Heartbreaking moment family of Faye Swetlik hug each other for support at her vigil after the missing six-year-old was found dead - and cops blame the family's neighbor

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Faye Swetlik's heartbroken parents were seen for the first time since the little girl's body was discovered by authorities near her home in Cayce, South Carolina on Thursday.

Surrounded by family, friends and community members, Faye's mom and dad Selena Marie Collins and Chad Swetlik were pictured attending the vigil for their six-year-old daughter on Saturday night.

Hundreds of people gathered at the vigil at the entrance to Churchill Heights neighborhood out of respect for Faye.

A memorial has been growing at the site over the last few days, with teddy bears, flowers, candles and cards left in honor of the little girl.

In heartbreaking images, Collins and Swetlik were seen with their heads bowed as family, including Faye's grandmother Ruth Collins, gathered around them.

Faye Swetlik's heartbroken parents (center) were seen for the first time since the little girl's body was discovered by authorities near her home in Cayce, South Carolina on Thursday

Surrounded by family, friends and community members, Faye's mom and dad Selena Marie Collins and Chad Swetlik were pictured attending the vigil for their six-year-old daughter on Saturday night. Collins and Swetlik are seen with their heads bowed (center) as family, including Faye's grandmother Ruth Collins (right of Swetlik) gathered around them

Hundreds of people gathered at the vigil at the entrance to Churchill Heights neighborhood out of respect for Faye Saturday night 

The distraught parents thanked mourners for their love and support following Faye's disappearance and murder 

The devastated community has rallied around Faye's family since news broke of her tragic and untimely death

The distraught parents thanked mourners for their love and support following Faye's disappearance and murder. 

People held candles aloft in tribute to the six-year-old and tow trucks drove past the memorial with their lights on, on the same day that authorities completed her autopsy and her body was taken to Caughman-Harman Funeral Home, Lexington, by police procession.

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.

The body of a male neighbor, Coty Scott Taylor, 30, was found in his home soon after.

Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher confirmed that Faye's autopsy was completed Saturday but said the results would not be released at the time out of respect for Faye's family so they could have 'privacy and time to process the information'.

The cause of death of Faye and of her suspected killer Taylor will be released at a press conference on Tuesday.

The devastated community has rallied around Faye's family since news broke of her tragic and untimely death.

Caughman-Harman Funeral Home said all expenses for the little girl's funeral will be paid for.

The body of Coty Scott Taylor (pictured), who is linked to Faye Swetlik's (right) death, was found dead in his house shortly after the remains of the six-year-old were discovered in the woods neighboring both their homes

Caughman-Harman Funeral Home said all expenses for the little girl's funeral will be paid for. Meanwhile, a GoFundMe page set up on Friday had reached donations of $5,920 as of Monday morning

People held candles aloft in tribute to the six-year-old and tow trucks drove past the memorial with their lights on, on the same day that authorities completed her autopsy and her body was taken to Caughman-Harman Funeral Home, Lexington, by police procession

 Meanwhile, a GoFundMe page set up on Friday had reached donations of $5,920 as of Monday morning.

The page states that it was set up prior to knowing that the funeral would be paid for in full by the funeral home and so the donations would be used to help the family 'over the next several months' including moving costs.

COTY SCOTT TAYLOR: WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR 

- He was 30 years old

- Taylor lived at 602 Picadilly Square, a two-bed unit around 100 feet from Faye’s home

- Taylor did not have a criminal record and was not known to police

- He is not related to the little girl nor is he a friend of the family

- Officers had previously spoken to Taylor during the search for the missing girl

- Taylor attended Bluffton High School from 2003 and graduated in 2007

- Beaufort County School District said he had good academics and no disciplinary record

- He went to University of South Carolina Beaufort in 2007, transferred to its Columbia campus in 2008 and then withdrew from the university in 2009

- He worked at Jimmy John’s restaurant in Columbia but left the company in 2015

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Faye's grandmother said on her Facebook page that money would be used to help Faye's mother Selena move away from the home where her child had vanished from never to be seen alive again.

On Sunday, community members came together to protect the memorial site from the elements.

Almost a dozen people covered the memorial with a tarp and tent to protect it from the rain.

'You have absolutely no idea how much this means to us,' a family friend told WIS News.

The community has spoken of the shock that such a tragedy would happen in the neighborhood.

'We never dreamed something like this [would happen] in our neighborhood. It's just unreal,' neighbor Tony Brewer told 10TV.

'I have cried so much you wouldn't believe. It's broken my heart.'

Another mourner, Tequila English told 10TV she has a daughter the same age as Faye and that the tragedy has been hard on all parents and families in the area.

'I have a 6-year-old. I'm certain I can relate. As a mother, I can relate to her feelings right now. She's being very strong to even be here tonight.'

'I just don't understand how someone could take the life of somebody so small… it's just horrible,' another local woman said.

Some toys and stuffed animals left for Faye were donated to the local children's hospital at the weekend.

Faye was finally brought home on Saturday, as the Charleston County Sheriff's Department provided a police procession to accompany her body from the coroner’s office to the funeral home in Lexington County following her autopsy.

Members of the public and officers gathered outside the funeral home to greet the little girl. 

The local community is demanding answers, with a Facebook group dedicated to the little girl's death voicing speculation over whether suspected killer Taylor acted alone.

Conspiracy theories circulated online asking whether he had a roommate who may have been involved.

Authorities said Friday there is no danger to the community and that no other arrests had been made. 

Photos on rental website Apartments.com show the inside of 602 Picadilly Square where the suspected killer lived and where his body was discovered Thursday

It is listed as a two-bed, one-and-a-half bath unit measuring 1,100 square feet

The listing also details nearby schools, including Springdale Elementary School where Faye was a first-grade student

Hubbard Bowers confirmed to DailyMail.com that the firm manages the property but would not confirm when Taylor moved in or how many people lived at the address

Photos on rental website Apartments.com show the inside of 602 Picadilly Square where the suspected killer lived and where his body was discovered Thursday.

It is listed as a two-bed, one-and-a-half bath unit measuring 1,100 square feet.

The listing also details nearby schools, including Springdale Elementary School where Faye was a first-grade student.

Hubbard Bowers confirmed to DailyMail.com that the firm manages the property but would not confirm when Taylor moved in or how many people lived at the address. 

The property is now seen with yellow police tape across the door 

Taylor's body was found inside the home - which is around 100 feet from the home Faye shared with her mother

'This is a spacious townhome that features an over-sized living room, a spacious eat-in kitchen, and large bedrooms,' the listing on Apartments.com reads.

'Walk out the patio door to a great outdoor patio that's perfect for entertaining.'

Little is yet known about the circumstances surrounding the deaths of Faye and Taylor, but officers confirmed the two deaths are connected. 

Authorities confirmed on Friday that Faye's body was found in woods near her home and that the body of Taylor, 30, was found in his home soon after. 

Police searching through rubbish trucks found 'a critical piece of evidence' in a trash can belonging to Taylor, who lived about 100 yards away from the little girl's home. 

This is the heartbreaking moment murdered South Carolina six-year-old Faye Swetlik is finally brought home on Saturday, as a police procession flanks the van carrying the little girl's body

The final moments: An aerial map shows the close proximity between Faye's home, the home of suspected killer Coty Scott Taylor and the wooded area where the little girl's body was found

The Charleston County Sheriff's Department provided a motorcade to accompany Faye's body back to Lexington County following her autopsy Saturday morning

The police escort accompanied the white van (above) carrying Faye on the entire journey, setting off from MUSC in Charleston at 12 pm and heading to Caughman-Harman Funeral Home, Lexington

Lexington Country Coroner Margaret Fisher confirmed the autopsy had been completed, but the results would not be released until Tuesday out of respect for Faye's family

Officers gathered to pay their respects outside the funeral home after the police escort arrived

 The community has rallied round after the little girls' death, with people gathering outside the funeral home to greet the convoy

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 was then found nearby at his home at 602 Picadilly 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 of the family, 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.  

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. 

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.  

In the video, Faye (pictured) is seen getting out of her seat and walking to the front of the bus

Footage of Faye getting off the  bus on Monday afternoon was release by police on Wednesday

Faye (center) is then seen speaking to the bus driver (left) before exiting the bus

Faye was a first-grade student at Springdale Elementary School. She went missing on Monday after getting off the school bus 

A coroner identified the child's body this morning, police confirmed Thursday afternoon  

Yellow police tape was also across the little girl's home. 

Heartbreaking pictures emerged Friday 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.

Flowers, balloons and teddy bears are left at the entrance to the Churchill Heights neighborhood for the little girl

The heartbroken community has set up a memorial for Faye Swetlik

'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. 

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'. 

Swetlik's grandmother shared video on Thursday showing her six-year-old granddaughter sing 'You Are My Sunshine'

Young Faye is seen above with her grandmother, Ruth Collins, who provided the video of her singing

'My heart is out there somewhere and I don't know how to handle it,' said Faye's grandmother Ruth Collins a day after her granddaughter went missing

Faye's death is being treated as a homicide and no arrests have been made.

Faye's death is being treated as a homicide and no arrests have been made. Officers pictured during the investigation on Thursday 

Authorities said the child's body was found in the Churchill Heights neighborhood where she lived. Police have also found the body of an adult male who has not been identified 

Police officers were seen earlier in the week canvassing the neighborhood near Faye's home

The child had been playing in front of her home (pictured) at the time she went missing 

Police initially said they were hunting for two cars that were seen in the neighborhood before Faye vanished on Monday. Officials have identified the person driving the Chevrolet Trailblazer, but investigators are still seeking information about the sedan

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.

'He was merely a neighbor who lived at Churchill Heights,' Sgt Evan Antley with the Cayce Department of Public Safety said at Friday's press conference

Director of Public Safety for Cayce, Byron Snellgrove (pictured) became emotional as he announced the death of little Faye 

The row of homes where Coty Scott Taylor lived (pictured) was about 100 to 150 yards from Faye's home 

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. 

For the past few days, Faye's grandmother, Ruth Collins  (left with Faye and right), has been pleading to the public on social media for help with finding her granddaughter. 'I'm going crazy not knowing where she is,' Collins said 

On Tuesday night, community members (pictured) gathered at Trinity Baptist Church to pray for Faye's safe return

'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.' 

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.'