Parents of Saylor Hayes, 5, arrested after nonverbal daughter found dead in waters near family’s rental home

The parents of a nonverbal five-year-old girl have been arrested after the young girl was found dead in a pond near the family’s South Carolina rental home.

John Herb Hayes III, 70, and Geordyn Nichole Haynes, 31, were taken into custody Tuesday night in connection with their daughter Saylor Hayes’ disappearance and death, the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office in South Carolina announced.

They now each face a charge of unlawfully placing a child at risk/willfully abandoning a child.

Authorities allege in arrest warrants that the parents placed Saylor ‘at an unreasonable risk of harm, affecting her life and safety by failing to provide supervision and safeguards appropriate for a nonverbal, autistic five-year-old child with known affinity to water and [a] history of elopement.’

The warrants note that the girl had been fitted with a Project Lifesaver transmitter by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office in Virginia, where the family lives, but was not wearing it when she wandered from a rental home on Sunday.

‘The child was subsequently left unsupervised within approximately 15 meters of a body of water,’ the warrants state, noting that the tracking device was later located inside a vehicle at the family’s home in Virginia. 

The couple also allegedly misdirected search efforts.

‘After the child was discovered missing, the defendant encouraged search efforts to be directed toward the use of tracking technology, despite knowing the child was not wearing the monitoring device,’ authorities claim.

‘The defendant further directed search efforts away from the nearby body of water’ where Saylor’s body was eventually located. 

In a statement announcing the charges Tuesday night, Georgetown Sheriff Carter Weaver called Saylor’s death ‘a heartbreaking tragedy that has deeply affected our community and everyone who worked so hard to find her.’ 

Saylor’s disappearance over the weekend spurred a massive search effort, with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division sending out a helicopter and an underwater drone as the US Coast Guard sent a vessel to help with the search.

Hundreds of neighbors also jumped in to search their own properties and the surrounding areas, with one neighbor telling WMBF how they tried to lure the little girl by walking with pets and getting an ice cream truck to play music throughout the neighborhood.

When the young girl’s body was later found in the water behind the rental property, authorities began an ‘extensive investigation’ and decided to charge Saylor’s parents, Weaver said. 

‘Parents and caregivers have a fundamental responsibility to protect children who cannot protect themselves,’ he said. 

‘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.’ 

The sheriff then went on to call the girl ‘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,’ Weaver declared. 

‘Nothing we do can bring Saylor back,’ the sheriff noted. ‘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.’

He added that he is ‘extremely grateful to the deputies, investigators, first responders, partner agencies and citizens who worked tirelessly to find Saylor and determine what happened to her.

‘This case is now entering the judicial process, and we will respect that process,’ the sheriff said. 

‘Above all, we will remember Saylor and remain committed to ensuring that her life is not forgotten.’ 

An autopsy has been scheduled for Friday morning, but there were no visible signs of trauma to the body, Georgetown County Coroner Chase Ridgeway told WPDE. 

The cause of death and manner of death remain undetermined pending the completion of the autopsy and any other necessary testing. 

In the meantime, the girl’s parents are scheduled to be transported back to South Carolina once the extradition proceedings are complete. 

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.