Feb. 14 (UPI) -- Authorities said Friday they have linked a 30-year-old man to a missing 6-year-old South Carolina girl who vanished earlier this week, after both were found dead.
The body of Faye Swetlik was found Thursday in a wooded area of her neighborhood, near the home of Coty Scott Taylor -- whose body police found inside his home. Sgt. Evan Antley told reporters investigators found evidence in his trash that linked him to Faye, who disappeared Monday after returning home from school.
Antley didn't specify what was found in Taylor's trash, but said police are no longer searching for suspects in the case and there's no more danger to the community of Churchill Heights, which is a part of Greater Columbia.
Taylor had no criminal history, was unknown to police and wasn't any kind of acquaintance of the Swetlik family's, Antley added.
Police searched four days for Faye before her body was found. Antley said her body probably hadn't been lying in the woods for very long when it was found.
The girl's discovery has shocked the small town of Cayce, which is located about 5 miles southwest of downtown Columbia.
"I am just in tears," said resident Lisa Trotter, whose granddaughter attended school with Faye. "We all wanted Faye to be brought home safely. This really hits close to home and our entire community is devastated."
