The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) has recently apprehended a suspect in connection with the double homicide of Harold and Thelma Swain, which occurred back in 1985. Erik Kristensen Sparre, a 61-year-old resident of Waynesville, Georgia, faces charges including two counts of murder and two counts of aggravated assault. The arrest took place in Waynesville, Brantley County, without any complications, and Sparre was subsequently booked into the Camden County Jail, according to the GBI.
Despite the recent development in this decades-long case, the investigation is still active. The GBI encourages anyone with information related to the murders to contact their regional investigative office in Kingsland. The public can provide tips anonymously by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), submitting them online, or using the See Something, Send Something mobile app.
An important juncture in the case was reached on August 6, 2020, when GBI agents carried out a search warrant at a property occupied by Erik Sparre and his late mother, Gladys Sparre, located at 1680 Stafford Road in Waynesville. While the investigation continues to uncover Sparre's involvement in the Swain's deaths, tips and leads from the public persist in influencing the course of the inquiry.
The murders of Harold and Thelma Swain, which took place inside the Rising Daughter Baptist Church in Woodbine, Georgia, had led to the conviction of Dennis Perry in 2003. However, in May 2020, potential new evidence prompted the GBI and the Camden County Sheriff’s Office to reopen the case. Since then, ongoing efforts to reexamine evidence have been crucial in steering this nearly 40-year-old case in a new direction, as reported by the GBI.
