Twenty-five years after her disappearance, Niqui McCown’s family still demands answers. They hope two Richmond events this month inspire the closure they seek.
On Wednesday, July 22, the family will host their annual candlelight vigil where they say a word of prayer, release balloons and light Chinese lanterns in Niqui’s memory.
“It’s really just for the family, but I always invite the public,” said Payton Johnston, McCown’s daughter. “We make sure that my mom’s light still shines no matter what.”
The celebration continues with “A Summer of Hope: Honoring Niqui’s Light,” a block party on Saturday, July 25. Both will take place near South 10th and the block between F & G streets in Richmond, the last known location of their beloved daughter, sister and mother.
Marilyn “Niqui” McCown, 28, was planning an August wedding to fiancé Bobby Webster when she vanished from the then-laundromat on July 22, 2001. Family members and friends searched for her and suspects were interviewed, but McCown has not been found.
McCown’s sister, Tammie Hughes, believes someone knows something.
“We still would like to have answers of her location. I know it’s hard to pinpoint what exactly happened because people are scared to come forward,” Hughes said. She’s aware no one wants to be accused or have family members considered responsible.
“Her daughter deserves to know,” she said.
Johnston celebrated her ninth birthday weeks before her mom disappeared. Now 34, a mother and engaged, she leads efforts to find justice for her mother.
“I’m old enough now. I have a voice. I can speak for her. I can be my mom’s voice,” Johnston said. For decades, she watched her older relatives be vocal — the loudest being her aunt Michelle.
Growing up, Michelle McCown-Luster shared a room with Niqui, being only a year and a half older. There were 10 McCown siblings altogether, five boys and five girls. McCown-Luster was more introverted, quiet and laid back, compared to Niqui’s fun and free-spirited personality. She said that all changed after Niqui went missing.
“I just felt like the only power I had was to use my voice,” said McCown-Luster. She saw other families in similar circumstances gather people’s attention. A Dayton family of a missing girl, Erica Baker, told her to be in front of the screens all the time.
“That’s what I wanted for my sister. It kept Niqui’s story in the public eye,” said McCown-Luster.
The case was assigned to Richmond Police Department Detective Roger Redmond. Following Redmond’s retirement, RPD Detective Mike Wright now leads the investigation.
Wright said they’re reexamining evidence with modern equipment, hoping to bring new information to light.
Niqui’s case has also garnered national attention on television programs like “Unsolved Mysteries” and “Dateline.” Recently, the Indianapolis-based “Crime Junkie” podcast featured her story.
Social media is another tool Johnston uses. Johnston said if Facebook had existed then, they may have had more groundwork in regard to finding her mom. But she sees it as a blessing and a curse.
“I like the presence of social media because it’s easy to get the word out, but I also dislike it because people just don’t know how to be kind with their words,” she said.
Johnston said strangers share opinions and misinformation about the case, assuming they know the culprit and question the family’s continued search for the truth.
RPD had considered a few persons of interest, including Niqui’s fiancé, according to a 2024 NBCNews.com article. Eventually Webster and Steven Johnston, Niqui’s ex and Johnston’s father, were ruled out as suspects by investigators. Webster died in 2021.
NBCNews reports co-worker and friend Tommy Swint had a volatile history with Niqui and other accusations of harassment. Suspicions around Swint peaked in 2010 when he was indicted for the 1991 murder of a Dayton woman; he died by suicide at his Alabama home when authorities attempted to arrest him. Swint remains a person of interest in the case.
“Whatever answers that he may or may not have had in regard to my mom, we don’t know, unless somebody else that may know something wants to come forward,” said Johnston.
The vigil and block party in part serve as opportunities for anyone to share information. Wednesday’s vigil begins at 8 p.m., while Saturday’s block party is 4-8 p.m. Hughes said the party is mainly for children with plans for games, face painting, a bounce house and barbecue. They are accepting donations for raffle gifts.
“We would like the kids to have a good time and make them understand life goes on, even though there’s bad things that happen,” said Hughes.
Johnston said she finds joy in continuing her life, making her mother proud, but never forgetting or dimming her light.
“There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about her. I’ll see something, or a song will come on the radio, and it’ll remind me of her.”
Anyone with factual information regarding Niqui McCown’s case is urged to contact RPD at 765-983-7247.
A version of this article appeared in the July 15 2026 print edition of the Western Wayne News.
