Skip to main content
Clear icon
42º

Neighbor strangled missing SC girl, killed self, authorities say

Faye Swetlik (Cayce Dept. of Public Safety, CNN)

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Authorities in South Carolina say a 6-year-old girl who disappeared from her front yard after school was strangled by a neighbor who then killed himself.

Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher told reporters Tuesday that Faye Marie Swetlik died just a few hours after she was abducted.

Recommended Videos



Her body was found in the woods nearby moments before 30-year-old neighbor Coty Scott Taylor was found dead in his home.

Investigators found clues about her disappearance Thursday in Taylor’s trash can.

By then, three days had passed since the girl disappeared.

A public memorial for Faye will be held Friday evening at Trinity Baptist Church in Cayce.