John Herb Hayes III and Geordyn Nichole Hayes have been arrested following the tragic discovery of their five-year-old daughter, Saylor Hayes, who was found dead in the water on Monday, August 31. Saylor, who was nonverbal, had been reported missing prior to the incident. The arrests took place in Carter County, Tennessee, as authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding her disappearance and death.
However, Ridgeway said that there were no visible signs of trauma, per 10 News. Geordyn said that Saylor wandered off from a Pawleys Island-area rental home Sunday morning, August 30. An affidavit said that Saylor had been equipped with a monitoring device since 2024, but it was removed before leaving Virginia, per Live 5 News. Saylor was found in the water near where she was last seen around 9:45 am.
Georgetown County Coroner Chase Ridgeway revealed that an autopsy has been scheduled for Friday morning at the Medical University of South Carolina in connection with Saylor’s death.
Sheriff spokesperson Heather Pelham said Project Livesaver equipment was deployed on land and in the airspace to try to get a signal from the device Saylor was believed to be wearing. “Project Lifesaver works, and we believe strongly in this program,” said Sheriff Blake Andis. The cause and manner of death remain undetermined pending the autopsy’s completion and any additional testing that may be necessary. John and Geordyn have both been charged with unlawfully placing a child at risk/willfully abandoning a child for their actions in the disappearance and subsequent death of their child. Georgetown County deputies and neighborhood volunteers searched for Saylor, with the Midway Fire Department, the Sheriff’s Office Marine Patrol, drones from the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office and the Georgetown County Fire Department assisting in it. “When our personnel searched for Saylor’s assigned frequency, the equipment did exactly what it was designed to do. It detected her transmitter and led our personnel to its location. What makes this situation especially heartbreaking is that Saylor did not have her transmitter with her when she went missing. Had Saylor been wearing her Project Lifesaver transmitter, we believe the technology could have assisted search teams in locating her much sooner. every minute matters when a vulnerable child or adult is missing While no technology can guarantee an outcome. We cannot emphasize enough how important it is for enrolled clients to wear their transmitters consistently. This technology is an incredible resource, but it can only help us locate someone when the transmitter remains secured to the client.
