Starkie Swenson timeline: Major events in the case of the Neenah man missing for 38 years
The remains of Starkie Swenson, a Neenah man who disappeared in 1983, were found at High Cliff State Park in September 2021 after 38 years of mystery. DNA analysis confirmed the identification.
John C. Andrews, the man convicted of killing Swenson, subsequently was charged with hiding a corpse in Calumet County Circuit Court. That charged was dismissed, but prosecutors since have charged Andrews with obstructing an officer for denying any knowledge of Swenson's whereabouts.
The Swenson case drew a lot of public attention in 1983 and in the years since. Here's a timeline of major points in the case:
Aug. 13, 1983: Starkie L. Swenson, 67, returns to his Lakeshore Avenue home in Neenah from a family picnic. He takes his bicycle and pedals off into the evening.
Aug. 18, 1983: Swenson's family issues a plea for information in the missing person case.
Oct. 31, 1983: Authorities launch a John Doe investigation into Swenson's disappearance.
July 16, 1984: Family members hold a memorial service for Swenson at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Neenah. "In our hearts, we know he is dead," says his wife, Lois Swenson. She adds in a Post-Crescent interview that there is "definite evidence of foul play."
Nov. 19, 1990: Swenson is declared legally dead during a hearing before a Winnebago County judge. The death certificate says Swenson died on Aug. 13, 1983.
Sept. 16, 1993: John C. Andrews, a 54-year-old Neenah man, is arrested on a first-degree murder charge in connection with Swenson's death. Police say Swenson was having an affair with Andrews' ex-wife at the time of his disappearance.
March 18, 1994: After four days of trial, where prosecutors allege Andrews killed Swenson with his car on the grounds of Shattuck Junior High School, Andrews enters an Alford plea to a reduced charge of homicide by negligent use of a vehicle. He is found guilty and sentenced to the maximum of two years in prison.
Spring and fall 2021: Investigators and anthropology staff and students from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh search for Swenson's remains on a nine-acre property west of Omro that Andrews was thought to have frequented in 1983. They find no remains.
June 7, 2021: Investigators question Andrews about the location of Swenson's remains so Swenson's family can have closure. Andrews denies any knowledge of Swenson's whereabouts.
Sept. 24, 2021: Two hikers find a tibia in a partially secluded area at High Cliff State Park in Sherwood.
Sept. 28, 2021: The Calumet County Sheriff's Office announces the remains are human and starts an investigation.
Sept. 30, 2021: The sheriff's office says the remains are of an older man not associated with any Native American burial site and appear to have been in the park for an extended time.
Dec. 22, 2021: The remains are identified as Swenson, Calumet County Sheriff Mark Wiegert announces.
April 22, 2022: Calumet County District Attorney Nathan Haberman charges Andrews, now 82 and living in Chilton, with hiding a corpse, a felony. The criminal complaint says the offense occurred between June 7, 2021, and Sept. 28, 2021.
April 27, 2022: Andrews' attorneys file a motion to dismiss the charge. The statute of limitations for hiding a corpse is six years. They argue the time has passed.
July 13, 2022: Calumet County Judge Carey Reed dismisses the charge of hiding a corpse. Reed determined that Andrews' denial of the whereabouts of Swenson's remains when questioned by police on June 7, 2021, didn't constitute hiding a corpse as defined by state law.
Nov. 1, 2022: Prosecutors charge Andrews with obstructing an officer, a misdemeanor, for denying any knowledge of the whereabouts of Swenson's remains.
April 11, 2023: Reed denies two defense motions to dismiss the obstructing charge, allowing the case to proceed to trial on Sept. 6.
Sept. 8, 2023: A jury acquits Andrews of obstructing an officer after a three-day trial.
Contact Duke Behnke at 920-993-7176 or dbehnke@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DukeBehnke.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Starkie Swenson timeline: Major events in case of missing Neenah man
