Family, activists rally behind man accused in teen's 2009 disappearance

Dozens of people rallied Saturday in support of a man accused in the 2009 disappearance of a teen on spring break in Myrtle Beach.

Timothy Taylor is currently in jail on an unrelated charge but was named a suspect in the case when authorities said an inmate told the Federal Bureau of Investigation that he was involved in kidnapping, raping and murdering then 17-year-old Brittanee Drexel.

Family members and civil rights groups defended Taylor and said that he's the target of a racial witch hunt.

“I am really, really praying that they find the person responsible for this so that our family can be left alone,” his mother, Joann Taylor, said.

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the group True Healing Under God have both said Taylor is innocent.

[RELATED: FBI: Investigation into NY teen missing in SC progresses]

[RELATED: Missing woman's mom making another trip to SC]

Last week, Drexel's mother, Dawn Pleckan, said she's focused on finding her daughter.

Pleckan hired private investigators after she said police stopped returning her phone calls.

There’s a $25,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case.

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