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Olympic Hopeful Escapes Mountain Abduction by Off-Grid Duo
17 Jan
Summary
- Biathlete Kari Swenson was abducted by survivalists on a training run in Montana.
- Her captors intended to force her into marriage and live with them.
- Swenson survived being shot and left for dead, later testifying against her captors.
In July 1984, biathlon star Kari Swenson was abducted while training in Montana's mountains by survivalists Don and Dan Nichols. The father and son, who lived off the grid, seized Swenson, then 22, intending for her to become Dan's bride. They held her overnight, chaining her as they moved between camps.
During a rescue attempt by friends on July 16, 1984, Dan Nichols accidentally shot Swenson in the chest, critically wounding her. Her friend Alan Goldstein was killed by Don Nichols. The survivalists fled, leaving Swenson alone and injured, but she managed to survive until a search party found her.
After evading capture for months, the Nicholses were arrested in December 1984. Don Nichols received an 85-year sentence for deliberate homicide and kidnapping, while Dan was convicted of kidnapping and assault. Swenson recovered, returned to biathlon, and eventually became a veterinarian.
