The parents of Saylor Hayes, a non-verbal five-year-old girl found dead in a pond near her family’s holiday rental in South Carolina, have been arrested and charged in connection with her disappearance and death.
John Herb Hayes III and Geordyn Nichole Hayes were taken into custody on Tuesday evening in Carter County, Tennessee. Each faces a charge of unlawfully placing a child at risk or wilfully abandoning a child, according to the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office.
The couple are expected to be returned to South Carolina once extradition proceedings have been completed.
Arrest warrants allege child was left near water
Arrest warrants allege that the parents failed to provide supervision and safeguards suitable for a non-verbal autistic child who had a known affinity with water and a history of wandering away.
Saylor had been enrolled in Project Lifesaver, a scheme using radio transmitters to help locate people at risk of becoming lost. The Washington County Sheriff’s Office in Virginia said she had been part of the programme since June 2024.
However, the transmitter was not on her when she disappeared from the family’s rental property in the Hagley community near Pawleys Island on Sunday. Deputies later found the device inside a vehicle at the family’s home in Virginia.
The warrants allege that Saylor was left unsupervised about 15 metres from a body of water. They also claim that one of the defendants encouraged searchers to focus on the tracking technology despite knowing the child was not wearing the device, and directed efforts away from the nearby water.
Washington County Sheriff Blake Andis said the transmitter was attached to a specialised band designed for continuous wear and could not simply be removed by the child.
“A parent, guardian or caregiver is responsible for ensuring the transmitter remains properly secured to the client,” he said.
Authorities recovered Saylor’s body from the water close to where she was last seen at about 9.45am on Monday. South Carolina Department of Natural Resources agents were involved in the recovery.
Her disappearance prompted a large multi-agency search involving deputies, divers, drones, dogs, boats and aircraft. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division sent a helicopter and underwater drone, while the US Coast Guard provided a vessel.
Hundreds of local residents also searched nearby properties and surrounding areas, with one neighbour telling local television station WMBF that residents used pets and an ice-cream van’s music in an attempt to draw Saylor out.
Georgetown County Sheriff Carter Weaver said the girl’s death had affected the community and those who had taken part in the search.
“Parents and caregivers have a fundamental responsibility to protect children who cannot protect themselves,” he said. “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.”
Mr Weaver described Saylor as a vulnerable child who depended on the adults responsible for her care, adding: “She deserved to be safe. She deserved to be protected.”
An autopsy is due to take place on Friday morning at the Medical University of South Carolina. The coroner said there were no visible signs of trauma, but the cause and manner of death remain undetermined pending the examination and any further testing.
The charges are allegations, and both parents are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
