Parents charged after 5-year-old found dead near Pawleys Island in South Carolina
The parents of 5-year-old Saylor Hayes have been arrested after her body was found near Pawleys Island in South Carolina this week.
The arrests come after the body of Saylor Hayes was found Monday morning in the waters near Hagley Landing on Pawleys Island.
The Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office said that 70-year-old John Herb Hayes III and 31-year-old Geordyn Nichole Hayes were arrested in Carter County, Tennessee, on Tuesday.
Both John and Geordyn were charged with unlawfully placing a child at risk/willfully abandoning a child.
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According to the arrest warrants, Saylor’s parents failed to provide supervision and safeguards appropriate for a “severely nonverbal” 5-year-old child with autism, who had a known affinity for the water.
Authorities said that Saylor was part of the Project Lifesaver program, which is used to find missing people with a cognitive condition. However, the tracking device had been removed before the family left for vacation.
Arrest warrants say that after Saylor’s body was found, the couple encouraged the search team to use the tracking device, despite knowing that she was not wearing the monitoring device. Furthermore, the couple is accused of directing the search away from the water.
Once extradition proceedings are complete, the couple will be transported back to Georgetown County.
Statement from Georgetown County Sheriff Carter Weaver
“The death of Saylor Hayes is a heartbreaking tragedy that has deeply affected our community and everyone who worked so hard to find her.
“From the beginning, our responsibility has been to follow the evidence wherever it led. Following an extensive investigation, Saylor’s parents have been arrested and charged under South Carolina law relating to unlawfully placing a child at risk of or causing harm, or willfully abandoning a child.
“Parents and caregivers have a fundamental responsibility to protect children who cannot protect themselves. 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.
“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.
“These arrests are based upon the evidence developed during this investigation and the applicable law. They should not be interpreted as a determination of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
“Nothing we do can bring Saylor back. What we can do is pursue the truth, seek accountability through our justice system, and continue doing everything within our authority to protect the most vulnerable members of our community.
“I remain extremely grateful to the deputies, investigators, first responders, partner agencies and citizens who worked tirelessly to find Saylor and determine what happened to her.
“This case is now entering the judicial process, and we will respect that process. Above all, we will remember Saylor and remain committed to ensuring that her life is not forgotten.
“Saylor deserved to be safe. She deserved to be protected.”
Saylor Hayes reported missing on Pawleys Island
Saylor Hayes was reported missing on Sunday afternoon on Pawleys Island where she was staying in a rented home with her family.
Searchers said Saylor was part of the Project Lifesaver program, which is used to find missing people with cognitive condition. The Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office said it deployed Project Lifesaver equipment throughout the search to try to get a signal from Saylor’s device she was supposed to be wearing.
Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office
What is Project Lifesaver?
Project Lifesaver assists law enforcement in locating individuals who are at risk of wandering due to cognitive conditions or other special needs. Clients wear a small transmitter that emits an individualized radio frequency, allowing specially trained personnel to track and locate them if they become missing.
Saylor’s body found during search
Saylor’s body was found Monday morning in the waters near the area where she was last seen.
Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office
Authorities in her hometown speak out
On Tuesday, the Washington County, Virginia, Sheriff’s Office made a Facebook post about Saylor’s death and her participation in the Project Lifesaver program.
The sheriff’s office said Saylor was from the Bristol area of Washington County, and had been enrolled in the Washington County Sheriff’s Office Project Lifesaver program since June of 2024.
Authorities in Virginia said on Aug. 30, 2026, the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office in South Carolina contacted them after Saylor was reported missing and requested information regarding her Project Lifesaver transmitter.
They said they provided authorities in South Carolina the assigned frequency and other relevant information to assist with the search. They said after searchers in South Carolina were unable to detect Saylor’s frequency, they checked Saylor’s home residence in Washington County and found the Project Lifesaver device inside a vehicle on the property.
“It is important to understand that Project Lifesaver is a voluntary program. A parent, guardian, or caregiver is responsible for ensuring the transmitter remains properly secured to the client,” the sheriff’s office social post said. “The transmitter is attached using a specialized band designed for continuous wear. It cannot simply be unclasped or removed by the client; the band must be physically cut in order to remove the transmitter.”
Washington County Virginia Sheriff Blake Andis said the equipment did exactly what it was designed to do.
“What makes this situation especially heartbreaking is that Saylor did not have her transmitter with her when she went missing,” Andis said. “Had Saylor been wearing her Project Lifesaver transmitter, we believe the technology could have assisted search teams in locating her much sooner. While no technology can guarantee an outcome, every minute matters when a vulnerable child or adult is missing.”
Andis said his office will continue to partner with authorities in South Carolina on Saylor’s death investigation, but no additional information regarding the circumstances surrounding the removal or location of Saylor’s transmitter will be released at this time.