Remains of 6-year-old Faye Swetlik found
The search for a six-year-old girl from South Carolina is over after police identified the remains of missing Faye Swetlik, who disappeared while she played in her family’s front yard. After viewing the coroner’s report, authorities have announced that they are treating Faye’s death as a homicide—no arrests have yet been made.
The Cayce Department of Public Safety’s director, Byron Snellgrove, told the media, “As this community has been working hard to find Faye and bring her home safely, we wanted to let you know as soon as possible. Snellgrove went on to say, “We also need to inform you that during the course of our investigation, a deceased male was located in the Churchill Heights neighborhood. That investigation has just begun.” It is unclear at this point whether or not the aforementioned deceased male is in any way related to Faye Swetlik’s missing persons case.
The investigation only began 5 days ago, when Faye disappeared from her family’s front yard shortly after returning home from school. Faye’s mother was home at the time of the disappearance. Friends and family were shocked to hear of Faye’s disappearance, and Ruth Collins, her grandmother, told the local television station WTVD, “I want my baby back. We gotta find her.”
An Amber Alert was never issued for Faye, because authorities had no reason to believe the girl had been kidnapped, as opposed to walking out of her yard of her own accord, or other circumstances. Investigators assigned to Faye’s missing person case have released photos of two vehicles who were in the area of the Churchill Heights neighborhood subdivision, denoting that the drivers may have crucial information about the case.
The case has garnered national media attention, with FBI officials going door to door to canvass the neighborhood in search of answers. On the day Faye’s remains were discovered in her neighborhood, Vice President Mike Pence was also in South Carolina, having stopped in the Midlands. When he addressed cadets at The Citadel in Charleston, he stated the following, “And as your Vice President, and as a father, let me say, we were deeply saddened to receive word this afternoon that the remains of Faye Swetlik, a six-year-old girl who went missing from her parents’ front yard, just three days ago, has been found.” Pence went on to say that he’d spoken with the FBI’s Director, Christopher Wray, and the governor of South Carolina, Henry McMaster, to ensure them that the full arsenal of resources held by the federal government would be made available to investigators in pursuit of answers. “But I would just urge everyone in South Carolina, “ Pence said, “hug your kids today. And keep this little girl and her family and her community in your prayers.”
The case is not over for investigators and the Faye Swetlik hotline is still open for anyone with information that could be useful in the homicide investigation. Authorities are asking that anyone with information call (803) 205-4444.