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U.S. NEWS Saturday 15 February 2020

Evidence in trash can links dead

neighbor to missing S.C. girl

By JEFFREY COLLINS
Associated Press
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Investigators
found a man dead inside his South Caro-
lina home shortly after finding an item from
a missing 6-year-old girl who lived in his
neighborhood inside his trash can, authori-
ties said.
In this Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2012, file photo, Ben Physick, of Three days after Faye Marie Swetlik's
Australia, watches the life of Muhammad Ali in video clips on mother frantically called 911 to report her
display at the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Ky. daughter's disappearance from their front
Associated Press
Sites in Tennessee, yard in Cayce, the girl's body was found
Thursday. Her death is being investigated
Kentucky, added as a homicide, although details about
how she died have not been released.
The girl's body was found in the woods,
to Civil Rights Trail and police think it was put there after in-
vestigators found the evidence inside the
trash can, Cayce Public Safety Sgt. Evan
BY ADRIAN SAINZ Rights Trail includes about Antley said at a Friday news conference. This undated photo provided by the Cayce
Department of Public Safety shows Faye Marie
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Two 120 churches, courthous- Antley didn't directly link the death of Swetlik, who has been missing since shortly
sites in Kentucky and two in es, schools, museums and 30-year-old Coty Scott Taylor, whose body after getting off her school bus near her South
Tennessee have been add- other landmarks primarily was found at his home, to the girl's killing. Carolina home Monday, Feb. 10, 2020.
ed to the U.S. Civil Rights between Topeka, Kansas, But Antley said the item found in Taylor's Associated Press
Trail, officials said Thursday. and Washington, D.C., that trash Thursday was something listed on
The Muhammad Ali Center were important to the civil the missing person flyer created after she of death will not be released until the cor-
in Louisville and the SEEK rights movement of the disappeared. He did not specify exactly oner can review the results.
Museum in Russellville are 1950s and 1960s, officials what it was. In a 911 call released Friday, Faye's mother
the two new sites in Ken- said. The four new loca- "Our evidence and our investigation does said her daughter was in the front yard
tucky. In Memphis, Tennes- tions are being added dur- link these two together, I can confirm he after getting off the school bus and then
see, the Beale Street His- ing Black History Month, was a neighbor. He was not a relative. He just suddenly disappeared. She said she
toric District and the WDIA officials noted. Established was not a friend. He was merely a neigh- searched for her before calling police.
radio station were also in 1841 in Memphis, Beale bor," Antley said. "I checked all the houses in my neigh-
added to the trail, which Street featured black- Both bodies were found Thursday after borhood and anybody that actually an-
was launched in 2018 to owned businesses and be- the item was found by investigators who swered is out looking for her too," the girl's
promote civil rights tourism. came a place where Afri- followed around a trash truck and sifted mother said after carefully describing
The sites were announced can Americans could work through the garbage as it made a special what her daughter was wearing through
at B.B. King's restaurant on and enjoy themselves dur- trip in the neighborhood, Antley said. tears in the 911 call.
Beale Street on Thursday. ing segregation. It remains After finding the item, investigators were More than 250 officers searched for the
"Today is a special day as a popular tourist attraction quickly organizing a methodical search of girl over three days. They knocked on ev-
Tennessee shines a brighter today. The street, located nearby woods that had been searched ery door in the neighborhood and Taylor
light on the brave men and in Memphis' downtown, before when Cayce Public Safety Director spoke to police in his home before the evi-
women who stood up for was the site of a march led Byron Snellgrove found Faye's body, Ant- dence was discovered, Antley said.
equal rights," Tennessee by The Rev. Martin Luther ley said. Less than three hours later, Snell- Investigators sealed off the entrance to
Gov. Bill Lee said in a state- King Jr. that turned violent grove's voice trembled as he publicly an- the neighborhood for a while, questioning
ment. "I am proud that with in March 1968. The civil nounced her death. everyone going in and out, said Antley,
the addition of these two rights leader was killed in Investigators found Taylor's body inside who thanked them for their patience.
sites, travelers from around Memphis on April 4, 1968, his home shortly after they found the girl's "We went in there and turned their lives up-
the world will have the op- when he returned to lead body, Antley said. He refused to charac- side down. We made them late for work,
portunity to learn more a second march in sup- terize how Taylor might have died. we searched their homes and we invaded
about Memphis' deep port of striking sanitation Autopsies on both Taylor and the girl are their privacy," Antley said. "But we did it for
civil rights history." The Civil workers.q scheduled for Saturday and their causes a reason and we had a goal."q