CAYCE, 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 from asphyxiation just a few hours after she was abducted on Feb. 10.
On Feb. 13, Swetlik’s body was found in the woods nearby moments before 30-year-old neighbor Coty Scott Taylor was found dead in his home.
Investigators also found clues about her disappearance in Taylor's trash can.
Fisher said that investigators determined Swetlik’s death didn’t occur at the location where her body was discovered and her body had only been at that location for a short time, USA Today reports.
A public memorial for Faye will be held Friday evening at Trinity Baptist Church in Cayce.
