Solved case · 1996
Also known as Killing of Karyn Hearn Slover · Karyn Hearn Slover's murder
The short answer
Karyn Hearn Slover, a 23-year-old mother, disappeared in Decatur, Illinois on September 27, 1996, and her dismembered remains were found in Lake Shelbyville two days later. In 2002, her ex-husband and his parents were convicted of her murder, though the Illinois Innocence Project has since sought post-conviction relief citing new DNA evidence.
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Suggest coverage for Murder of Karyn Hearn SloverOn September 27, 1996, Karyn Slover, a 23-year-old advertising sales representative and mother of one, left her job at the Decatur Herald & Review newspaper in Decatur, Illinois, intending to pick up her son and shop for a dress. That night, a car registered to her boyfriend, David Swann, was found abandoned on I-72 with its engine running and headlights on, containing Slover's purse and driver's license. On October 1, 1996, an unidentified female body wrapped in plastic bags and weighted with concrete blocks was recovered from Lake Shelbyville; dental records confirmed the remains were Slover's.
Slover's autopsy determined she had been shot seven times in the head and then dismembered with a power saw before being sealed in plastic bags with duct tape. Investigators recovered dog hair from the duct tape along with cinders and grass. David Swann was an early suspect due to an incomplete alibi and gun ownership matching the murder weapon type, but he was cleared after ATM surveillance footage accounted for a gap in his alibi. Slover's ex-husband, Michael Slover Jr., and an ex-boyfriend were also ruled out via alibi checks at that stage.
In 1998, investigators noted that broken concrete at Miracle Motors, a business owned by Slover's former father-in-law Michael Slover Sr., resembled the concrete blocks used to weigh down her body. A forensic geologist matched debris from the abandoned car to material from the business, and searchers recovered a rivet and button matching clothing Slover wore the day she disappeared. Investigators theorized Michael Slover Sr. and his wife Jeannette Slover killed Karyn Slover amid a custody dispute, as she had reportedly planned to move away with her son to pursue modeling work without the father's consent while continuing to receive child support. Before arrests, a veterinary geneticist matched dog hairs on the duct tape to hairs from a brush used on dogs kept at Miracle Motors — an early use of dog DNA evidence in a homicide prosecution. This DNA evidence was later thrown out on appeal. In January 2000, Michael Slover Sr., Jeannette Slover, and Michael Slover Jr. were arrested and charged with first-degree murder, with the father and son additionally charged with concealing a crime.
On May 18, 2002, all three were convicted of first-degree murder and each sentenced to 60 years in prison, with Michael Slover Sr. and Michael Slover Jr. receiving five additional years for concealment charges. Their appeal, which challenged pretrial media coverage and the DNA evidence, was denied. Michael Slover Sr. died in June 2022. Michael Slover Jr. was released in March 2024. Jeannette Slover died in January 2025.
Separately, custody of Slover's son, who had been adopted by his paternal aunt, became contested in 2003 after authorities alleged the aunt may have helped conceal the crime; she lost custody in October 2003, and the child was subsequently raised by his maternal grandparents. The Illinois Innocence Project has pursued the case, and in February 2024 filed a post-conviction relief petition in Macon County Circuit Court alleging new DNA evidence implicating unknown perpetrators and asserting the Slovers' innocence.
Karyn Slover disappears after leaving work in Decatur, Illinois; her boyfriend's car is later found abandoned on I-72.
Dismembered remains later identified as Karyn Slover's are discovered in Lake Shelbyville.
Investigators link concrete debris at Miracle Motors, owned by Michael Slover Sr., to evidence from the crime scene.
Michael Slover Sr., Jeannette Slover, and Michael Slover Jr. are arrested and charged with first-degree murder.
All three Slovers are convicted of first-degree murder and later sentenced to 60 years in prison, with additional concealment charges for Michael Sr. and Michael Jr.
Custody dispute arises over Karyn Slover's son Kolten, adopted by Mary Slover.
Mary Slover loses custody of Kolten, who is later raised by his maternal grandparents.
A judge denies the Illinois Innocence Project's request to test a fingerprint from the Lake Shelbyville bridge.
Michael Slover Sr. dies.
The Illinois Innocence Project files a petition for post-conviction relief citing new DNA evidence.
Michael Slover Jr. is released from prison.
Jeannette Slover dies.
Victims first. Every legal label is set from public records and court outcomes, not from the prose.
23-year-old mother of one, killed September 27, 1996[3]
Convicted of first-degree murder in 2002; sentenced to 60 years; died January 2025[3]
Convicted of first-degree murder and concealing a crime in 2002; sentenced to 60 years plus 5 years; released March 2024[3]
Convicted of first-degree murder and concealing a crime in 2002; sentenced to 60 years plus 5 years; died June 2022[3]
From the record
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