Kari Swenson, a 22-year-old US Olympic biathlon hopeful, was kidnapped during a training run near Big Sky, Montana, in July 1984 by survivalists Don Nichols and his 19-year-old son, Dan. The pair held her overnight in the wilderness, intending to keep her as the younger man's “bride,” according to Associated Press reports.
Kidnapping during a training run
Swenson was on a run as part of her biathlon preparation in the mountains of Montana when the Nichols, living off the grid, set their sights on her. She said she was grabbed and hit. “I was concerned they were going to rape and murder me,” she said. She pleaded with them to release her, but Dan refused. “No, I want to keep you. You’re pretty. I want to keep you,” he told her, she said. “We don’t get many women up in the mountains to talk to,” Kari said Don told her.
The Nichols found her on the trail and led her deeper into the southwestern mountains of Montana. She was chained wrist-to-wrist with her captor and held overnight before the ordeal turned deadly. She tried to reason with them and said she was married. Her survival instinct kicked in, and she dropped personal items as they walked towards the Nichols’ camp to leave clues for rescuers.
Deadly rescue attempt
Swenson’s loved ones noticed she had not returned from her run and organized a search on Lone Mountain Ranch. On July 16, her friend Jim Schwalbe and coworker Alan Goldstein found the Nichols’ Jack Creek home. A desperate Kari screamed when she saw her friends approach, trying to warn them her kidnappers were armed. Don ordered his son to silence her, and Dan fired his pistol, puncturing Kari’s lung. “Oh my God. I didn’t mean to shoot her,” Dan later testified, saying the shooting was accidental, according to The New York Times.
Jim ran towards Kari, and Alan ordered the father and son to put down their weapons. Don shot at Alan, striking him in the cheek, and Alan died at the scene trying to rescue his friend. He was 36 years old. The Nicholses fled into the Madison mountains, leaving Swenson wounded and alone at the remote campsite. Jim ran to get help.
Rescue and manhunt
Shot through the lung and struggling for air, Kari crawled to a sleeping bag and prepared to die, but tried to keep warm in case someone did manage to rescue her. “I thought I was probably going to die at any time,” she said. She heard a helicopter overhead and tried to signal rescuers, but they couldn’t see her. Four hours later, Jim returned with help, and Kari was airlifted to a hospital in Bozeman. She underwent emergency surgery and survived, but suffered lasting injuries from the gunshot wound.
Police launched a massive manhunt for the Nicholses, who were believed to be heavily armed, authorities told the AP. The father and son evaded capture for nearly five months, using their extensive knowledge of the mountains and hidden supplies to survive the cold months. They were finally arrested in December 1984 after Sheriff France tracked them to a snowy campsite near Bear Trap Canyon.
Conviction and aftermath
Both were charged with kidnapping. Don was also charged with killing Alan. Don admitted to abducting Kari, saying he thought she would eventually want to live with him and his son in the mountains. “We talked and it seemed on the surface she was the kind that I’ve always thought of,” he said. “So I took her by the wrist.” Jurors convicted Don of deliberate homicide of Alan, kidnapping, and aggravated assault, sentencing him to 85 years in prison. Dan was convicted of kidnapping and assault but acquitted of homicide. Dan was later released from prison in 1991.
Kari returned to her sport and won a medal at the world biathlon championships. She later became a vet and moved back to Montana. Don Nichols was released on parole in 2017 after serving more than three decades in prison, according to The Guardian.
