Gabrielle "Gabbiee" Swainson, 15, missing Columbia SC 8/18/12

[Kip]

I've been following this case and was hoping she'd be found, but it's been a week. The mother went to work at 3 am to finish up some work, when she returned at 7, Gabrielle was gone. Only Gabrielle's phone is missing. I don't know how usual it was for the mother to go back to work. The mother has hired a PI.



FBI joins search

Missing Poster

Aunt: You don't know how to cope

Gabbiee's mother Elvia says she returned to her Tamara Way home from work around 7 a.m. Saturday to Gabbiee's alarm clock going off, but no Gabbiee.

"I didn't see her in her bed. I panicked. I froze for a moment," Elvia said.

Elvia says her daughter would never run away from home. She didn't take her keys or her purse.

Investigators say the only thing missing from the home is Gabbiee's cell phone. They have not said if that phone or its signal has been located.

Since the teenager vanished Elvia Swainson has filed a police report, hired a private investigator, and continued to search on her own.

According to the Richland County Sheriff's Department, the FBI has now volunteered to assist with the investigation.

Thursday was supposed to be Swainson's first day of school, but she was noticeably absent....

Something interesting from the aunt story - Gabrielle's alarm was set to go off at 5:25 am the Saturday she went missing. What teen gets up at that hour when they don't have to? As the aunt said, maybe she was just getting her sleep schedule on track for the start of school. But I wonder if she had been sneaking out of the house to meet someone in the neighborhood.

...Gabrielle’s alarm clock continues to go off at the same time every morning – 5:25 a.m. – as it first did when her mother entered her room last Saturday and found her bed empty.

Having not been able to figure out how to turn it off completely, Swainson, who has been staying in the room across the hall, turns it off every morning.

She wonders why her niece would have set it in the first place, thinking maybe the rising sophomore was getting ready little by little for when school started back at Ridge View High School on Thursday – something she was looking forward to....

[Lady Cop]

mom had a friend/handyman doing work around house. i have no ID on him yet. police have interviewed him, but mom would not discuss on jane screaming idiot velez program.


Having not been able to figure out how to turn it off completely, Swainson, who has been staying in the room across the hall, turns it off every morning.

mom too stupid to simply unplug the alarm clock now?

[Lady Cop]

may have to eat my combat boots again...not believing mom. and smelling a possible hoax. to promote girl's "talent".
who goes to work at 0300 for an insurance co.? huh?

reward $6000.

[Kip]

I haven't gotten a bad vibe from the mother, but I haven't seen that much of her.

It is suspicious that Gabbiee disappeared during a time when her mother - in the middle of the night, on the spur of the moment - made an unplanned trip to work. No one, including Gabbiee, knew the mother was going to leave the house. It would be a really stroke of bad luck if someone who had their eye on Gabbiee (possibly a neighbor) just happened to be up at 3 am and saw the mother leave.

I haven't seen anything as to whether the mother's presence at work could be verified, or any info on what records from mother's or daughter's phone might have shown- especially the daughter's. I'm wondering if Gabbiee sometimes had to go outside to get good cell phone reception, or if she'd go outside to talk if she didn't want her mother to hear her talking on the phone.

If the mother has an insurance job where her income is derived from commissions (rather than a salary), she's essentially self-employed. If she woke up and couldn't sleep, I can see her going down to the office to get caught up on things.

[Lady Cop]

the mom on jane velez. with her PI. video not too long.

http://www.hlntv.com/video/2012/08/22/ra...g-daughter


lots of photos here:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-...night.html

[Kip]

News conference tomorrow. I haven't seen any signs that there's any news to release - it will probably just be updates on what's being done to look for her.

http://www.thestate.com/2012/08/27/24148...DwvzUSyMvo

[Lady Cop]

i'll be needing some salt for my combat boots. she's dead. now to find her. :(





RICHLAND COUNTY, SC (WIS) -
Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott has announced an arrest in the disappearance of Gabrielle Swainson, but the teenager still hasn't been found.

The 15-year-old vanished without a trace from her Northeast Columbia home on August 18 during a 3-4 hour period when her mother, Elvia Swainson, was at work.

"We have not found Gabbiee yet. We're still actively looking for her and hope to return her home to her mother," said Lott "But we do know who is responsible for kidnapping her from her house."

Lott said 52-year-old Freddie Grant has been charged with Gabbie's kidnapping. Grant is an acquaintance of Gabbie's mother and has done yard work for the family, according to the sheriff.

He was arrested on Sunday after investigators found ammunition in his home. Grant is a convicted felon and possessing ammunition is against the law.

He was being held in the Lexington Detention Center on federal charges. The sheriff said he was charged with kidnapping on Tuesday.

According to Lott, investigators believe Grant forced Gabbie to leave the Tamara Way house and took her to his home in Elgin that morning, but they still do not know where the teenager is.

"She was kidnapped. She was forcibly taken from that home," said Lott. "At this point, we haven't exactly determined what's happened after that."

"When you have a missing person case like this, the first thing you do is look at the family," said Lott. "It didn't take us long to eliminate Gabbiee's mother or anybody in the family."

The sheriff said investigators then move to questioning the next layer of people that are closest to the family. Grant fell into that category.

"When we initially interviewed him, he was totally uncooperative with us," said Lott.

Detectives found it unusual that a friend of the family did not want to help with the investigation. As the search continued for Gabbie, investigators starting making the case that Grant may be involved.

The sheriff said several items from Grant's home were sent to his department's forensic laboratory after investigators started questioning Grant's involvement in the Ridge View High School sophomore's disappearance.

Testing showed Gabbie's blood on duct tape from the home. Lott said Gabbie's DNA was discovered on several items on the premises and in close vicinity of the home as well.

Investigators have been able to track the girl's cell phone from her home to the Elgin area. Lott said the tracking date shows investigators when they left the home, what route they took and where the phone ended up. The phone has not been found.

Lott said it is unclear how Grant knew that Gabbiee would be alone that Saturday morning.

Over 120 deputies and FBI agents are currently searching for Gabbiee in a junkyard directly across the street from Grant's home.

The Elgin Police Department and the Kershaw County Sheriff's Department are also assisting in the search.

Lott commended Gabbiee's mother for being so strong through the whole ordeal.

The sheriff said that she is a "good mom who loved Gabrielle." "She spent time with her, and she worked hard to provide for her and did everything she could to care for her," said Lott.

Lott offered thanks for all the continued prayers and support from the community and federal, state and local law enforcement for Gabbiee and her family. "We asked for help from everybody," said Lott.

Investigators haven't given up hope that Gabbie is alive. "I haven't given up hope finding her and bringing her home," said Lott.

If you know anything about Gabbiee's disappearance, you are urged to call Crimestoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC.

[ramseycat]

NO one that works for an insurance company goes to work at 3am unless there is a catasrophe. Even then, we have never been called to CAT duty at that time of night. Something is fishy with the mother. Did they check out her story? Does the company show her at the office - i.e did she have to swipe a badge to get in? Did she sign onto her computer?

[Lady Cop]

yeah, i still don't like the mother from what i heard/saw of her. but i am sure she's crushed.

[Lady Cop]

The Smyrna Road home of suspect Freddie Grant, 52, where crews conducted a search Tuesday morning for missing Columbia teen Gabrielle Swainson
About 120 FBI agents and officers have been looking for Swainson in a salvage yard across from Grant's house, a burned out brick residence on Smyrna Lane




Richland County Sheriff's deputies gather Tuesday morning near an Elgin junkyard where a search is under way

[Kip]

OMG, I wasn't expecting this at the PC. The suspect sure has a nice house. He must have been watching the Swainson's house - or how did he know Gabbiee would be alone then?

I still don't find it odd that the mother went in to work that early. She said she couldn't sleep. I've done that - not been able to sleep and finally decide I may as well get some work done. Now my office is in my home, but for 20 years, I had an office a couple of miles away and would occasionally go there in the middle of the night. I can see Gabbiee's mother thinking, "I can either lie here awake or go into work now and get my work done so I can spend time with Gabbiee later."

[Kip]

http://www.wltx.com/news/article/199418/...s|bc|large

...The sheriff said he [Freddie Grant] also may be connected to another missing person's case: the disappearance of 29-year-old Adrianna Laster of Elgin. She hasn't been seen since September of last year, and Lott says she was last known to have been with Grant.

Grant is not charged in any way with Laster's disappearance...

[Kip]

http://standrews.patch.com/articles/sist...o-11153631

...Cynthia Grant [sister of suspect] said her brother and Elvia Swainson, Gabbiee's mom, have been dating for some time. She said Grant has been living with the Swainson's for the past year....

Shit. The mom must have texted him that she was going to work - it seems like if he had been at the house when the mom left for work, that would have been reported.

Sigh. How many times do we see the boyfriends of moms harm the daughters? Was it common knowledge that Freddie Grant was a suspect in a woman's disappearance?

[Lady Cop]

i fucking KNEW that mother was lying or holding something important back!

[Lady Cop]

her pajamas

Richland County, SC (WLTX) - Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott is asking for the public's help to get them more clues in the disappearance of 15-year-old Gabbiee Swainson.

Lott updated the case at a news conference Thursday morning, where he admitted he's frustrated by the lack of cooperation from the suspect, 52-year-old Freddie Grant.

"I'm appealing to him, monster that he is...for God's sake tell us where she is," Lott said. "He can stop the pain and the tears in Gabbiee's mother's eyes. He's the one who can do that."

He said Grant has refused to talk, and will only allow investigators to talk to his public defender. Despite the setback, Lott said his officers are doing everything they can on their own to find her.

"We continue to operate that Gabbiee is alive and well, and we have to find her," Lott said.

To that end, Lott released a photograph of the pajamas they believe Gabbiee may have been wearing when she was taken. He also released that Swainson was driving a 1992 Ford Escort that was light blue in color. He said his officers have that vehicle, but they're asking anyone to come forward that may have seen it driving around the area on the days since Gabbiee was reported missing.

Lott said this week they found Gabbiee's blood on duct tape and other DNA evidence linking him to the crime at Grant's home.

[Lady Cop]

The sister of Freddie Grant, the 52-year-old man at the center of the investigation into the disappearance of 15-year-old Gabrielle Swainson, didn't have much to say.

Cynthia Grant sat in a chair Tuesday morning in her front yard, near her brother's Elgin home with search parties looking for Swainson's body in a home, junkyard and surrounding woods.

Cynthia Grant said her brother and Elvia Swainson, Gabbiee's mom, have been dating/screwing for some time. She said Grant has been living with the Swainson's for the past year.

[Lady Cop]

COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) - Investigators say blood belonging to missing 15-year-old Gabbiee Swainson was found in her bedroom.

During a Friday afternoon news conference Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott told reporters that in addition to finding the blood in her room they also found her DNA on a piece duct tape. That tape was located in a junk yard near Freddie Grant's home.

Investigators also found strands of Gabbiee's hair in Grant's home, according to Sheriff Leon Lott.

Swainson was last seen in the early morning hours of Saturday, August 18^th.

The focus of the investigation remains on 52-year-old Freddie Grant. "We know who has the key to finding her," Sheriff Lott said on Thursday.

Lott believes Grant abducted Gabbiee from her Tamara Way home during the early morning hours of August 18 while her mother was at work. Investigators have been able to track Gabbiee's cell phone to Grant's home, the sheriff said. That phone has not yet been located.

In the days after Gabbiee's disappearance, her mother Elvia Swainson organized several searches and informational efforts to bring attention to the missing teen.

During one or more of those early searches, Lott said Grant actually joined in on the effort to help find her. Lott said Swainson called Grant for help and he showed up shortly after that call.

"He walked and handed out flyers and did what everybody else was doing," said Lott. "That makes me sick to my stomach."

[Lady Cop]

Gabbiee Swainson's father, Alvin Thompson

COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) -
"I'm not ever going to give up," said Alvin Thompson. "No one should ever give up on someone if there's hope."

Additional Links
Sheriff: "We have not found Gabbiee yet"
Lott to update on "very complex" investigation into teen's disappearance
Thompson calls himself a foot soldier in the search for his missing 15-year-old daughter, Gabbiee Swainson. He's been looking day and night for her.

"Under the houses, in the alleys, in abandoned buildings, in the ditches," he said.

"I do feel that she is still alive but it ain't gonna be long," said Thompson. "It ain't gonna be long. We got to find her before it's too late."

Thompson lives in Virginia and has eight kids. All of them are grown except Gabbiee. He doesn't see his youngest daughter often but said he's always been in Gabbiee's life.

"We all got along great when we talked," he said. "All my kids I hardly ever see because I'm a truck driver and I'm gone half the time."

In spite of his schedule, Thompson wishes he could have done more.

"I kinda' blame myself for not being here to protect her," he said.

A few years ago, Thompson said Gabbiee took a church trip to New York City. She called him before she left.

"She said, 'Daddy I'm gonna go up there but I'm scared,'" recalled Thompson. "'What are you scared of?' 'If I get lost, you gonna come and get me?' I said, 'New York is big but I'll come. I'll come and look.'"

"Now I think about back when she told me would I come get her," he said. "Now I can't find her."

More than a week after Gabbiee disappeared, 52-year-old Freddie Grant was arrested.

"I didn't know about this Freddie Grant at that time," said Thompson. "I had never heard of a Freddie Grant or met a Freddie Grant. Gabbiee never told me about a Freddie Grant."

But Thompson's sister, Zoraida Turnipseed, said she met Grant two days after Gabbiee was gone.

"I never knew a yard man," she said. "He was never introduced to me as a yard man. When I got there before 7 a.m. Monday morning Freddie Grant was there."

"He was lying in the office on a day bed," said Turnipseed.

(i just love the name Turnipseed)

[Lady Cop]

Columbia, SC (WLTX)- Over two weeks ago 15-year-old Gabbiee Swainson was kidnapped from her mother's home.

52-year-old Freddie Grant has been charged with kidnapping Gabbiee but Richland County Deputies still haven't been able to find her.

Gabbiee's mom, Elvia Swainson, says this has to be a mother's worst nightmare.

"It is getting a little bit harder everyday and I am busy trying to find my child," said Elvia.

Elvia says her strength comes from God and people who are continuing to pray for Gabbiee.

"She is alive and we will find her."

The suspected kidnapper is behind bars but before he was arrested he was seen on tape helping in the search for the missing teen, passing out fliers.

According to a background check on Grant WLTX has determined that his phone number was on fliers passed around to help find the teen.

Gabbiee hasn't been seen since August 18.

[Lady Cop]

Gabbiee's father said on nancy grace last night that something does not add up. i agree. daddy lives in Virginia and has eight kids. so he doesn't see this youngest one much.
-------------------------------

WISTV

As the days pass, the details about what may have happened to 15-year-old Gabrielle Swainson continue to trickle into the public.

A day after speaking to Nancy Grace on her national show, Richland Sheriff Leon Lott spoke to the local media about the case Wednesday.

Lott said one of the questions many people have been asking is how 52-year-old Freddie Grant allegedly got into the Swainson home. The sheriff said that mystery was solved Tuesday afternoon.

Investigators found a key in Grant's home that opens the door to Elvia Swainson's home.

Lott said Swainson gave Grant the key several weeks ago when he was doing some flooring work in the home. According to the sheriff, Grant told Swainson that he lost the key. That was a lie, Lott said.

The sheriff said he still believes Gabbiee is alive. "Our priority at this point is to find her, " said Lott. We're still looking for Gabbiee. "We have not found her."

Swainson has been missing since August 18. She vanished during a 3-4 hour period when her mother Elvia was at work.

The focus of the investigation into her disappearance remains on Grant. He is in custody, but not talking to investigators, Lott said.

Gabbiee's blood was found on her bed and on duct tape in Grant's home, according to investigators.

If you know anything about Gabbiee's disappearance, you are urged to call Crimestoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC.