Faye Swetlik, 6, missing.
Family statement
I. “Faye is a bubbly and happy little girl. She always wants to play and have fun. She’s not the type of kid that will up and walk away.
Her mom was very attentive in watching Faye. Faye pays attention to her surroundings.
Her grandmother is very distraught about what has happened because they are very close. We just want to find Faye and bring her home.”
II. Here is the statement with emphasis and analysis:
“Faye is a bubbly and happy little girl.
Resistance weakens in an external circle
Friends will often begin to accept a despairing ending,
then family members
then care takers, including step parents, grandparents, etc.
then the father
lastly the mother.
This is always context bound---including the living condition the victim, the vulnerable nature of the child, weather conditions, passage of time and any information the police have shared with the family.
She always wants to play and have fun.
She is a "little girl" when playing, having fun and being "bubbly."
Question: Did wanting to have fun have something to do with her disappearance?
Was she outside unsupervised because she wanted to play and have fun? Could this have caused the 6 year old to wander off?
Why is it included?
We look for the statement to answer our questions.
Question: Did wanting to have fun have something to do with her disappearance?
Was she outside unsupervised because she wanted to play and have fun? Could this have caused the 6 year old to wander off?
Why is it included?
We look for the statement to answer our questions.
She goes through a linguistic change here:
She’s not the type of kid that will up and walk away.
What concern is raised here?
Consider that the statement is in "the negative"---telling us what Faye is not like. This elevates importance to the subject (author of this statement)
We are not made long to wait for an answer.
Her mom was very attentive in watching Faye.
There is no reason to include this line in a statement about a missing child unless...
there is a reason to include it and it is part of the case.
Her "mom was very attentive" uses the past tense "was"---this should not lead to a definitive opinion that the mother, in this statement, knows the child is dead.
The mother's neglect is seen in the sentence following the negative and the change of language from "little girl" to a "kid" who can make a decision to "up and walk away" or not to "up and walk away."
The past tense reference could be a signal that the family has discussed neglect and future plans for Faye that would prevent the mother from sole custody.
It could speak to status (death) or loss of home of being found safe, but death should not be concluded outside the context of this small statement.
Understanding Neglect
Neglect is the easiest form of child abuse---it takes little to no effort on the part of the parent. This is why we view "passive" responsibility rather than "active" responsibility on the part of a parent.
No conclusion should be drawn from this point of neglect in the statement. The author has a need to assert this where no need should exist.
However, guilt of neglect could be from many sources, including now the regret of taking her eyes off of the "little girl" who, in the language, was "not" the type of kid to up and walk away.
Does the family (statement) believe that this is what she did?
Did neglect leave Faye open to a kidnapper/child predator?
A moment of lapse could haunt an innocent parent for life.
Faye pays attention to her surroundings.
"little girl" to "kid" back to "Faye"---
"Faye", here, is one who "pays attention" to her surroundings.
Her grandmother is very distraught about what has happened because they are very close.
I believe this affirms the neglect concluded above. It may also seek to preempt a very upset grandmother from blaming the child's mother in public.
We just want to find Faye and bring her home.”
We may note here that the consequence of a "kid" who would not "up and walk away" is kidnapping.
There is no call given here to the kidnapper. It may be in other statements, however, or media appearances.
We may note here that the consequence of a "kid" who would not "up and walk away" is kidnapping.
There is no call given here to the kidnapper. It may be in other statements, however, or media appearances.
III. Analysis Conclusion:
It is not known who wrote this statement, though I doubt it was an attorney.
the statement does not show belief or knowledge that the child is deceased.
The statement indicates neglect on the part of the mother, which is unknown as to any potential greater scope.
Neglect: it is not known if there is passive guilt ("I wasn't watching her when she went missing") or if it is active guilt where willful knowledge of any form of danger was ignored.
It also could indicate tension between the mother and the grandmother within the family dynamic as it is natural to wish to assign blame in a traumatic event.
Objection: "neglect" may be indicated but there is not enough information here for you to conclude it.
Answer:
Faye is 6 years old.
Did you notice, beyond the unnecessary information, upon whom the responsibility or "onus" falls?
Twice, Faye, the victim, is burdened with it.
First, she was not a kid who up and walked away, and secondly, she was one who was aware of her surroundings...
at age 6.
Both statements place the onus upon the child.
This is likely something that Faye experienced with her mother; chronic neglect.
It does not mean the mother actively caused Faye's disappearance, nor even passively, though the latter may be something the family has talked about.
The statement is too short to make a strong conclusion.
It does mean that the mother wishes to be viewed as responsible (indicator of neglect) and that emphasis upon the child as responsible is placed.
Of all the things the family could have said, they have limited their statement to be very short.
In such brevity, it is magnified that the mother attentiveness is raised, as well as the grandmother's bond.
It may be that grandmother blames mother for not watching Faye.
To study deception detection or host a seminar for law enforcement, social science or business, visit Hyatt Analysis Services
24 comments:
Excellent analysis—an amazing amount of info you derived from that short statement!
I agree Faye was likely neglected—I saw one recent picture of her where her bangs were covering her eyes and had grown all the way down almost to her chin—she could see through them, but it shows a lack of concern for her that noone was getting her a haircut.
This case gives me a sick feeling, because I do think a predator took Faye and then quickly fled onto the highway right near her street.
Thanks for doing analysis.
Oh no I just saw this: Faye was found deceased somewhere in her neighborhood. Heartbreaking
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wistv.com/2020/02/13/year-old-faye-swetlik-found-dead-after-disappearing-front-yard-cayce-sc/%3foutputType=amp
I wonder why they did not find her body earlier when they searched?
Also, a dead man was found in the same neighborhood today!
I wonder if it was the abductor and he committed suicide?
I don't know---but wonder---
was there a connection to drugs/substance abuse?
Peter
I concur Faye was neglected. They just found her body, poor baby, I am praying for her.
Regarding the other body discovered with hers, the police said no danger to the community so assuming this was more of a horrible accident or abduction gone wrong. However this does not cancel out neglect as Peter stated in his post.
It sounds to me like someone took her from the area, killed her & then brought her back and dumped her. Question is who killed her? The dead man found with her or a family member perhaps drunk or high or could Faye have ingested heroin etc?
May sound crazy but whoever did it—an abductor or family member—could the dead guy found with her be an act of staging by the perp? Where he kills Faye and then kills some guy and leaves him next to Faye next to her to make it look like the dead guy killed Faye?
There is crazy guy who kills in pairs (Delphi killer) who also killed Lyric and Elizabeth in a different state. Yes SC is a distance away, but he is bizarre bc he kills in pairs so who knows?
A friend from the neighborhood indicated in our fb group for missing children that they were located in the man's house. He was a next-door neighbor to the family.
Hope
My thought was that whoever put “Her mom was very attentive in watching Faye” in the past tense did so because they didn’t believe Faye was alive, so the mom’s watching of her was a thing of the past....it was a too hasty leap.
Peter, I have something that I think might be of interest. I am wondering about Democratic Candidate for President Mayor Pete. He is an interesting character, a McKinsey alum, a Rhodes scholar, and a longtime Intelligence Officer somewhat disingenuously running as an aw-shucks small town mayor. Some call him "the deep state candidate."
A relatively new part of his persona is that he is supposedly gay. He claims to have "come to terms with this" "well into his adult life." He supposedly came out at age 33, and has allegedly only dated one man, his now husband Chasten. In this telling of events, it is essentially admitted that Mayor Pete spent most of his life hiding and lying about his sexual identity, so he's clearly capable of it.
What I wonder is, might his alleged homosexuality be fake, a part of his candidate persona. And what I've noticed is that he talks AROUND his alleged gayness and has almost never cleanly stated "I am gay" or "I am attracted to men" or similar. He'll instead say things like "I'm just glad that some people are inspired by this and others think it's not big deal."
I thought it might be interesting to take a look at this. Having looked at a bunch of articles and quotes, it looks like Pete is at pains to NOT specifically say he is gay. He ALWAYS talks around it or says nothing. It seems like the typical psychological avoidance of the direct lie.
No matter how much I google, it's just very hard to find Pete ever directly claiming to be gay. And he gets asked about it a lot and speaks publicly every day. Odd.
Here's the closest thing I could find. It's his "coming out" announcement in an Iowa newspaper. This is WRITTEN, is not "free editing" off-the-cuff speaking. This is a LOT of words, a lot of talking around the issue. It doesn't CLEARLY announce "I am gay" but it does contain that embedded phrase. "I was well into adulthood before I was prepared to acknowledge the simple fact that I am gay."
I was well into adulthood before I was prepared to acknowledge the simple fact that I am gay.
Anyway, please take a look. It certainly feels like, at a minimum, there is a lot of sensitivity around this issue for Mayor Pete. Maybe it's political caution? Maybe he's stuggling with feelings of shame? Or maybe, just maybe, he's NOT actually gay.
https://www.southbendtribune.com/news/local/south-bend-mayor-why-coming-out-matters/article_4dce0d12-1415-11e5-83c0-739eebd623ee.html
Anon, I would be interested to hear what Peter says about your question about Pete Buttigieg too. I see how he talks around ever specifically saying he is attracted to men like he said at one point "I would have given anything not to feel the way I did about PEOPLE in the hallways at school and the dining room at college." He doesn't say how he felt about "guys" in the hallways and dining room. I would love for Peter to analyze his language about this issue of whether Pete is lying about being gay.
I do have to say that imo Pete's voice is not very gay-sounding but his smile is extremely gay-looking as well as his body language when he huge his hubby, Chasten.
Anon, don't you think his smile looks very gay?
Hope, Thank you for the info. That seems insane to me that they did not search the next door neighbor's house or look in the windows when they were searching for Faye and going door to door to everyone in the neighborhood. They even had dogs trying to pick up a scent...how the hell could they have missed that that she was right next door?!
Anon at 10:52,
Do you think Chasten is Pete's reverse beard trying to convince everyone he is really gay lol?
I guess anything's possible!
911 call placed by Faye’s mom.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=N5pCOrbsN9w
Jude, The 911 sounds legit...she sounds so afraid for Faye. (Have Peter have a listen to it though—he is excellent at 911 calls).
It sounds like the neighbor raped and killed her (it sounds like they found a piece of her clothing in a garbage can) and then he killed himself. Sounds like he dumped her body there on the 3rd day. Although it is possible imo it could have been a friend of the dead neighbor maybe visiting and he killed Faye and then killed his friend bc the friend found out what he’d done. The more I think about it, the more I think that the dead neighbor was not the perp but that the perp was someone visiting him (like a friend or something?)
I’ve never heard of a child killer taking their own life immediately afterwards. Maybe once they are in jail but even that is not the norm.
Missing South Carolina six-year-old Faye Swetlik's body was found in a wooded area near her house before a male neighbor, 30, was found dead in his home.
Authorities confirmed on Friday that Faye's body was found in woods between her home in Churchill Heights and a Napa Auto Parts store in Cayce, South Carolina, on Thursday around 11am.
Police searching through rubbish trucks found 'a critical piece of evidence' in a trash can belonging to her neighbor Coty Scott Taylor, 30, who lived about 100 yards away from the little girl's home.
At the time, a search party, led by Cayce Department of Public Safety Chief Byron Snellgrove, had gathered to map out a route to re-canvass the woods behind the home.
The evidence 'led' officers to the same area they intended to canvass, and Swetlik's body was discovered shortly after by Snellgrove.
Police would not say in what condition her body was found, but that she had been moved to the area shortly before she was discovered. The body of Taylor - who is linked to her death - was then found nearly at his home at 602 Piccadilly Square.
Police would not confirm how Faye was killed, or how Taylor died.
Taylor, who did not have a criminal record and was not known to police, is not related to the little girl nor is he a friend, authorities confirmed.
'He was merely a neighbor who lived at Churchill Heights,' Sgt Evan Antley, with the Cayce Department of Public Safety, said Friday.
He also confirmed that officers had previously spoken to Taylor during the search for the missing girl.
Police confirmed the two deaths are connected.
Antley assured the community 'that there is no reason to believe there is an active threat in the community'.
No arrests had been made and officers are not seeking any other persons of interest.
Antley would not comment on the condition of the bodies or the causes of death.
Officers had returned to the scene after finding 'critical evidence' in a trash can belonging to the suspected killer on Thursday.
Antley said: 'Based on that discovery we narrowed down an area that we felt as an investigative team that we needed to go back to and look for more evidence.'
Antley confirmed they had been to the area multiple times prior to the discovery.
Officers began a new search and Faye's body was found at around 11 a.m.
Based on preliminary investigations from the coroner's officer Faye had not been in that location 'for very long at all', Antley said.
Shortly after finding Faye, officers found the body of Taylor at 602 Piccadilly Square, which is around 100 to 150 yards from the little girl's home where she was last seen alive, Antley said.
Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher said autopsies will take place on Saturday.
Though authorities would not confirm what the 'critical evidence' that led them to the crime scene was, Antley said it 'would have been listed on her missing person flier'.
The missing person flier stated that Faye was last seen wearing polka dot rain boots, a pink flowered skirt, and a black T-shirt with the word 'PEACE' written on the front.
Antley said he wanted 'everyone to continue to pray for Faye Swetlik'.
Authorities also released the harrowing 911 call made by Faye’s mother on Monday to report her daughter’s disappearance.
In the call, the distraught mother Selena Marie Collins is heard gasping and sobbing uncontrollably.
‘I can’t find my daughter,’ she tells the dispatcher.
‘She was just right in front of my front porch.’
Collins describes the clothes Faye was wearing to the operator, who tells her to stay in the yard until officers arrive.
cont.
The Churchill Heights neighborhood where Faye lived continued to be under heavy police presence Friday morning.
Footage posted on Twitter showed that police had extended the crime scene to a different set of apartments near Londonderry Lane where Faye lived.
WIS-TV reported that several law enforcement officers were coming and going in the apartments and the wooded area surrounding them Friday morning.
Yellow police tape was also across the little girl's home.
The local community had taken to social media speculating about the identity of the deceased male and his connection to Faye's murder.
The latest revelations come as heartbreaking pictures emerged of Valentine's Day cards that the little girl's classmates made for her in the hope she would be returned alive.
Some of her friends in the first grade at Springdale Elementary School made the cards for her before the news of her death broke Thursday.
Lexington School District Two released a statement Thursday saying the school community was 'heart-broken' by her untimely death.
'We are heart-broken with news of the death of Faye Swetlik, a first-grade student at Springdale Elementary, who went missing earlier this week. When the school community experiences a tragedy like the loss of a child, it deeply affects all of us,' it said.
Flowers, balloons and teddy bears had also been left at the entrance to the Churchill Heights neighborhood for the little girl.
The search for the missing six-year-old came to an end Thursday when authorities confirmed they had found her body in her South Carolina neighborhood.
The body of a deceased adult male was also located in the neighborhood, authorities said.
Director of Public Safety for Cayce, Byron Snellgrove announced the news through tears at a Thursday press conference where he spoke for only about a minute and took no questions.
'It's with extremely heavy hearts that we announce we have found the body that the coroner has identified as Faye,' Snellgrove said.
Faye's death is being treated as a homicide and no arrests have been made, he added.
Authorities did not identify the male or release information about where exactly the bodies were found or whether the two deaths were connected.
However, Snellgrove said 'there was no danger to the public'.
DailyMail.com requests for comment to the Cayce Department of Public Safety and the Lexington County Coroner haven't been returned.
The media was alerted to intensified police activity Thursday morning, with officers and fire crews blocking anyone from entering the neighborhood, even residents.
Investigators were also seen searching trash cans.
Authorities had given an update on the investigation Thursday morning.
At that time, police said they had towed two cars from the home where the child lived.
Antley confirmed that the vehicles were removed from the home but didn't share details of anything that 'may or may not have been found in those vehicles'.
The sergeant also confirmed that officers had searched Faye's home 'multiple times'.
cont.
Police had also closed off the neighborhood where the girl lived to everyone except residents, their visitors and delivery trucks. An officer was also stationed outside of the girl's home.
Hundreds of officers in Cayce, along with state police and FBI agents, worked around the clock to try to find the little girl.
Searchers knocked multiple times on the doors of every home in the neighborhood.
Police initially said they were hunting for two cars that were seen in the Churchill Heights neighborhood before Faye vanished after getting home from school on Monday.
Cayce Department of Public Safety posted images of the cars, saying: 'The two vehicles shown were in the neighborhood during the time #FayeSwetlik was last seen.'
Antley confirmed Thursday morning that they had identified and spoken to the person driving the Chevrolet Trailblazer, but investigators are still seeking information about the silver sedan.
Faye's bereaved grandmother shared a video showing the six-year-old singing 'You Are My Sunshine' on social media in the hours after authorities in South Carolina confirmed she was found dead.
Her grandmother, Ruth Collins, had posted several messages on her Facebook page expressing hope that her granddaughter would eventually be found.
'I want my baby back,' Collins said at a prayer vigil on Tuesday. 'We've got to find her.'
After officials announced that a body had been found, Collins posted a picture of a single burning candle, and a touching picture of her kissing her granddaughter's head.
Faye was last seen playing in front of the Londonderry Sq home in Cayce, near Columbia, at approximately 3.45pm.
Her family reported her missing at 5pm, saying they had been searching for her.
Police did not say whether the person driving the Trailblazer lived in the Churchill Heights neighborhood.
Authorities released footage of Faye getting off her school bus on Wednesday morning as they announced that the search for the girl had been expanded.
In the footage, Faye gets out of her seat, speaks to the bus driver and then exits the vehicle. According to a witness, this was at around 2.50pm Monday.
Faye - a student at Springdale Elementary School - was last seen wearing a black shirt with neon colors, a flower print skirt and polka dot rain boots. The shirt had the word 'peace' written on it.
Snellgrove said Faye's mother, her mother's boyfriend and Faye's father had all been cooperating with the investigation.
Faye's grandmother, Ruth Collins, had been pleading to the public on social media for help with finding her granddaughter.
'I'm going crazy not knowing where she is,' Collins wrote in a Facebook post.
In a statement, the family told ABC News that 'Faye is a bubbly and happy little girl'.
'She's not the type of kid that will up and walk away... Faye pays attention to her surroundings. We just want to find Faye and bring her home.'
The child's mother has not made any public statements since Faye went missing earlier this week.
On Tuesday night, community members gathered at Trinity Baptist Church to pray for Faye's safe return.
Faye was lactose intolerant with a speech impediment from having a tethered tongue.
Tethered tongue, or ankyloglossia, is when a thick band of tissue tethers the bottom of the tongue to the tip of the floor of the mouth.
'When she walks into a room she brightens it up. Everyone loves Faye,' Snellgrove said.
'Faye loves dresses, fancy shoes, spending time with her family, cats and playing outside.'
cont.
Several public figures have spoken out about the Swetlik case.
Vice President Mike Pence gave a speech to The Citadel, a military academy in South Carolina, according to Fox News.
'[A]llow me to address an issue that I know is on the hearts of people all across South Carolina today,' the vice president said on Thursday.
'And as your vice president and as a father, let me say we were deeply saddened to receive word this afternoon that the remains of Faye Swetlik, a 6-year-old girl who went missing from her parents' front yard just three days ago, have been found.'
Senator Lindsey Graham tweeted: 'Like all South Carolinians, I was heartbroken to hear the news about the death of Faye Swetlik.
'I pray for the family of this beautiful young girl as they deal with this horrific tragedy.'
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8004725/Faye-Swetliks-body-woodland-body-neighbor-30-home.html
------------------------------------------------
Not a close neighbor but he would have seen her walking to and from the bus each day.
It sounds like the police searched the woods and found nothing and he placed her body there after the search.
How best to dump a body than in a location that had already been searched.
It hasn't been said yet what was found found in his trash can that led them to Faye's body, perhaps an item of clothing. There would also likely be forensic evidence perhaps bodily fluids.
It is good that they found her, bad that the alleged killer killed himself before trial thus depriving us of the what, why, how etc but good in that it saves us the cost of a trial and endless appeals.
My condolences to her family and friends.
Full Audio of Faye Swetlik 911 Call
(Phone number of caller redacted)
#FayeSwetlik #JusticeforFaye #CayceDPS
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2995821803803319&id=1175099422542242
911 calls released in Faye Swetlik disappearance
Some txt from transcript.
Lexington PD: Lexington county 911 what's the address of your emergency?
Mom: 16 Londberry Square I need to report a missing child.
Lexington PD: Repeat that address for clarification
Mom: 16 Londonberry Square Cayce, SC
Lexington PD: Okay, tell me exactly what's happening.
Mom: We can't find my daughter. She was playing outside and now I can't find her.
Lexington PD: How old is she?
Mom: She is 6, she will be 7 in June.
Lexington PD: I'm gonna stay on the line with you so you, so I'm gonna get Cayce PD on the line too, so don't hang up, okay?
Cayce PD: Cayce 911 is your emergency police, fire, or medical?
Mom: Hey Cayce, this is Lexington. I've got a lady at 16 Londonberry Square. Her 6-year-old was in the front yard and she can't find her now.
Cayce PD: Alright, hold on. What's the number?
Lexington PD: 16 Londonberry Square. I have her phone number and I'm going to stay on the line so it doesn't get disconnected.
Cayce PD: you're on the line with Cayce, go ahead. What's your son's name?
Mom: My daughter's name is Faye Swetlik.
Cayce PD: What was she wearing?
Mom: She was wearing polka-dotted rain boots, a flowered skirt (pink rose skirt), a black t-shirt that has a neon design on it.
Cayce PD: How long has she been gone?
Mom: Last I saw her probably about an hour ago.
Cayce PD: How tall is she?
Mom: She is 3 ft 10
Cayce PD: How much does she weigh?
Mom: 65 pounds.
Cayce PD: Stay on the phone with me do not hang up. What's your name?
Mom: My name is [redacted]
Cayce PD: You last saw her in the front yard, you didn't see which way she went or anything like that?
Mom: No, she was right in front of my front porch.
Cayce PD: Okay, does she have a cell phone?
Mom: No
Cayce PD: Have you walked around and tried to locate her?
Mom: Yes ma'am.
Cayce PD: Okay, here's what I want you to do. I want you to stay in your yard, Okay? We have a unit out that has a dog just in case we need to track her, okay? We don't need you walking if you can stay close to the last place she was.
Cayce PD: Do you have any idea where she would go? Have you looked in the back yard?
Mom: Yes ma'am.
Mom: I checked all the houses in my neighborhood and anybody that's actually answered is out looking for her too.
Cayce PD: Did she have a dog or anything with her?
Mom: No.
Cayce PD: Okay, my officer will be there in just a few minutes.
https://wpde.com/news/local/911-calls-released-in-faye-swetlik-disappearance
It’s difficult to listen - the Mom is terrified. I have a couple of questions, or more observations.
The use of the past tense re what Faye was wearing would not be flagged here because the mother is answering in the same tense the dispatcher asked the question. If she had been asked “What is she wearing?” she would just as likely have responded in the present tense?
The dispatcher asked a compound question - did she have any idea where she would have gone/had she checked the back yard, to which the mother responded, “Yes, ma’am.” The dispatcher pauses, then asks, “l’m sorry?” to which the mom again says, “Yes, ma’am.” The mother doesn’t offer any ideas as to where her daughter might have gone. Though it is a compound question, would it be expected here that the mother would give some type of response to the first part of the question, if only to say, no, she wouldn’t normally have gone anywhere, or yes, but she wasn’t where she most likely would have gone?
The mother was readily able to give the height and weight of her daughter - she didn’t clarify Faye’s height when the dispatcher rounded it down to three feet from three ten, though it’s quite a difference. Sixty five pounds is more the weight of a nine or ten year old - Faye doesn’t appear overweight.
The mother said, “I need to report a missing child” and went on to do so. Parts of the call are redacted. I don’t know if she was more fearful for the child, or for herself, or both. Why would she have nothing to offer as to where her daughter might have gone? Maybe she didn’t hear or think to volunteer anything during the pauses.
The transcript has been tidied up - it doesn’t include the dispatcher saying “I’m sorry?’” or indicate the long pauses where the mother doesn’t speak, or the cuts where parts have been redacted.
This version has good audio:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IuQSnfjil5g
I wondered if Faye at times went to a house, houses, or some other location to which her mother did not want to draw attention.
Why would she not volunteer anything as to if she had any idea where she might have gone?
———
Mom: I checked all the houses in my neighborhood and anybody that's actually answered is out looking for her too.
So some did not answer. Did she maybe have concern that there was someone at home who was not answering?
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