Parents charged after nonverbal 5-year-old goes missing, is found dead in the water

GEORGETOWN COUNTY, S.C. (TCN) -- The parents of a nonverbal 5-year-old girl have been charged in connection with her disappearance after her body was found.  

Saylor Hayes was reported missing on Aug. 30, according to WYFF. She had been staying with her parents, 70-year-old John Herb Hayes III and 31-year-old Geordyn Nichole Hayes, in a vacation home in Georgetown County, South Carolina. The family had traveled to the area from Bristol, Virginia, Myrtle Beach Online reports.

Saylor Hayes’ body was found in a waterway the following day, the New York Post reports. She was dressed in a swimsuit and had no obvious signs of trauma. Hours before the body was discovered, her mother allegedly posted an online tribute to her “little angel” on Facebook. 

John Herb Hayes III and Geordyn Nichole Hayes were arrested in Carter County, Tennessee, on Sept. 1 on charges of being fugitives from other states and will be extradited to South Carolina to face charges, according to the Carter County Sheriff’s Office.

Both parents were charged Sept. 1 with unlawfully placing a child at risk/willfully abandoning a child, according to WYFF. Arrest warrants obtained by the outlet say Saylor Hayes was known to love the water and her parents allegedly failed to provide supervision and safeguards for her. 

Saylor Hayes reportedly wore a tracking device from the Project Lifesaver program, but it was allegedly removed before the family’s vacation. The program is designed to help find missing people who have cognitive conditions, according to WYFF. 

Myrtle Beach Online reports the child had been enrolled in the program since 2024 and a deputy was assigned to change the batteries every 60 days. The device reportedly could not be removed easily. According to Washington County Sheriff Blake Andis, the device was allegedly cut off. 

The arrest warrant obtained by WYFF alleges that her parents encouraged the team searching for the child to use the tracking device even though they knew she was not wearing it. In addition, they allegedly directed the search team’s attention away from the water.

On Sept. 2, the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office released a recording of a 911 call in which John Herb Hayes III claims his child could be found using the tracker, Myrtle Beach Online reports. The tracking device was allegedly found inside the family’s car on their property in Virginia, according to the outlet.

The New York Post reports Saylor Hayes’ cause of death has not been determined and an autopsy is scheduled for Sept. 4. 

In a press release, Georgetown County Sheriff Carter Weaver said in part, “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.”

Weaver continued, “Saylor was a vulnerable 5-year-old child who depended upon the adults responsible for her care and protection. She deserved to be safe. She deserved to be protected.”

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