
Autopsy confirms pulmonary edema in death of autistic 5-year-old Saylor Hayes
The Georgetown County Coroner’s Office has released preliminary findings for 5-year-old Saylor Hayes, an autistic girl found dead in the Waccamaw River on August 31. The autopsy, conducted at the Medical University of South Carolina, identified pulmonary edema as a key finding, though the official cause and manner of death remain pending further testing. While no external trauma was observed, investigators noted a child’s wrist tether strap on her ankle. Her parents, John and Geordyn Hayes, face charges of placing a child at risk and willfully abandoning a child, with prior abuse history noted by some outlets.













