Search for missing 6-year-old Faye Swetlik still active, S.C. officials push back against rumors
Call 803-205-4444 with video or other tips to help find Faye
CAYCE, S.C. (WIS) - The search for missing Faye Swetlik, 6, has entered day three and officials have shared a new video to try to help find her.
Wednesday morning, Cayce police updated the public with new video showing Faye getting off her school bus Monday afternoon, just minutes before her family said she was last seen.
The video also contains new pictures of Faye and the hotline for tips: 803-205-4444.
Police wanted to stress Wednesday morning that people should not believe social media rumors about a body being found.
The search for Faye is still active.
“We’ve noticed a lot of incorrect information on social media that’s being circulated around and being shared across different platforms,” Sgt. Evan Antley, with the Cayce Department of Public Safety, said. “As law enforcement we are committed to keeping you our community informed with timely and accurate information. What does that mean? That means rumors that are false could potentially divert valuable resources from our mission of bringing Faye home.”
The investigation is currently focused on the neighborhood where Faye lives and the home she shares with her mother and grandmother on Londonderry Square.
Swetlik’s family said they last saw her playing in the yard Monday, Feb. 10 after school around 3:45 p.m. They reported her missing to police around 5 p.m.
As many as 250 law enforcement personnel have been combing the Churchill Heights neighborhood questioning neighbors and stopping vehicles that were coming in and out of the area.
Authorities said Tuesday there is no evidence Faye was abducted.
Investigators said they have not ruled out any possibilities that she may have walked off or fell somewhere and is in distress.
Officials said they have found some useful surveillance footage and that Faye’s mother, father and her mother’s boyfriend have all been cooperative during the investigation.
Anyone who has video from the area between 2 and 5 p.m. Monday are urged to call the hotline.
During their investigation, authorities have towed two cars from the property where Faye lives, believing that they could be useful. They did not provide more details on this.
- Neighbors shocked, terrified day after 6-year-old girl disappears
- ‘We’ve got to find her’: Faye Swetlik’s grandmother speaks out
They’ve received nearly 80 tips in her case and out of those tips, officials say they’ve begun to follow up on about 50 of them.
Again, there are numerous rumors circulating among the community about the case but the information in this story is all that police have confirmed at this time.
“We understand that (Faye’s) disappearance is distressing to many members of the community,” Antley said. “And we understand that you have a lot of questions. We encourage you to come to us for accurate and timely information.”
Faye is a white girl with shoulder-length strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes. She’s 3-foot-10-inches tall and weighs about 65 pounds. Officials said she has a speech impediment and is lactose intolerant.
“Keep Faye, keep that name in your social media posts,” Antley said. “We’re going to keep getting the word out until we bring her home. That is our mission.”
Officials ask anyone who sees Faye or has any video that could help find her to call 803-205-4444.
Officials said the following criteria must be met for an Amber Alert to be activated:
- a law enforcement agency or agencies must believe the child has been abducted,
- if the child is under 17 and the agency believes they’re in immediate danger or serious harm,
- all other possibilities for the disappearance have been reasonably excluded,
- there is sufficient information available to give to the public,
- the child’s name and other critical data have been entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC).
Faye’s information has been entered into NCIC as a missing person, officials said.
Team coverage of the search for Faye will begin on WIS News at 4 and continue throughout the night. Watch live newscasts here.
Follow the WIS Facebook page for live updates from the scene no matter the time of day.
Copyright 2020 WIS. All rights reserved.
