A family vacation in South Carolina ended in tragedy after 5-year-old Saylor Hayes disappeared from a rental home in Pawleys Island and was later found dead in the Waccamaw River.
Keep reading to know more.
Saylor Hayes, who was nonverbal and autistic, reportedly had a history of wandering and was especially drawn toward bodies of water.
Authorities launched a massive search after she was reported missing on Sunday, August 30. Her body was discovered the following night.
Now, her parents have been arrested and charged with child neglect, as investigators examine the circumstances surrounding her disappearance.
Saylor was left near a body of water shortly before she disappeared
According to authorities, Saylor’s parents, John Herb Hayes III, 70, and Geordyn Nichole Hayes, 31, left her unattended roughly 50 feet from a body of water shortly before she vanished.
The child was approximately 3 feet, 6 inches tall, with blonde hair and blue eyes. She was last seen wearing a light-blue one-piece swimsuit and a pink-and-white lanyard around her ankle.
Because of her communication difficulties, authorities urged anyone who spotted her to approach her carefully.
Hundreds of people and multiple agencies joined the search, using drones, helicopters, K-9 teams, and divers.
On Monday night, around 9:45 p.m., South Carolina’s Department of Natural Resources located Saylor in the Waccamaw River.
Authorities said her body showed no obvious signs of immediate trauma, while the cause of death had not yet been publicly released.
The parents allegedly told authorities about a tracking bracelet Saylor wasn’t wearing
The investigation took another troubling turn when authorities discovered that Saylor was enrolled in Project Lifesaver, a program designed to help locate people who are at risk of wandering.
Participants wear a small transmitter that sends out an individualized radio signal that can be tracked by law enforcement.
But Saylor wasn’t wearing hers when she disappeared.
Investigators reportedly found her transmitter bracelets inside a vehicle at the family’s Virginia residence, meaning she had never taken the device with her to South Carolina.
According to the arrest affidavit, her parents allegedly encouraged authorities to use the tracking technology even though they knew Saylor wasn’t wearing the transmitter.
Authorities said this information potentially redirected search efforts away from the nearby water where she was ultimately found.
“Had Saylor been wearing her Project Lifesaver transmitter, we believe the technology could have assisted search teams in locating her much sooner,” Washington County Sheriff Blake Andis said.
“Every minute matters when a vulnerable child or adult is missing.”
Saylor’s parents were arrested after leaving South Carolina
John and Geordyn were arrested Tuesday evening in Carter County, Tennessee, after authorities stopped them while they were traveling in a black SUV.
Both were charged with unlawfully placing a child at risk or willfully abandoning a child in connection with Saylor’s disappearance and death, according to the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office.
“When the evidence establishes probable cause to believe that a child has been unlawfully placed in circumstances that endanger that child’s safety, law enforcement has a responsibility to act,” Sheriff Carter Weaver said.
“Saylor was a vulnerable five-year-old child who depended upon the adults responsible for her care and protection. She deserved to be safe. She deserved to be protected.”
The couple had previously faced allegations involving their children
The investigation has also brought renewed attention to the couple’s previous encounters with child welfare authorities in Virginia.
According to court records obtained by FitsNews, the Washington County Department of Social Services removed two children from John and Geordyn’s custody in July 2023, including a child whose initials reportedly matched Saylor’s.
The records said the children and their parents had tested positive for illegal substances. The felony charges connected to that case were later dismissed in February 2026.
That same month, Geordyn was reportedly arrested after authorities received a call concerning her behavior and later found her in a vehicle that had run out of gas while she was with a minor.
Two weeks before Saylor’s disappearance, the court reportedly placed that case under a deferred disposition, postponing a final judgment while certain requirements were completed.
As the investigation continues, authorities are still working to establish exactly what happened during the hours between Saylor’s disappearance and the discovery of her body.
Share this with others who like to keep up with the latest news stories from around the world.
Read more:
