Parents Charged After Missing 5-Year-Old Found Dead

A Search Ended With Two Arrests

Five-year-old Saylor Hayes was reported missing from a South Carolina vacation rental on Aug. 30. The next morning, search crews found her dead in waters near Hagley Landing. A day later, authorities arrested her parents.

John Herb Hayes III and Geordyn Nichole Hayes are accused of unlawfully placing a child at risk and willfully abandoning a child. They were arrested in Tennessee and are expected to be returned to South Carolina. The charges are allegations and do not establish guilt.

The Tracking Device Was Not With Her

Saylor, who was described in court documents as severely nonverbal and autistic, had participated in Project Lifesaver in Virginia. The program uses a wearable transmitter to help search teams locate people who may wander from caregivers.

But when South Carolina authorities tried to use Saylor’s assigned frequency during the search, the signal did not lead them to the missing child. Washington County, Virginia, deputies later found the transmitter inside a vehicle at the family’s home in Virginia.

Investigators Say the Device Had Been Removed

Authorities said the transmitter was designed for continuous wear and had to be physically cut off. Arrest affidavits cited by People and Fox News allege the device had been removed before the family left Virginia for South Carolina.

Investigators also allege that Saylor’s parents encouraged searchers to use the transmitter technology even though they knew she was not wearing it. That allegation is now part of the criminal case.

Hundreds Joined the Search

The search around Pawleys Island involved multiple law-enforcement agencies, first responders and members of the community. Saylor had a known attraction to water and a history of wandering, according to the affidavits.

Her body was recovered on Aug. 31. Authorities have not publicly released a final cause of death, and the investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death remains open.

A Missing-Child Search Became a Criminal Case

Washington County Sheriff Blake Andis said the tracking system worked as designed: it found Saylor’s transmitter. The problem, authorities said, was that the transmitter was not with her.

The case now moves from a desperate missing-child search to a prosecution centered on what Saylor’s caregivers allegedly knew and did before and during that search. For the community that spent hours looking for her, the legal questions came only after the worst possible outcome.

References: Saylor Hayes Was Not Wearing Trackable Transmitter When Found Dead, Police Say | Parents arrested after South Carolina search for autistic daughter, 5, ends in tragedy near coastal getaway

The Truth In Facts team was assisted by generative AI technology in creating this content