May 8, 2007 6:56 pm US/Central
S.D. Man Charged In 2001 Park Murder, DNA On Watch
Luverne, Minn. (WCCO) ―
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Carrie Nelson, 20, of Sioux Falls, S.D., was found beaten to death at Blue Mounds State Park in Luverne, Minn., where she worked in 2001.
BCA
A South Dakota man who was set to be released from prison Wednesday was charged Tuesday with the 2001 murder of a Minnesota State Parks employee in Luverne, Minn.
Randy L. Swaney, 35, was charged in Rock County with four counts of second-degree murder for the death of 20-year-old Carrie Nelson of Sioux Falls, S.D.
Nelson was beaten to death in Blue Mounds State Park on May 20, 2001. The 1999 Luverne High School graduate was a part-time employee who had just begun her second summer of work for the park.
In 2001, police said robbery was the motive for her murder and said Nelson likely surprised someone taking the money. After Nelson's body was found, authorities discovered two bank money bags missing from the park's headquarters. The bags were gray in color and had a Minnwest Bank logo on them.
Swaney was in a South Dakota prison on a grand theft conviction. Prison records indicate he began serving his sentence on that charge on Dec. 15, 2004.
Swaney had been set to be released from prison on Wednesday, but will now be held pending extradition, according to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.
"I know this is a good day and we'll go on from here, said Stan Nelson, Carrie's father, at the news conference. "I'm still just kind of numb, and I don't know how I feel about it all. But it's a good day."
Kathy Deuschle, office manager at Blue Mounds State Park, said, "It's been a long haul. Hopefully this going to bring closure for the friends and family, and the workers at the park."
DNA tests on a silver "Field Ranger" digital watch left at the scene, and a database of South Dakota offenders led investigators to Swaney, said DPS spokeswoman Michelle Fure.
The criminal complaint said investigators obtained an Easter 2001 photo from the Swaney family that showed Swaney with his left arm extended. "That photo shows a wristband to a watch, which is identical to that recovered at the scene," the complaint said.
The complaint alleged that Swaney entered the park on May 20, 2001, and forced Nelson into a rear office to get cash from a safe. Then, Swaney allegedly beat Nelson with a rock. Investigators said they found a drop of Nelson's blood on a tray that had contained about $2,000.
"We've constantly pursued leads in this case," said Rock County Sheriff Evan Verbrugge. "We've followed up on every lead that we've gotten in the past six years, no matter how small, so we could solve this case."
A $50,000 reward was offered through the Spotlight on Crime program for information in the case.
The Luverne High School graduate was starting her second year at the park when she was killed.
Nelson's death is believed to be the first time a state park employee had been killed on duty in the history of the park system.
(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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