Chief Says Murders Of Retired Clearwater Couple Hard To Fathom

CLEARWATER, FL – A Louisiana native, 88-year-old David Swan loved growing turnip greens and usually has a surplus of the vegetables that he distributed throughout his Clearwater neighborhood.

His 80-year-old wife, Mina, was a Pinellas County native. She graduated from St. Petersburg High School and worked as an art teacher at Clearwater High School until her retirement.

By all accounts, the Swans were an affable, well-liked couple.

So, who would want to kill them?

That’s the question Clearwater Police Chief Daniel Slaughter and his detectives have been asking since the Swans were found shot to death in their home in the 1000 block of Flushing Avenue. on Saturday, Sept. 29 (see related story).

The Swans were discovered after longtime neighbor Joel Locke noticed the lights were on in the house and the couple hadn't retrieved the newspaper from the driveway. He contacted the couple's children. It was Locke and the Swans' daughter who discovered their bodies on either side of the coffee table in the living room.

Since then, Slaughter said his forensic team and detectives have spent 40 hours collecting trace evidence in the home in the hopes of finding a clue that will lead to the killer.

“They basically lived a quiet, peaceful life,” said Slaughter. “They seemed like very nice people and it’s hard to fathom the motive for their murders.”

Nevertheless, Slaughter said they became the specific target of a killer.

“The offender came with the intent to kill the Swans,” he said. “It does not appear to be a random act so there is no reason for the rest of the community to be concerned.”

Slaughter said detectives are now interviewing anyone who knew the couple.

“There’s usually some form of victim relationship so we’re going to talk to anyone connected with family until we get to the bottom of it,” he said.

A second marriage for both, the Swans exchanged vows in 1998. He had four children from his previous marriage. She had three.

David Swan was a retired accountant with a knack for making sound investments. Mina Swan, who was known as Mina Wolf while a teacher at Clearwater High School, still kept in touch with former students.

They were spending their retirement years enjoying life, said Mina Swan’s daughter, Noel Devine.

“They loved life,” she said. “They just returned from a trip to Iceland and were planning a trip to the fjords in Norway next year and a Caribbean trip this fall.”

She said the couple traveled across the country to Alaska in a recreational vehicle, making friends wherever they stopped. They even co-authored a book about their travel adventures.

At home, neighbors could set their clocks by the Swans as they routinely took their dog Benji on walks through the neighborhood until Benji died a few months ago.

“My mom loved to read,” said Wolf. “She usually had three or four books open at a time.”

And David Swan was passionate about playing bridge.

“To them, it was about enjoying life every moment,” she said.

That’s just what they were doing when the couple was last seen on Thursday, Sept. 27 at about 3 p.m.

Now police are trying to determine what occurred during the 24 hours before their bodies were discovered at 1:52 p.m. on Sept. 29.

“Our family is devastated by this loss,” said Wolf. “Mom and Dad loved life. We just can’t imagine who would do this.”

Clearwater Police have established a tip line for this case. Anyone with information should call 727-562-4141.

Image via Clearwater Police

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