US News
Parents arrested in Tennessee following death of 5-year-old daughter in South Carolina
Authorities found the body of nonverbal child Saylor Hayes in the water near Pawleys Island, prompting child endangerment warrants against her parents.
The short version
- Five-year-old Saylor Hayes was found dead in coastal South Carolina waters following a multi-agency search.
- Her parents, John Herb Hayes III and Geordyn Nichole Hayes, were arrested in Tennessee on child endangerment and abandonment warrants.
- Investigators allege the parents removed the child's tracking device and left her unattended near water before misdirecting initial search efforts.
- Both parents await extradition to South Carolina as official causes of death and potential further charges remain unannounced.
Key facts
- The body of 5-year-old Saylor Hayes was recovered from waters near Hagley Landing and Pawleys Island, South Carolina, after an extensive multi-agency search.[Fox News]
- John Herb Hayes III, 70, and Geordyn Nichole Hayes, 31, were arrested Tuesday evening in Tennessee as fugitives from justice on South Carolina warrants charging them with endangering or abandoning a child.[Fox News]
- Arrest warrants state that Saylor was nonverbal, autistic, and attracted to water, and allege that her monitoring device was removed before traveling from Virginia.[Fox News]
- Authorities allege the parents left the child unsupervised roughly 15 meters from a body of water and subsequently steered search teams away from the water and toward tracking technology.[Fox News]
- Neither parent has been charged with homicide in connection with the girl's death.[Fox News]