Skeleton found by duck hunters is the victim in a murder investigation, NC cops say

Skeletal remains found in the woods by two duck hunters have been identified as a Taylorsville woman missing since 2022, and she died violently, according to law enforcement officials in North Carolina.

Forensic evidence indicates Bethany Lee Brown was shot, and a man she lived with has been named a suspect, the Alexander County Sheriff’s Office said in a Jan. 7 news release.

Brown, 38, was reported missing by her mother on April 10, 2022, the sheriff’s office says.

“Brown was living at 81 Caldwell Drive ... with Tony Swaney. The Alexander County Sheriff’s Office ... searched multiple locations in an effort to locate Bethany Brown, but those efforts were unsuccessful, and the case eventually grew cold,” officials said.

“On January 13, 2025, hunters discovered skeletal remains in proximity to 81 Caldwell Drive in Taylorsville. On December 18, 2025, the North Carolina Chief Medical Examiner’s Office, with assistance from the North Carolina SBI Crime Lab, positively identified the remains as Bethany Brown. The cause of death was determined to be a gunshot wound.”

Swaney, 37, was arrested Jan. 7 and has been charged with one count of murder, court records show. He is being held without bond. Swaney was living at a different home in Taylorsville at the time of his arrest, records show.

Details of how he was linked to the shooting were not released.

Taylorsville is about a 65-mile drive northwest from uptown Charlotte.

This story was originally published January 7, 2026 at 2:57 PM with the headline "Skeleton found by duck hunters is the victim in a murder investigation, NC cops say."