Sources say body found in Indiana retention pond today is likely that of missing-persons Joshua Swalls, age 22. The same pond had already been searched by a tactical dive team earlier in the month when Swalls first went missing. No explanation has been offered as to why it wasn't discovered until now.
The deceased male was transported immediately to the Marion County Coroner’s
Office where the body is expected to be positively identified shortly.
Police are treating this matter as a suspicious death and are asking anyone with information about it to call IMPD
Homicide Detectives at 317-327-3475, or to leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at
317-262-TIPS (8477). Callers may also text “INDYCS” plus tip information
to 274627.
Swalls is the second young man to go missing in that area of Indianapolis in as many months. On October 24, 2012, the body of Walton "Matt" Ward was recovered from the White River near 64th Street and Westfield Boulevard. The 23-year-old man had gone missing on Oct. 12th.
Ward was visiting from California and planned to hook up with a girl he'd met on Cupid.com. His mother said she dropped him off outside Peppers Bar where the two had arranged to meet, but then never saw her son again. The owner of the pub confirmed that Ward was there alone and stayed for about an hour or so before departing alone as well. The girl never showed.
Ward was visiting from California and planned to hook up with a girl he'd met on Cupid.com. His mother said she dropped him off outside Peppers Bar where the two had arranged to meet, but then never saw her son again. The owner of the pub confirmed that Ward was there alone and stayed for about an hour or so before departing alone as well. The girl never showed.
At around 10:30 that same night Ward checked in with his mother to say he was okay, but at approximately 1:30 a.m. on October 13th he placed a 911 call from his cell phone which only lasted for one second before terminating. Shortly thereafter Ward disappeared.
Detectives traced the call back to a cell phone tower in Broad Ripple near where his drowned corpse was ultimately found almost two weeks later.
Detectives traced the call back to a cell phone tower in Broad Ripple near where his drowned corpse was ultimately found almost two weeks later.
Updates to this report will be provided as they come in:
Update #1 from Swalls' family: Body of a male in his twenties is not that of Joshua Swalls because there are no *tatto0s on the wrists. Coroner is working tonight to identify the victim. (*Note: Skin begins to shed from a body that has been submerged for a length of time. The process is called "degloving" and is especially pronounced in the feet and hands.)
Update #2 from 11/24/12: County coroner and Swalls family concede that body found yesterday in Indiana retention pond is in fact Joshua's. (Their confusion during the preliminary ID is perfectly understandable, however -- see description of "degloving" in Anatomy Of a Drowning. This section also provides complete forensic analysis regarding bodies found in water and best practices for ruling out foul play.)
My condolences to Mr. Swalls' loved ones. It is not the outcome they deserved.
foul play is all I can say, we no josh was not in that pond on nov 7th but impd never pursued the issue with the last person josh was with, instead they only went off what that person told the police & the Detective which was fals info, its sad that a 22 year old kid will never be able to live his life or have a family of his own,he had so much to give, his parents should not have had to go through this it is not right by no means this has all happened because of someone els, and to see the pain in his familys faces and to know josh personly it breaks my heart, I really hope that IMPD gets with program and finaly solves a case, because this is bullshit and someneeds to care more about there job, turn the tables for a minute if this was a cops kid they would have been on this like white on rice, maybe im wrong but I dont think so because actions speak louder then words, justice needs to be served so IMPD go out there and do your job period !!!
ReplyDeleteAgreed, as with most of these cases, there does certainly seem to be elements of foul play in Josh Swalls' disappearance and drowning. The family has agreed to an interview as soon as they are able to speak about their loss, and that should help to shed more light on the matter.
ReplyDeleteJust preceding the timeframe within which Josh went missing from Indianapolis, 23-year-old Matthew Ward also vanished in that same area. Matt was found in the White River almost two weeks later on October 23, 2012. A very lengthy interview with his family regarding this suspicious death has just been published in my new VOICES FOR THE DEAD feature, so do check that out as well. You will probably see some stark similarities between these two young men's cases and, to be sure, these fit the pattern with the hundreds of other ones that occurred before theirs.
Thank you for the valuable input you've provided in your post. I appreciate your taking the time to comment and so do the readers studying THE CASE OF THE DROWNING MEN--
E.R.
My little brothers untimely death. RIP Walton Matthew Ward. November 23, 1988-October 12, 2012. Thanks to the IMPD for ever looking for his killers. Clue #1: Look for the "BOUNCER" who went missing after he killed my brother on October 12, 2012 at LANDSHARKS BAR on Broad Ripple Avenue, Indianapolis, IN approximately 1:30am when the bouncer was the last human to see him alive and the 911 call from my brother's iPhone got interrupted by his killers at approximately 1:30am, you tell me who is hiding what? People are DIEING and the IMPD rules my brother's death as "ACCIDENTAL DROWNING" and "NO FOUL PLAY". They never even looked for the 'Bouncer' from Landsharks Bar whom reportedly was the last person to my brother alive. Hmmmmmm. I've learned more about detective work from CSI and CRIMINAL MINDS on TV than I have by the IMPD and FBI for my own brother's untimely murder. SAD. RIP, Walton.
ReplyDeleteMar 25, 2013
Voices For the Dead (Interview #1): in depth Q&A with the family of Indianapolis drown victim Walton Matthew Ward, 23, who vanished in October 2012 during an altercation with a bar bouncer and was found dead 11 days ...
http://killingkillers.blogspot.com/