Body of Baby Grace found in Socastee creek

The body of 5-month-old “Baby Grace” was found by searchers near Shem Creek Circle Thursday afternoon, authorities said.

Rescue divers discovered the infant about 3:45 p.m. Thursday, police said. The baby was found close to the home on Shem Creek Circle where mother, Sarah Lane Toney, emerged after taking the infant into the water for reasons still unknown, authorities said.

Earlier Thursday morning, an Horry County judge denied bond for the mother charged with unlawful neglect of a child in the case of missing 5-month-old “Baby Grace.”

Those charges are expected to upgrade now, and police will meet with the 15th Circuit Solictor’s Office to determine what charges Toney will now face, authorities said.

“I went into the water with her and was unable to hold on to her. I didn’t intentionally put her in any danger. I was going with her and I wasn’t able to hold on to her when the water sucked me in,” Sarah Lane Toney told the judge at the hearing.

Toney, 33, of Myrtle Beach, who was arrested Wednesday, is charged with unlawful neglect of a child or helpless person by legal custodian, police said.

At about 9:35 a.m., Toney faced Judge Aaron Butler in a bond hearing at the J. Reuben Long Detention Center.

Scott Hixson, deputy solicitor with the 15th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, asked that bond be denied for Toney because she has failure to appear changes in her past, along with other charges, including domestic violence, and was currently on probation in connection with a drug charge stemming from an incident in March.

Hixson also asked that bond be denied because he thought Toney was a flight risk due to the potential ramifications of the search and possible other charges that may come from it.

Hixson said witnesses indicated they saw Toney with a child in her arms walking toward a watery area near her residence on Tuesday before the search began.

Toney did not explain the circumstances that led her to the water that day. Officials said they cannot give details about the incident that occurred at a residence on Simms Drive prior to Toney getting into the water.

Toney told the judge she wanted to be with her has a nine-year-old daughter who lives with her. Hixson pointed out that she doesn’t have custody of that child and that there are domestic orders in place that do not allow her custody.

That child was placed with her biological father after the incident, authorities said.

Judge Butler set Toney’s preliminary hearing for Dec. 11 at the close of proceedings, and she will remain at J. Reuben Long Detention Center.

Toney has an extensive history with local law enforcement officers and has been arrested in connection with numerous offenses involving drugs, theft and domestic violence, according to records with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.

Toney was arrested last year in connection with possessing less than a gram of cocaine/methamphetamine, shoplifting, possession of less than an ounce of marijuana, and attempting to furnish a prisoner with contraband, records show.

She was also arrested by the South Carolina Highway Patrol in connection with driving under the influence and other similar charges numerous times and has passed through Conway Municipal Court on charges including, resisting arrest, public intoxication, trespassing and receiving stolen property, according to arrest records.

The search, which expanded Wednesday, grew again as it resumed late Thursday morning when more Horry County Fire Rescue workers joined the search along with the U.S. Coast Guard, Lt. Raul Denis, Horry County police spokesman, said.

Officials had planned for a helicopter from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division to join the effort Thursday, but foggy conditions prevented it from flying, and officials hope it will be able to assist on Friday, Denis said.

In addition to more searchers, officials are also looking into more areas on Thursday, police said.

“We’ve expanded our search into more of the swamp and woods now that the water has fallen, but we’re also still searching the water, and we’ve got the Coast Guard here,” Denis said Thursday morning.

Searchers scoured the water and nearby woods. Divers felt the bottom of the murky creek, which was roughly 6 to 8 feet deep. Coastal Carolina University staff also joined the search Wednesday, using sonar equipment to scan the waterway bottoms.

Steady rain on Tuesday made conditions along the heavily wooded and widening search area more difficult for workers, but the weather was milder Wednesday and Thursday.

Horry County police asked volunteers with the Community United Effort Center for Missing Persons to help, and the group began canvassing the wooded area at Shem Creek Circle along the creek where Toney emerged Tuesday.

On Wednesday, Shem Creek Circle resident Bradley Nelson did what he could to help, allowing searchers to go through his property to get to the creek behind it. He also gave them permission to use his downstairs bathroom if needed.

Nelson, who has a 4-year-old son, said as a father he was driven to help do whatever he could to aid in the effort.

“I can’t imagine losing a child. A child’s life is a precious thing,” he said. “No one deserves a terrible fate, especially a small child.”

Nelson also offered up two kayaks and a small boat to officials if they needed them.

David Barickman, 36, a neighbor of Toney, said he has lived in the area for about four years and has seen the missing baby with Toney in passing from time to time, but did not know her.

“It’s terrible… It’s a shock,” he said.

Police will continue to search until “Baby Grace” is found, Denis said.

“We know that right now we’re not going anywhere. It’s been our experience that there’s a 48 to 72 hour window for a body to float and we’re still in that window, so we’re hoping to have some results,” Denis said prior to the baby being found.

The search initially started about 10:30 a.m. Tuesday when officers were called after a resident of Shem Creek Circle in Socastee found Toney, drenched and sitting on her porch and saying she put her baby in the creek. Officers later determined that Toney ultimately lost her baby in the rushing creek after an incident at a residence nearby.

Toney was found at the residence on Simms Drive after the incident and was immediately taken into police custody as the search began. She was also held on an outstanding warrant unrelated to the case before she was charged with unlawful neglect, police said.

Toney did knowingly and willingly place her 5-month-old child at unreasonable risk of harm affecting the child’s life, physical, or mental health, according to an arrest warrant explaining the incident and charge against her.

This story was originally published November 5, 2015 at 5:23 PM with the headline "Body of Baby Grace found in Socastee creek."