Naman Shrestha
The brutal 1988 murder case of Cathy Swartz remained unsolved for several decades while the killer went on with his life without facing any consequences for his crimes. It wasn’t until 2023 when advanced DNA technology helped the authorities locate the alleged killer — Robert Waters. The Three Rivers cold case is covered in a detailed manner in an episode of ABC’s ’20/20.’ The special episode also showcases how Forensic Genetic Genealogy helped the investigators solve the murder and find Robert. It also features exclusive interviews and footage that provide the audience with more insight into the case and the investigation that ensued.
Robert Waters Was Accused of Killing Cathy Swartz Inside Her House
On December 2, 1988, Cathy Swartz was found dead inside her apartment in the Riverside Apartments & Townhouses complex in Three Rivers, Mississippi. When the authorities arrived at the scene of the crime, they found her 9-month-old daughter, Courteney Swartz, left unharmed in the other room. The autopsy revealed that the 19-year-old was beaten, stabbed, and strangled to death, but the investigators could not identify the killer despite having found fingerprints, blood, and a footprint of the suspect at the crime scene. Due to a lack of advancements in DNA technology, the police spent decades trying to solve the case by interviewing many possible suspects and collecting their fingerprints and footprints.
When a DNA technology called Forensic Genetic Genealogy was used to connect the dots of the case in 2022, the detectives managed to shrink their pool of suspects to a single family. The entire family was interrogated, and their fingerprints and DNA were tested at length before the suspect was identified as Robert Odell Waters. According to a witness, he was a former classmate of Cathy and had shown up at her apartment a month prior to her demise. At the time of the murder, he was 18 years old and lived in St. Joseph County in southwestern Michigan. After the detectives’ search narrowed down to Robert, they matched his DNA, footprints, and fingerprints to the ones found at the crime scene in 1988.
When the results confirmed that they were a direct match, Robert was arrested on April 30, 2023, and charged with open murder in connection to the killing of Cathy Swartz. At the time of his arrest, the 53-year-old was leading a fulfilling life with his family, which included his wife and two children, in Beaufort, South Carolina. He also owned a successful plumbing business with his wife and had a blank slate when it came to his rap sheet. During his arrest, Robert’s wife seemed confused and posed a lot of questions to the authorities, indicating that she had no idea about the alleged crimes of her husband.
Robert Waters Died in His Prison Cell Soon After His Arrest
On April 30, 2023, the authorities believed the murder case of 19-year-old Cathy Swartz was finally solved as Robert Waters was arrested and charged with the homicide. However, five days later, before he could be transferred to St. Joseph County and tried for the crimes, he reportedly took his own life. On May 6, 2023, Robert died by hanging himself using a sheet from the top bunk of his bed in the Beaufort County Detention Center. The guards found several Bible-based pamphlets on a table in his cell, which read — “The Power of Forgiveness,” “Discovering Creation,” and “From Bitterness to Forgiveness.” According to the guards of the detention center, he was not on suicide watch and was left alone. They told investigators he did not appear to be suicidal and was checked on about 30 minutes before he died by suicide.
Robert reportedly hadn’t been battling any mental health issues; he was only taking Tylenol for his back pain. According to the evidence, the investigators claimed he acted alone and was solely responsible for Cathy Swartz’s murder. Due to the incriminating evidence against him, the case was later closed by the Three Rivers Police Department. St. Joseph County District Judge Jeffrey Middleton stated, “He knew it was coming, and so for his wife and family, your provider, your dad, your husband you’ve known all your life, all of a sudden it is gone. As a murderer, that’s an awful lot of weight to bear, and to save everybody the shame and humiliation, you take the easy way out.” Cathy’s daughter, Courteney, called him a “coward,” accusing him of taking the easiest way out to avoid dealing with the repercussions of his alleged crimes.
Read More: Courteney Swartz: Where is Cathy Swartz’s Daughter Now?
You must be logged in to post a comment.