Freddie Grant Arrested & Charged with Kidnapping Missing SC Teen Gabrielle Swainson

An arrest has been made in the disappearance of missing 15 year old Gabrielle Swainson. 52 year old Freddie Grant has been arrested and charged with the kidnapping of the South Carolina teen. Freddie Grant is considered a friend of the family.  Gabrielle Swainson went missing on August 18, 2012.

Freddie Grant was a target in the investigation because he was a convicted felon. However, police became more suspicious when he refused to cooperate. Law enforcement searched Grant’s home where bullets were found that leading to a federal weapons charge. Additional searches uncovered his DNA and Gabbiee’s DNA on duct tape with blood on it found near his house. Authorities believe Grant forced the teen from her home in Columbia and took her to his home in Elgin, SC” Grant is being held without bail at the Lexington County jail.

Investigators charged Freddie Grant with kidnapping in the disappearance of 15-year-old Gabrielle “Gabbiee” Swainson after her blood was found on duct tape near his home, authorities said Tuesday.

Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said 52-year-old Grant was a family acquaintance and did yard work for the Swainson family.

The sheriff was holding out hope that Gabbiee will be found alive, and more than 100 officers are combing through a junkyard across from the suspect’s home in Elgin on Tuesday looking for the missing teen.

“I haven’t given up hope of finding her and bringing her home. That’s what we’re operating under, that she can be found,” Lott said. “He’s only charged with kidnapping.”

The hope is that Gabrielle Swainson is still alive; however, it really does not look good.

For more updates, provide your opinions and read others, go to Scared Monkeys Missing Persons Forum: Gabrielle Swainson.

15 Year Old Cheerleader Gabrielle Swainson Missing in Columbia, SC Since August 19, 2012 … Disappeared from Her Bed Room

15 year old  Gabrielle Swainson has been missing from Columbia, South Carolina since August 19, 2012. Gabrielle Swainson  disappeared mysteriously from her bedroom between 3 am and 7 am when her mother was at work. According to accounts, her wallet and cell phone were left behind, and there there was no sign of forced entry at the family’s Richland County, S.C., home. Gabrielle’s mother said that her daughter has never tried to run away and had just made her cheer-leading squad.

FACEBOOK: FindGabbiee

Missing: Gabrielle Swainson

The FBI has joined the search for a 15-year-old girl who disappeared without a trace from her South Carolina bedroom.

Gabrielle Swainson vanished without her purse and identification on Aug. 19, and there was no sign of forced entry at her Richland County, S.C., home.

The teen’s cell phone was missing, but since her disappearance, there has been no activity on it.

“I don’t know what has happened. I don’t know how it happened, and this is really a nightmare,” mother Elvia Swainson told ABC News. “It’s the worst situation a parent could be in.”

Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott has activated his major crimes unit, a team of veteran investigators, replacing the missing persons unit that initially handled the case. He said Wednesday he is highly concerned about the 15-year-old girl’s vanishing with no trace.

Search for missing SC girl grabs national attention.

Gabrielle’s story was featured on Good Morning America on Saturday, and according to Chandra Cleveland-Jennings, a private investigator who has been working with the family, Dateline NBC has contacted her with interest in Gabrielle’s case.

“We need people to keep calling in with tips if they’ve seen her,” Cleveland-Jennings said. “If we can just keep the tips coming in, we have ample resources to follow up on every lead.”

For more updates and to provide your opinions and read others, go to Scared Monkeys Missing persons Forum: Gabrielle Swainson.

Gabbiee Swainson has been missing since early Saturday morning (8/18). Please call 1-888-CRIME-SC or 803-576-3000 or 803-239-8478 if you know anything about her whereabouts.

HELP FIND GABBIE SWAINSON AND SAY A PRAYER FOR HER SAFE RETURN.