clothes were hung up, just like he was out camping."
Police have charged McDiarmid with second-degree murder, and he was back in Winnipeg by Friday.

Bell called the experience of finding the pick-up an "eye-opener."

"Every day I come to work and I do very routine things, drive around, look for things, and it's great to keep up safety awareness and keep up tactical thinking. Ultimately, it's what I want to do my job for -- to capture the bad guy, so to speak," she said.
"And so to take something small and mundane, and it turns into such a great experience, and a great outcome, then it just opens my eyes to what a great opportunity I have in my role, and definitely makes me know not to take it for granted."

Police said the pick-up was seized for forensic tests. Bell said she's learned through her experience and training that "just about anything can be suspicious, until you investigate further."

http://stage.www.winnipegfreepress....rol-nabs-suspect-130010463.html?device=mobile

 

[Crosby87]

Alberta RCMP find suspect in Swenty slaying

This report shows the spot where Nancy Swenty&#8217;s remains were found close to Fisher Branch, her hometown.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/br...found-in-Alberta-129925023.html?device=mobile

 

[Crosby87]

This report by CTV Winnipeg has a photo of Russell McDiarmid when he was arrested on Thursday, September 15th and includes an interview with his on-again-off-again girlfriend of 5 years who is the mother of his four year old daughter. This photo reveals a red mark on the left side of his face.

<snipped>
The news of McDiarmid's arrest comes as a relief to Tina Beck. Nancy Swenty was her best friend. McDiarmid was Beck's on-again-off-again boyfriend and the father of her four-year-old daughter.

Beck said McDiarmid was verbally abusive to her throughout their five-year relationship. One night, they had a fight and she threw him out of her home. Before he left, McDiarmid told her she'd be sorry, said Beck.

"In a way, I regret kicking him out (because) I figure if I didn't, maybe this wouldn't have happened, said Beck.

Court records show that a Russel G. McDiarmid was involved in a family court matter involving a Jennifer Blahey (a surname that is common in the inter-lake area) and child support issue a handful of years back. That girl would now be around 13.

McDiarmid has been brought back to Winnipeg to face a charge for second-degree murder.

Swenty's mother said she's also relieved the suspect was arrested, but she still has many unanswered questions.

Police are remaining tight-lipped about the details surrounding Swenty's death until the case goes to court.

http://winnipeg.ctv.ca/servlet/an/l...g_mcdiarmid_110914/20110916/?hub=WinnipegHome

http://winnipeggazette.com/2011/09/03/and-dont-leave-town/