Horry County Police Detectives, Beach Patrol Officers, assisted by Horry County Fire Rescue and South Carolina DNR, mobilized and searched the creeks, ponds, waterways, and woods in the area.
Advertisement
According to Lt. Raul Denis, a woman walked out of the water at Shem Creek Circle and a concerned neighbor called police.
Toney was arrested on an outstanding warrant unrelated to this incident and is being detained at the Horry County Detention Center, Denis said. The mother is in police custody and is being transported to Conway Hospital for “medical clearance” while officials search for the child.
“Anything she tells us has to be investigated and corroborated before we can take it seriously; much less comment on it”, said Lt. Denis. Raul Denis said in an email Wednesday morning that officials were meeting as they wait for the weather to clear.
“The water is really fast and turbulent so it’s not ideal for any diver to be in it”, said Denis.
Rescue teams stopped searching for the five-month-old in the creek at dark, according to police.
“I was drinking my coffee in my house, I came outside and see Horry County Fire Rescue putting boats in the water saying there was a missing child or someone has thrown a baby in the water”.
Divers with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources searched for the child throughout Tuesday but the search was called off on Tuesday night when the waters became too high. She was released on $5,000 bond the following day.
Advertisement
Toney was also jailed in November 2014 for numerous drug charges.
