Parents Arrested in Death of Autistic 5-Year-Old Saylor Hayes
Georgetown County investigators say 5-year-old Saylor Hayes, who was autistic and nonverbal, wandered from a Virginia rental and was found dead in a local waterway. Her parents, John Hayes III and Geordyn Hayes, were arrested in Tennessee on fugitive-from-justice warrants stemming from South Carolina and face charges of unlawfully placing a child at risk and willfully abandoning a child; extradition back to SC is pending. Investigators allege the couple diverted search efforts away from the water and that Saylor was enrolled in Project Lifesaver, though the transmitter was reportedly not worn at the time. An autopsy is pending to determine cause of death.
