Deputies: Summerville girl faked disappearance, could face charges

A girl from the Summerville area who faked her disappearance by scribbling morbid messages on her car, then abandoning it, could face charges, Dorchester County officials said.

Deputies were alerted at about 1:50 p.m. Wednesday when a caller reported that a Jeep had been parked in the middle of Shady Lane, just off Dorchester Road, for about two hours.

Every window of the sport utility vehicle had “wording referencing that a female was dead,” according to an incident report from the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office. A key was in the ignition, a rearview mirror was underneath the SUV, and a cellphone was in the bushes.

A witness reported seeing the driver walk into the woods on her own, according to the report.

The 16-year-old driver’s mother said her daughter was last seen heading to school. She had taken final exams but had not shown up for a hair appointment scheduled for later in the day, the report said.

Maj. John Garrison, a sheriff’s spokesman, said Friday that the teenager was “found safe and sound,” and that family problems could have led to the feigned kidnapping.

It had not yet been determined if the girl, who was not identified, will be charged.