The Virginia parents of 5-year-old Saylor Hayes allegedly directed searchers away from a nearby body of water after their severely nonverbal autistic daughter disappeared, according to arrest warrants filed following her death.
John Herb Hayes III, 70, and Geordyn Nichole Hayes, 31, of Bristol, VA, were arrested in Carter County, TN, on Tuesday evening, Sept. 1, and each charged with unlawfully placing a child at risk/willfully abandoning a child, the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office said.
Saylor’s body was found Monday morning, Aug. 31, in the waters near Hagley Landing following an intensive search involving hundreds of people and multiple agencies, authorities said.
The warrants provide new details about what investigators allege happened before and after Saylor disappeared in the Pawleys Island section of Georgetown County on Sunday, Aug. 30.
Saylor was a severely nonverbal autistic child with an affinity for water and a history of elopement, according to the warrants. She had been equipped with a monitoring device since 2024, but investigators allege the device had been removed before the family left Virginia. Saylor was then left unsupervised about 15 meters, or 49 feet, from a body of water, the warrants allege.
After she was discovered missing, Hayes and Hayes allegedly encouraged searchers to use tracking technology despite knowing Saylor was not wearing the monitoring device, according to the warrants.
The parents also allegedly directed search efforts away from the nearby body of water, investigators said in the warrants.
“The death of Saylor Hayes is a heartbreaking tragedy that has deeply affected our community and everyone who worked so hard to find her,” Sheriff Carter Weaver said.
“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.”
“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.”
The arrests should not be interpreted as a determination of guilt, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty, Weaver said.
The couple will be transported back to Georgetown County once extradition proceedings are complete, authorities said.
