Community works to shield Faye Swetlik memorial from rain, case update expected Tuesday

WEST COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - It’s been nearly a week since Faye Swetlik, 6, was reported missing after being last seen playing in her front yard Monday afternoon.

For days, SLED helicopters canvassed the Churchill Heights neighborhood from above, while FBI agents went door-to-door interviewing neighbors.

On Thursday, after a critical piece of evidence was found in a neighborhood trashcan, officials recanvassed a wooded area behind Faye’s home. Her body was discovered by Cayce Department of Safety Director Byron Snellgrove.

Moments later, officials said, they discovered the body of a 30-year-old man at his home nearby. He was later identified as Coty Taylor.

Officials said Swetlik’s death is being investigated as a homicide and both deaths are linked.

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According to the Lexington County Coroner’s Office, autopsy results will be released during a press conference on Tuesday.

On Sunday, community members came together to shield the growing memorial outside of the Churchill Heights neighborhood from the rain.

“You have absolutely no idea how much this means to us,” said a close family friend of the Swetliks.

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