Family of missing Aynor teen holds memorial service; offers $25,000 reward

AYNOR, SC (WMBF) - Sunday marks the one year anniversary since Zachary Malinowski disappeared and his family is still desperate for answers.

The family is held a memorial service at the park and basketball court where the Aynor teen was last seen.

Malinowski's family is hoping that the memorial service and free throw shooting competition will help draw in people that were with him on that night one year ago.

They hope that there's someone still out there who can help find that missing piece of the puzzle.

James Marcus, Malinowski's grandfather said, "I hope that someone will hear something and they will call, and we can get some closure on this."

Malinowski was staying with his grandparents in Aynor and one Sunday went to a nearby park to play basketball.

Malinowski never made it home and several days later the burned remains of his 1996 Chevrolet Beretta were found off Valley Forge Road.

Since then, the family hasn't found many answers. Malinowski's stepfather Lonnie Jordan has even spoken out about the handling of the investigation.

"There are so many things going wrong. We're not involved, we're not included. We feel like we're part of the problem," Jordan explained.

Jordan also drafted Zack's Law and introduced it to the South Carolina House and Senate. It aims to allow the families of missing persons limited privileges to help maintain things like insurance policies or debts.

Jordan is also now asking for more resources to be used in the search. He believes more than just Horry County investigators should look at the case since Horry County has more than 30 missing persons cases to look at.

"There are so many missing people right now, the cases are stacking up. I want them to get solved and get everyone involved," Jordan stated.

Zachary Malinowski's family is offering a $25,000 reward for anyone who can bring him home by September 1, 2014.

Malinowski is 6'1" and weighs approximately 150 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the CUE Center for Missing Persons at 910-232-1687 and/or the Horry County Police Department at 843-915-5350.

Stay with WMBF News for updates as they become available.

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