Missing Pieces (Radio) Transcript Guest: Sergeant Danny Swiger

(Introduction to show begins)

TODD MATTHEWS: (Missing Pieces Host): : I'm Todd Matthews and this is Missing Pieces. Tonight our guest is Sergeant Danny Swiger with the West Virginia Police Cold Case Unit. Welcome Danny.

SERGEANT DANNY SWIGER (Guest): Thank you for having me here Todd. I appreciate it.

TODD: Well I hope we can talk about some of your cases; it looks like you've got a lot of things going on over there.

SGT SWIGER: Yes we've got a lot of cases going on. The biggest battle that I face is having enough personnel to work things because right now, I'm the only one assigned to the West Virginia State Police to follow up on unsolved cases.

TODD: Now how is that? How do you manage today with those kinds of odds?

SGT SWIGER: Well, I do the best I can. I follow up on cases as I can do it. We take a look at cases I feel that have the viability for being solved and a lot of times I look at other cases that may not have some viability. It's difficult if you have a family member come and sit down and pour out their emotions about their loved one that was murdered, missing or whatever. It's hard to tell them "No, we can't do anything for you." So, you know, I do the best I can looking at cases and you know, obviously if somebody comes in with some information that they're ready to be a witness or come forward with something, we try to put them to the forefront and evaluate that. Also we take a look at all of our old cases that have the potential to be solved through some form of new technology, you know. The DNA analysis has been something that's brought a lot of cases back to the forefront that may have never been solved.

TODD: So again, it's a 'hurry up and wait'.

SGT SWIGER: Well, you know, that's the biggest thing with cold case investigation, I think, to me it's a lot more frustrating and stressful than it ever was working in uniform, you know? Because when you worked in uniform, your shift ended and pretty much a lot of it was put away at that point. But these cases, the unsolved things stick with you and it takes a lot of patience because it isn't something that happens fast and it's definitely not like it is on TV where you have things that are solved in half an hour.