Case of 6-Year-Old Faye Swetlik ‘Linked’ to Neighbor Found Dead in Home: Authorities

Officials said Friday that a neighbor found dead in his South Carolina home has been “linked” to missing 6-year-old Faye Swetlik, whose body was found Thursday in a wooded area close to her house.

The man was identified as 30-year-old Coty Scott Taylor, who also lived in Swetlik’s Churchill Heights neighborhood and has no criminal record, police said. A “critical” piece of evidence was found in a trash can at Taylor’s home, which is about 100 to 150 feet away from the Swetlik residence, according to authorities.

“Our evidence and our investigation does link these two together,” Sgt. Evan Antley said during a press conference. “I can confirm that he was a neighbor. He was not a relative, and he was not a friend.”

Swetlik was found dead in a wooded area between her home and a nearby auto-body shop three days after she vanished from her front yard, and authorities have been treating the case as a homicide. She was last seen by her family at 3:45 p.m. Monday and was reported missing just over an hour later.

Antley said police have “no suspects at this time” and are not seeking any persons of interest, only revealing that authorities have “linked” her case to Taylor’s death.

There is “no reason to believe that there is an active threat in the Churchill Heights community,” he added.

After the little girl went missing, authorities launched a massive search of her neighborhood, interviewing residents and placing the community on lockdown.

“We went in there and turned their lives upside down,” Antley said.

“This has been a tragic situation for our community, for our department, and for everyone who has been following the story,” he added.