GEORGETOWN COUNTY, SC (WMBF) – A multi-agency search for a missing nonverbal 5-year-old girl in the Pawleys Island area will continue overnight.
The child, Sailor Hayes, wandered from a home along Old Waccamaw Drive in the Hagley Community, and she was last seen wearing a one-piece light blue bathing suit and a pink-and-white lanyard around her ankle, according to the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office.
Hayes is described as 3′6″ with blond hair and blue eyes.
The Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office first posted about the search at 12:31 p.m. Sunday.
Sailor Hayes(Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office)
Deputies, K-9 units and boats will continue searching through the night, while Georgetown County Emergency Management continues to assist.
“We’re here until we find her,” Georgetown County Sheriff Carter Weaver said Sunday evening.
Weaver said Hayes and her family are from Virginia.
Divers from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources are expected to continue the underwater search Monday, after Horry County divers searched roughly 200 yards of water near the family’s rental home Sunday.
The sheriff answered questions from WMBF News; the full interview can be seen below:
Deputies are attempting to track her using Project Lifesaver, a tracking technology typically used to locate people enrolled in the program who may wander.
However, Weaver said there has been no ping for the girl so far.
Multiple agencies and methods have been deployed in the search, including drones, K-9s, divers, search crews along the water, and a Charleston County Sheriff’s Office helicopter equipped with Project Lifesaver equipment.
The Hagley neighborhood sits near the Waccamaw River.
The Hagley Boat Landing will be closed amid the search, and deputies are asking boaters to use caution in the area.
The sheriff’s office sent out a reverse 911 call to neighboring homes earlier on Sunday, and neighbors are helping with the search.
Weaver said neighbors can continue to help with the search, but to be mindful of private property.
Aiden Cooper, who lives in the area, is one of those neighbors who helped Sunday.
“Community has really came together, really, really started to focus on finding her, and I really hope we can, we can bring her back home safely,” Cooper said.
The sheriff’s office is also asking anyone who lives in the area to review any home security footage to see if she appears on it.
If you locate Sailor, the sheriff’s office is asking that you call 911.
Deputies said she may not respond verbally, but will react positively to a gentle tone, smiles, and slow movements.
Feel more informed, prepared, and connected with WMBF. For more free content like this, download our apps. Have feedback that can help us improve? Click here.
Copyright 2026 WMBF. All rights reserved.