The key to solving the McKenna Butcher case lies Upstate, deputies say

GREENVILLE COUNTY, SC (FOX Carolina) – Five years after McKenna Butcher disappeared, investigators still believe the key to finding her lies in the Upstate.

McKenna was 11 years old when she went missing from Taylors on April 25, 2019. Investigators said her mother, Jennifer Lea Settle, fled with her after a family court granted full custody to McKenna’s father, Michael Butcher.

It wasn’t the first time Settle had taken the child away, officials said. When McKenna was 8 months old, Settle left Butcher and moved to another state with their child.

“She changed significantly when McKenna came along,” Michael Butcher said. “She was very protective. I picked (McKenna) up once and she walked over to me really quickly and took her away from me, and I thought, that’s not good.

Butcher said Settle stopped answering his calls and would only communicate via email. He tried to get visitation rights, but said Settle would move from state to state to avoid him. She tore up cards and returned gifts that Butcher tried to send McKenna.

“If he ever visited McKenna, he had to live in the same state as her,” said Kimberly Settle, Jennifer’s sister. “And she just laughed and said, I’m just going to keep going. If he ever tries to see her, I’ll take her and we’ll leave the country. And my family will never even hear from us again.”

The Greenville County Sheriff’s Office shared interviews with family members and a deputy from the Specialized Investigations Unit in hopes of shedding new light on their oldest missing children cold case.

Lt. Shawnee Peeples said she believes Settle contacted women in the Greenville County community in 2019, gave them false information about the situation and asked for help in hiding her and McKenna.

“We believe someone locally gave her names of a family member or friend in another state, in another country, to help her hide for so long,” Peeples said. “We believe the key to finding McKenna is right here in Greenville. Not that she’s physically here, but someone here in Greenville, Greenville County, Spartanburg, Anderson. Someone who knew her mother knows exactly where they were, where they are, and they helped them take her away. And it’s time for her to come home again.”

McKenna will celebrate her 17th birthday in November and Butcher said he has only seen her once since she was a small child.

“I lost a job, and now she’s coming back as an adult,” Butcher said. “I never, you know, held her hand or helped her across the street, or, you know, all the things that dads do.”

Jennifer Lea Settle is wanted by the FBI and the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution and custodial interference.

If you have any information about McKenna Butcher or Jennifer Settle, please contact your local FBI office or the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate.

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