Suvechha Sarkar
Hulu’s ‘Swipe Right on the Devil’ delves deeper into the heartbreaking homicide of 24-year-old Sydney Irene Loofe in November 2017 in Lincoln, Nebraska. After she was reported missing, officials quickly focused on her Tinder date, Bailey Marie Boswell, and Bailey’s boyfriend, Aubrey Clifton Trail. The show also revisits the events and evidence that ultimately led to the convictions of Bailey and Aubrey. Furthermore, it features interviews with Sydney’s loved ones and officials closely involved in the case.
Aubrey Trail Became a Person of Interest After Sydney Loofe Went Missing
Aubrey Clifton Trail was born on September 7, 1966, in Manchester, Tennessee. According to official records, his parents had left him in the care of his grandparents when he was just 2 years old. When his parents eventually got divorced, his mother married a man named Tony Trail. Following that, he was adopted by his stepfather. However, Aubrey claimed that Tony was abusive toward him. According to one of his interviews, Aubrey spent much of his early teenage years in juvenile detention facilities. Court documents indicate that he was first arrested at age 17. In the years that followed, Aubrey was incarcerated multiple times and spent most of his time on parole.
Eventually, Aubrey crossed paths with Bailey Marie Boswell through a website, Backpage. They came under the radar of the authorities after a 24-year-old woman, Sydney Irene Loofe, suddenly went missing from Lincoln, Nebraska, on November 16, 2017. During the missing person’s investigation, officials learned from one of her friends that just three days before her disappearance, she had matched with a woman named Audrey on Tinder. Reports state that Sydney went on her first date with Audrey on November 14 and was set to meet for a second date the following day. With help from Sydney’s friend, officials obtained Audrey’s cellphone number, which led them to a hotel in Lincoln.
As per the police records, surveillance footage from the hotel showed Audrey with another man. Soon, detectives discovered that Audrey was actually Bailey, and Aubrey was the man with her. The investigators promptly tracked down the basement home where both of them were living at the time. Reports state that their landlord’s wife informed them she had detected a strong bleach odor coming from the basement shortly after Sydney went missing. Furthermore, experts observed signs that the walls had been wiped, but were unable to retrieve any DNA evidence from there. According to a detective on the show, officials discovered the picture of a young woman named Jaya “Ana” Golyakova inside Aubrey and Bailey’s home.
Aubrey Trail and Bailey Boswell Were Charged With Murder Based on Digital Evidence
When investigators questioned Ana, she informed them that Aubrey and Bailey had been using Tinder to recruit girls and build a “coven” of “witches.” Soon, they learned that two other women, Katie Brandle and Ashley Hills, had also previously matched with Bailey on Tinder. In their statements, Katie and Ashley told authorities that Bailey and Aubrey had told them that they had to kill someone to become a “witch.” In late November 2017, Aubrey and Bailey came live on social media and claimed that they had no involvement in Sydney’s disappearance.
Just two days later, detectives traced the IP address, leading to the arrest of Aubrey and Bailey on federal fraud charges unrelated to the case. As digital forensic experts dug deeper into their phone records, it led them to a location in the rural area of Clay Center, Nebraska, where they found Sydney’s remains in early December 2017. During his interview with the authorities, Aubrey confessed to killing the 24-year-old but insisted that Bailey had no involvement. In his statements, Aubrey claimed that Bailey acted under duress and that he had committed the murder while strangling Sydney accidentally during a sexual act, as per the records.
Aubrey also claimed that he had known Sydney for a considerable time. However, his account was contradicted when detectives found CCTV footage from her workplace at Menards store. According to reports, the footage captured Aubrey inside the Menards store while Sydney was working on November 15, 2017, but she didn’t appear to recognize him. Finally, Aubrey and Bailey were charged with first-degree murder and improper disposal of human skeletal remains. They were later additionally indicted on the charge of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in March 2019.
Aubrey Trail Remains on Death Row at a Nebraska Prison Facility Today
Before the beginning of Aubrey’s jury trial, he pleaded no contest to the charge of improper disposal. His trial commenced on June 18, 2019, during which the prosecution emphasized that the homicide was planned beforehand. They presented evidence that on November 15, 2017, the defendant and Bailey visited a nearby Home Depot after leaving the Menards store to purchase items, including a utility knife and a hacksaw. They also presented digital evidence, including phone records of Bailey and Aubrey. Furthermore, the prosecution pointed out that both had communicated via coded letters while in custody.
On the other hand, the defense didn’t dispute Aubrey’s involvement in the homicide but claimed that it happened accidentally during a consensual sexual encounter involving asphyxiation. They further insisted that Bailey was not involved in the murder or dismemberment and claimed that she only participated in the clean-up. During the trial, Aubrey had inflicted wounds on his own neck in front of the jury. Although the defense argued that the incident prejudiced the jurors against him and sought a mistrial, the court denied the request. He was convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy charges. The jury trial of Bailey began in September 2020, during which the prosecution called Ashley and Katie as witnesses.
On October 14, 2020, Bailey was convicted of all charges against her. Aubrey was finally sentenced to death on June 9, 2021, in addition to a 50-year term for conspiracy and a 2-year prison sentence for improper disposal. Bailey was sentenced to life in prison on November 8, 2021. She also received 2 years in prison for improper disposal and another 50-year term for conspiracy, to be served consecutively. Aubrey later appealed his convictions, but the Supreme Court upheld the trial court’s judgment on November 10, 2022. As of writing, he is on death row at the Tecumseh State Correctional Institution in Tecumseh, Nebraska. Bailey is currently serving her sentence at the Nebraska Correctional Center for Women in York, Nebraska.
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