Do you know who murdered James Swain Jr?
In the early hours of a rain-swept Saturday, on September 26, 2015, the life of 25-year-old James P. Swain Jr., a male resident of Chesapeake, Virginia, was tragically cut short. His body was discovered just after midnight by Chesapeake Police officers who were dispatched to the Peaceful Village public housing community in the South Norfolk area of the city. Swain was found lying in the grass behind an apartment complex on Welcome Road, having sustained multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The initial investigation was hampered by a severe thunderstorm that had rolled through the area that morning. Some residents reported hearing what might have been gunshots, while others dismissed the sounds as thunder. A witness reported seeing what they initially thought was a pile of clothes lying under a clothesline. Due to the rain, the crime scene yielded little forensic evidence, though two shell casings were recovered in the vicinity of the victim. At the time of his discovery, Swain had no identification on him, and he was later identified through his fingerprints.
Despite the efforts of the Chesapeake Police Department, the case of James Swain Jr.'s murder remains unsolved. Investigators determined from his cell phone that he had been in the area for several hours before his death. His family, including his grandmother who lived nearby, had not seen him for three days prior to the incident. It appeared that Swain did not have a fixed address and moved between the homes of friends, his girlfriend, and his grandmother. The investigation into his death is ongoing, and it is now considered a cold case. Authorities are offering a reward for any information that leads to an arrest in connection with the shooting.
