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| Jaya “Ana” Golyakova: Where Is the Survivor From Swipe Right on the Devil Now? |
Jaya “Ana” Golyakova was drawn into the orbit of Bailey Boswell and Aubrey Trail after meeting Boswell through a dating app in 2017. What began as an attempt to meet new people reportedly developed into a deeply troubling experience that left lasting consequences. Years later, Golyakova revisited her time with the pair in Hulu’s documentary Swipe Right on the Devil, offering a personal account of their relationship and explaining why she still prefers to keep her distance from the case. Her story also sheds light on the difficulties of recognising dangerous situations when promises, attention and the prospect of a better future make everything appear more appealing than it really is.
Golyakova was born in Russia and moved to the United States as a child. Adjusting to life in a new country was difficult, particularly because she was just 12 and did not speak the language. Like many young people trying to establish themselves somewhere unfamiliar, she eventually found her footing and began looking for ways to build connections. When she turned 18, she joined a dating app, an ordinary decision that hardly sounds like the beginning of a story that would later become connected to a criminal investigation.
In June 2017, while living in Lincoln, Nebraska, Golyakova matched with a woman using the name Jenna. That woman was later identified as Bailey Boswell, who introduced her to Aubrey Trail.
According to Golyakova's account, their conversations gradually shifted towards sugar-daddy arrangements, with Boswell offering to introduce her to Trail. What followed, she recalled, involved increasingly uncomfortable discussions and promises that would eventually make her question the situation she had entered.
Golyakova told investigators that Boswell and Trail spoke about witchcraft, supernatural beliefs and pagan practices. She recalled Trail presenting himself as a powerful figure and Boswell describing herself as a witch. In Swipe Right on the Devil, she reflects on how unsettling these interactions became and how differently she understands the experience now. Looking back as an adult, she can recognise vulnerabilities that were harder to identify when she was younger. Unfortunately, confidence and grand promises can make questionable people seem more convincing than they deserve to be.
Her account also included allegations about a scheme involving antique shops and bad cheques. Golyakova described how she became involved in activities connected to the pair, while also recounting the personal relationship they shared. According to her, Trail had promised to help finance her college education and support her ambitions in exchange for her time. The prospect of financial assistance and a route towards a more secure future reportedly formed part of the circumstances surrounding their association.
As time passed, Golyakova said Boswell and Trail appeared interested in bringing additional people into their circle. She described Boswell changing her appearance, posting photographs on social media and attempting to attract other women.
Viewed through the lens of the documentary, these details form part of a wider account of how the pair allegedly approached potential associates. Social media can make meeting strangers remarkably easy, but it offers no guarantee that the person on the other side of the screen has good intentions. Sadly, the internet did not come with a reliable warning label for questionable life choices.
Golyakova's name entered the investigation after Sydney Loofe disappeared in November 2017. Investigators reportedly discovered a receipt connected to an antique shop contract that led them to Golyakova. Police subsequently located her and interviewed her about her connection to Boswell and Trail. Initially, she said she knew nothing about Loofe's disappearance and did not believe the pair would harm the missing woman. She later provided investigators with an account of her experiences and the activities she said had taken place during her association with them.
The investigation placed Golyakova in a difficult position. She had information about the pair's behaviour, but she was also attempting to make sense of her own experiences. According to her account, the relationship had included increasingly disturbing conversations that caused her to question what Boswell and Trail might be planning. The difference between what someone initially believes about another person and what they later discover can be difficult to process, especially when the relationship has involved trust, personal attachment or promises of support.
Golyakova's testimony subsequently became part of the legal proceedings connected to the case. Ashley Hills, another woman associated with Boswell and Trail, testified that the pair had allegedly discussed plans to kill Golyakova. Golyakova also testified in court in 2019 and 2020, describing conversations she said had taken place during her time with them.
Among the claims she recounted was an alleged discussion about making a video depicting torture and killing in exchange for one million dollars. She also testified that Boswell and Trail had allegedly told her that she would need to murder someone to obtain witch powers. These were allegations presented through testimony, rather than established facts about supernatural practices. For Golyakova, however, the significance of the conversations was the fear they generated and the growing concern that the situation could become dangerous.
As her suspicions increased, she said she became frightened of what the pair might do. She eventually warned another woman who had met them, hoping to prevent someone else from becoming involved in a similar situation. That decision stands out because it demonstrates how her understanding of the relationship had changed. Someone who had initially believed the pair would not harm another person had reached a point where she felt compelled to alert someone else to the risks she perceived.
The experience did not simply disappear when the investigation moved forward. In Swipe Right on the Devil, Golyakova discusses the lasting psychological impact of her association with Boswell and Trail, including what she describes as severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). She has explained that revisiting the events remains difficult and that she does not want to be publicly associated with the case any more than necessary.
Golyakova also discussed how referring to the events in the third person helped her create emotional distance from what had happened. That approach allowed her to discuss the experience without feeling as though she had to relive every detail directly. It is a small but revealing detail in her account: sometimes, finding the words to describe a painful period of life requires establishing boundaries around the memories themselves.
Today, Golyakova is known publicly as Jaya and has maintained a low profile. There is limited publicly established information about her current personal life, and she has made clear that she would prefer not to remain tied to the criminal case. It would therefore be misleading to claim that she has completely recovered or to invent details about her present circumstances. What her documentary interview does establish is that the experience has had a lasting effect and that she wants the freedom to move forward on her own terms.
Her story is an important part of Swipe Right on the Devil because it shifts the focus away from the people accused of wrongdoing and towards someone who had to make sense of her own involvement. Golyakova's account offers a perspective on how an initially ordinary interaction can develop into something deeply unsettling, while also showing why survivors should be allowed to decide how much of their lives they wish to share publicly.
My Opinion
Jaya “Ana” Golyakova's story is one of the most compelling aspects of Swipe Right on the Devil, largely because it highlights what can happen after a person finds themselves caught up in circumstances they never expected. The most striking detail is not the pair's alleged talk of witchcraft or their extraordinary promises, but how difficult it can be to recognise troubling behaviour when someone appears to offer friendship, affection or financial support. Golyakova's reflections also challenge the idea that appearing in a documentary or giving evidence means someone should remain available for public discussion indefinitely.
She has already shared an account of her experiences, and that does not mean viewers are entitled to every detail of her life. Her decision to maintain privacy deserves respect. True-crime documentaries often focus on dramatic revelations, but the long-term effects on the people involved deserve just as much attention. Golyakova's story is a reminder that moving forward is personal, complicated and rarely as straightforward as a television ending might suggest.
Ultimately, what happened to Jaya “Ana” Golyakova is about more than her connection to Boswell and Trail. It is also about the lasting consequences of a difficult experience and her determination to establish a life beyond the headlines. Her account in Swipe Right on the Devil provides viewers with an opportunity to understand her perspective without reducing her identity to the events she described. What do you think true-crime documentaries should do to protect the privacy of survivors while telling their stories? Share your thoughts and join the conversation.