On Thursday, Aug. 20, the Horry County Police Department began searching for 16-year-old Marley McKenna Spindler, Palmetto Glen Drive, after her family reported her missing that afternoon.
Police said Marley was last seen with friends at the Chick-fil-A restaurant located at 2360 Dick Pond Road between 7:30-8 a.m. Thursday. According to the missing person report, while at Chick-fil-A, Marley told her friends she was driving to an area near Ocean Boulevard and 74th Avenue to pick up a man named Jeremy and take him to his home in Garden City.
The report indicates Marley’s friends expected her to go to Socastee High School after taking Jeremy home. Police said Marley never reported to school and hasn’t been seen by her friends and family since Thursday morning.
The report indicates that, at about 4 p.m. Thursday, Marley’s father called her cellphone in an attempt to reach her. Police said the phone was answered by an employee with the Ocean Reef Resort, located at 7100 N. Ocean Blvd., who told him the phone was found in their parking lot. Marley’s father later retrieved the phone, police said, and turned it in as evidence.
Marley’s friends described “Jeremy” as a 21- or 22-year-old white man that Marley had met on the beach about three weeks ago, police said. No other information was provided.
Police said Marley was last seen driving a silver 2002 Ford Escape with a thick black pinstripe running down its sides and a missing “E” from the “Escape” decals that adorn each side. Police added the rear windshield also displayed a sticker of an outline of a great white shark.
A press release from HCPD Lt. Raul Denis indicated the department had assigned multiple detectives to the case. Anyone with any information related to the whereabouts of Marley, “Jeremy,” or the vehicle is asked to contact the HCPD at 843-248-1500. Tips can also be submitted by calling 843-915-8477.