Virginia Parents Arrested in Connection to Daughter’s Drowning in South Carolina
Tragic Incident in South Carolina
A Virginia couple, John Herb Hayes III, 70, and Geordyn Nichole Hayes, 31, from Bristol, were apprehended in Carter County, Tennessee. They face charges of placing a child at risk and abandonment after their autistic and nonverbal daughter, Saylor Hayes, was found deceased in South Carolina waters.
Saylor Hayes was reported missing on Sunday afternoon. Her body was later discovered on Monday morning in waters near Hagley Landing, Pawleys Island, South Carolina. This discovery followed a large-scale search involving hundreds of individuals and multiple authorities.
Details of the Arrest and Investigation
The arrest affidavits indicate that on Sunday, the parents failed to provide adequate supervision and safeguards for Saylor, who was known to be severely nonverbal and autistic. She had an affinity for water and a history of elopement. The documents further state that Saylor was left unsupervised close to a water body in South Carolina.
The Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office announced the couple is held without bond at the Carter County Detention Center in Tennessee, pending extradition. Their legal representation status remains unclear.
Project Lifesaver and Misleading Information
Initially, authorities reported that Saylor’s mother said the child wandered off from a rental in Hagley Estates, last seen in a swimsuit. Efforts to track Saylor using a Project Lifesaver device were initially directed, although the transmitter was removed before the family left Virginia.
The transmitter, normally attached with a specialized band requiring cutting for removal, was not worn by Saylor during her disappearance. Following her absence, search directions were misleadingly encouraged despite its removal, thereby diminishing the search’s effectiveness.
Georgetown County Sheriff Carter Weaver expressed the incident’s impact on the community: “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.”
Response from Washington County Sheriff’s Office
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office confirmed it hosts the Project Lifesaver program that caters to individuals at risk of wandering due to cognitive conditions. Saylor was enrolled since June 2024. After her disappearance, requests for transmitter information were shared with authorities in South Carolina.
When the Washington County Sheriff’s Office checked the Hayes residence, it was found that the transmitter remained inside a vehicle, not with Saylor. This reinforced that precautions for Saylor’s safety weren’t fully upheld.
Georgetown County Sheriff Weaver reiterated the commitment to pursue truth and accountability for such vulnerable community members, stating, “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.”