CAYCE, S.C. — A memorial service for Faye Swetlik, the little girl who lost her life last week in Cayce, will be held this Friday.
The event will take place at 7 p.m. at Trinity Baptist Church at 2003 Charleston Highway in Cayce.
There will be an opening message by Cayce Mayor Elise Partin followed by messages by Sarah Main from Lexington County Community Mental Health, Springdale Elementary School Principal Hope Vrana, a moment of silence and lighting of candles and a closing prayer by Chaplin Rogerson.
The family is asking anyone in attendance to wear bright colors in her honor. They say her favorite colors were pink and purple.
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Her parents told WLTX Saturday at a vigil that a separate private wake and funeral for the girl is being planned. They also thanked the public for their support.
A memorial and a guest book for Faye has been placed at The Caughman-Harman Funeral Home - Lexington Chapel located at 503 North Lake Drive. Anyone in the community who would like to stop in to sign the guestbook may do so.
The funeral home confirmed all of Faye's funeral expenses have been paid for, but did not say by whom. The family also set up an account at Wells Fargo for donations.
The City of Cayce also announced there will be a community candlelight vigil on Tuesday, February 18 at 5:30 p.m. on the City Hall front lawn, located at 1800 12th Street. The vigil will last 30 minutes and candles will be provided.
Swetlik was reported missing a week ago, February 10, from the Churchill Heights neighborhood of Cayce where she lived. At the time she went missing, she'd been playing outside after getting home from Springdale Elementary, where she went to school. Her body was discovered nearly three days later in a wooded are near her home.
An autopsy on the little girl was performed Saturday at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. Her body was then brought back to Lexington County with a police motorcade.
The autopsy results will be released Tuesday at 3 p.m. at a news conference.
Who was Faye?
Swetlik was a first-grader at Springdale Elementary School. Cayce DPS Chief Byron Snellgrove talked during her disappearance little bit about the kind of girl Swetlik was.
"Faye is a bubbly, energetic," he said at the time. "Faye's teacher loves her, Faye's SRO loves her, Faye's classmates love her. When she walks into a room she brightens it up. Everybody loves Faye."
Snellgrove said the girl loved dresses, fancy shoes, spending time with her family, cats, and playing outside.
Foutz and Collins said Faye liked to collect rocks, play outside and take selfies with her family and friends.
"She's fun, bubbly, loves to color, always has a smile on her face and the prettiest blue eyes you've ever seen," says the family friend. "A smile that would melt your heart."
