Taylorsville Man Arrested in Murder of Bethany Lee Brown

A 37-year-old Taylorsville man has been arrested and charged with murder following a years-long investigation into the disappearance and death of Bethany Lee Brown.

Alexander County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested Tony Elias Swaney on Tuesday in connection with Brown’s death. The arrest was made in coordination with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.

Brown was first reported missing on April 10, 2022, at approximately 9:50 a.m., when her mother contacted the Alexander County Sheriff’s Office. At the time of her disappearance, Brown was living with Swaney at a residence on Caldwell Drive in Taylorsville.

Investigators with the sheriff’s office, assisted by the SBI, conducted numerous interviews and searched multiple locations in an effort to locate Brown. Despite those efforts, the investigation stalled and the case eventually went cold.

The case took a significant turn on January 13, 2025, when hunters discovered skeletal remains near 81 Caldwell Drive in Taylorsville. On December 18, 2025, the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, with assistance from the SBI Crime Lab, positively identified the remains as those of Bethany Brown.

The medical examiner determined Brown’s cause of death was a gunshot wound. Investigators say that finding provided the necessary information to advance the investigation and seek criminal charges.

Swaney is currently being held at the Alexander County Detention Center without bond. He is scheduled to make his first court appearance on January 12.