MACON, Ga. — More than 30 years after Sabrina Long went missing from her Bloomfield home, the case is growing colder again.
Years went by after Aug. 14, 1991 before the Georgia Bureau of Investigation arrested a friend of Long's.
That friend, Melinda McSwain, was eventually indicted, charged with Kidnapping, Malice Murder and Felony Murder "in a manner unknown to the Grand Jury," her indictment read.
Now, Macon District Attorney Anita Howard says they can't prosecute her. That's because the case is on the 'dead docket,' meaning it may not ever make it to court.
In 1996, five years after Long's disappearance, her mother, Sue Corley, spoke with 13WMAZ.
"Mamas feel. And in my heart, I don't think she's alive," she said at the time.
Still, nearly 33 years after Long disappeared, her family doesn't know what happened to her. Howard's office doesn't know for sure, either.
"The not knowing will drive you nuts. It'll eat at you every day," Corley said.
Shortly after McSwain's arrest, JT Ricketson, then with the GBI, said they expected some more search warrants.
"The whole focus and the whole goal of this is to try and find Sabrina Long," Ricketson, now Macon-Bibb County's code enforcement director, said.
According to a motion to place the case on the dead docket filed Jan. 23, 2023, the DA's office and the GBI were 'determining whether a well can be searched for the remains of the listed victim.'
The DA's office says McSwain confessed to having a part in Long's murder along with a man, Keith Loyd. Loyd died by suicide in 2017. McSwain said she and Loyd placed Long's body in a well near a church. Howard's office says they searched that area, but didn't find her body. Howard suggested they didn't dig deep enough.
The DA's office says ultimately, they don't have enough evidence to convict McSwain. The only evidence they have is McSwain's confession, which she later walked back. Citing Georgia law, they say: "a confession alone, uncorroborated by any other evidence, shall not justify a conviction."
Chief Assistant District Attorney Cindy Adams says there is a possibility the case goes back to court, but they would need to verify McSwain's claims.
The GBI said Monday the case is still open, but they had no new information to share.
Full statement from DA Anita Howard's Office:
"Sabrina Long disappeared from outside her residence in the early morning hours of August 14, 1991. Over the years this case was investigated by the Macon Police Department and later by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. One suspect in the case, Keith Loyd, committed suicide in 2017. Melinda McSwain came up in the investigation as a contemporary of Loyd. McSwain gave a number of statements to law enforcement about her alleged involvement in Long’s death, none of which, as yet, have been corroborated. After admitting that many of her statements given to law enforcement were completely false, McSwain claimed that only she and Loyd (then deceased) were involved with Long’s death and that Long’s body had been placed in a well close to a small cemetery and a church.
An abandoned well was located near Long’s residence and close to a cemetery. The well was excavated, but no human remains were produced. It was thought, perhaps, the digging did not go far enough down. When McSwain was arrested the only evidence against her was her own uncorroborated statement. O.C.G.A. § 24-8-823, states, “a confession alone, uncorroborated by any other evidence, shall not justify a conviction.”
At the time this case was placed on the dead docket in January 2023, this Office had done a thorough review of the evidence and determined that a conviction could not be sustained based upon the information at hand. The victim’s family members were notified of the evidentiary deficiencies in regard to this case in January and February 2023.
As this murder investigation is still pending, we ask that anyone who has any information about this case to contact the District Attorney’s Office or the Georgia Bureau of Investigation."
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