Mackenzie Dalton missing Missing Lexington County, South Carolina teen girl, 16, found safe, 18-year-old man Mackenzie Keith English Jr arrested. Teen had left willingly with suitcase and cut off all ties with her family.
A 16-year-old Lexington County, South Carolina teen girl reported missing over a month ago was on Tuesday found safe and alive. A man the teen was found with was arrested.
Mackenzie Dalton according to investigators ‘was never held against her will or she didn’t want to be with.‘ Nevertheless, authorities arrested 18-year-old Mackenzie Keith English Jr., accusing the man of impeding the search for the missing teen who authorities feared may have been ‘endangered.’
Had 16-year-old-run off to be with 18-year-old man?
English Jr. was charged with obstruction of justice according to a Facebook release from the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department.
He is accused of lying to investigators about being with Dalton along with his knowledge of her location.
The update follows the 16-year-old leaving her home in late November and cutting off ties with her family. Investigators say Dalton was seen driving off with a suitcase.
Weeks after she ran away, investigators said they had located the teenager’s abandoned vehicle and her suitcase. However, at the time, authorities did not disclose what, if anything, was inside the suitcase, or any information about the car she was driving.
At the time of her disappearance, authorities surmised that the missing woman may have been traveling with a man ‘she knew’.
Authorities declined to articulate the nature or dynamics between Dalton and the 18-year-old taken into custody.
Incidence of teens going missing in South Carolina
At the time of her disappearance, Dalton was described as being 5’4” and weighing 118 pounds.
As of Tuesday afternoon, records show English being held at the Lexington County Detention Center.
On average, around 2,500 people go missing in South Carolina state each year.
In 2023, 74% of missing children cases in South Carolina involved a teen between 15 and 17, according to WYFF-TV.
