Anne Swaney an ABC7 producer from Chicago has been murdered after the 39 year old woman traveled to Belize on vacation this week.
Advertisement
Police found Swaney semi-naked and facedown in a river Friday morning, with injuries suggesting that she may have been strangled.
Swaney arrived Saturday alone for a 7-day vacation at Nabatunich Resort, Benque Viejo Police Superintendent Daniel Arzu told NBC Chicago. Hours later, a tour guide found her belongings along the river but no sign of her.
Authorities said Swaney was transported to San Ignacio Hospital in Belize where she was pronounced dead.
Swaney, a graduate of Northwestern University, began in November 1999 as executive producer of online operations at abc7chicago.com. When the trip returned, they “found her personal effects on the deck”, and went in search of her, then called the police.
Reports are that the area where the body of Swaney was found was where she would practice Yoga every day since at the resort.
“We offer our sincerest condolences to her family and loved ones on their loss”, the U.S. State Department said in a statement, according to the New York Daily News.
According to the ABC affiliate, investigators were questioning a man who was seen fishing near where Swaney’s body was found. However, he was not considered a prime suspect in the murder. “She was a trailblazer in the digital news space, ” the station’s president, John Idler, said. A local reporter in Belize said Anne’s death is quite an embarrassment to the nation.
‘Anne helped us evolve our business and our newsroom, but most importantly, she was a kind person who was always had a smile and a positive attitude’.
Advertisement
There are no known suspects at this time, Arzu said. That part of Belize, the Cayo District, is popular with tourists. Police are also trying to trace her missing iPhone. Armed robberies are not uncommon near the border area.
