Investigators recover body of 6-year-old missing S.C. girl, male

ByPatrick PhillipsandNick Krueger|February 13, 2020 at 12:56 PM EST - Updated February 13 at 2:33 PM

CAYCE, S.C. (WCSC) - Authorities in Cayce shared grim news Thursday afternoon in the search for a 6-year-old girl who vanished Monday afternoon.

“It is with extremely heavy hearts that we are announcing that we have found the body that the coroner has identified as Faye Marie Swetlik,” an emotional Cayce Public Safety Director Byron Snellgrove said Thursday afternoon. “We are now treating this case as a homicide.”

No arrests have been made in the case so far, he said.

During the course of the investigation, Snellgrove said a second body, of a deceased male, was located in the same neighborhood. Authorites have not identified that person and did not provide his age.

It is not yet clear whether the two deaths are connected, but Snellgrove said investigators believe there is no danger to the community.

Authorities did not take questions at the brief news conference.

Swetlik disappeared from her yard Monday afternoon. Her family last saw her there at approximately 3:45 p.m., shortly after she got off the school bus. At approximately 5 p.m., they notified 911 when they realized they had lost track of her and weren’t able to find her in the immediate area.

The news conference came shortly after a large presence of law enforcement agencies were seen swarming the neighborhood where the child lives with her mother and grandmother Thursday morning.

Earlier in the morning, investigators examined trash cans set out in the neighborhood.

Authorities have been following up on the hundreds of tips they’ve received since creating the hotline in this investigation. The number for anyone with information to call is 803-205-4444.

They are receiving a large volume of calls, so officials said if people cannot get through they should keep calling.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Copyright 2020 WCSC. All rights reserved.

Photo: Live 5 News


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