Sanford “Sam” Swift might have been counting receipts in the back of the Roy Roger’s Restaurant in Arlington where he worked as a night shift manager on June 11, 1992. He had just said good night to six employees and would have been finishing the night counting money or taking inventory, as he did every night. But something happened around 12:15 a.m. A person — who either hid in the fast-food joint through its closing or was let in by Swift after hours — went into the back office.
At Swift’s home, his roommate began to worry. Hours passed and Swift did not come home. The roommate began calling the restaurant, finally reaching an employee who was opening the restaurant at 5 a.m. The employee had not seen Swift, so the roommate told the employee to check the back office.
The office was in order with no apparent signs of a scuffle. But Swift was there, fatally stabbed in the head, and the store had been robbed of an undetermined amount of cash.
Police quickly had strong leads, and even released a sketch of the suspect. But today, almost 19 years later, Swift’s death remains one of the thousands of cold cases in the Washington area.
Many things have changed since the slaying — the suspect has undoubtedly aged, the Roy Rogers company changed ownership, and the restaurant at 5222 Lee Highway is now a Capital One Bank. However, police still look for answers and closure.
The killer is a slender, medium-build black man between 5 feet 9 inches and 5 feet 11 inches tall. At the time of the slaying he was in his late 20s with a mustache and goatee and short hair. He has a scar on his lower right jaw. The night of the slaying he was wearing a dirty dark-blue T-shirt with a design on the front.
The killer was seen by a witness on the night of the murder around 1 a.m. running from the restaurant holding a large Roy Rogers bag. The witness saw the killer get into an old white Toyota Corolla two-door with District plates. The car was headed eastbound on Lee Highway.
Anyone with information on Swift’s slaying, or any other cold case in Arlington is encouraged to call the Arlington County Police Tip Line at 703-228-4242 or Crime Solvers at 866-411-TIPS (8477) to remain anonymous.
