John Herb Hayes, 70, and Geordyn Hayes, 31, both of Bristol, Virginia, were arrested in East Tennessee the night of Sept. 1 on outstanding South Carolina warrants. The warrants charged both with one count of unlawfully placing a child at risk of or causing harm or willfully abandoning the child, according to the Carter County Sheriff’s Office.
The charges were related to the couple's daughter, Saylor Hayes, 5, also of Bristol, Virginia, who went missing on Aug. 30 in the Georgetown and Pawleys Island area of South Carolina, according to the Washington County, Virginia Sheriff’s Office.
The couple appears to have two other young children together, according to Geordyn Hayes' social media.
A search involving multiple agencies and hundreds of volunteers
located Saylor's body the following day, Aug. 31.
How Saylor Hayes was found
Saylor Hayes had been enrolled in the Washington County, Virginia, Sheriff's Office Project Lifesaver program since June 2024.
Project Lifesaver is a voluntary program for those who are at risk of wandering due to special needs and cognitive conditions. Saylor Hayes was nonverbal, according to the WCSO. The program provides members with a small transmitter that emits a radio frequency to aid first responders in locating them if they go missing.
On Aug. 30, the Sheriff's Office in Washington County was contacted by the Georgetown, South Carolina, Sheriff's Office after Saylor Hayes was reported missing by her mother and provided it with the individualized radio frequency on her transmitter, along with other information.
Saylor Hayes' transmitter was ultimately tracked to a vehicle at a rental home on Old Waccamaw Drive in Hagley, South Carolina. She was not wearing it at the time of her disappearance. The transmitter is designed for around-the-clock use and cannot be removed by a Project Lifesaver enrollee. The transmitter must be cut off to be removed, according to the WCSO.
Several agencies participated in the search, including the Midway Fire Department, Midway Sheriff’s Office Marine Patrol, the Department of Natural Resources, Charleston Sheriff’s Office, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, Horry County Fire Department, Georgetown County Fire Department, Georgetown County Emergency Services and Georgetown City Fire Department.
The search was focused on the Waccamaw River and surrounding shoreline. Saylor Hayes was ultimately found dead in the body of water on Aug. 31.
"The circumstances surrounding Saylor’s death remain part of an active investigation. WCSO continues to cooperate with the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office, and no additional information regarding the circumstances surrounding the removal or location of Saylor’s transmitter will be released at this time," the Washington County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.
What are John and Geordyn Hayes charged with?
John and Geordyn Hayes were both wanted on felony arrest warrants out of South Carolina. The Carter County, Tennessee, Sheriff’s Office was informed the two would be traveling in a black SUV with Texas plates to a home on Marion Branch Road in Carter County.
Deputies from the sheriff's office conducted surveillance of the two and arrested them at the home after determining they were the suspects.
In addition to the charges of unlawfully placing a child at risk of or causing harm or willfully abandoning the child, both John and Geordyn Hayes were charged with one count of being a fugitive from justice for a crime in another state.
The two are now being held without bond in the Carter County Detention Center awaiting an extradition hearing. A hearing to extradite John and Geordyn back to South Carolina has not been set.
Afton Pratt covers trending and breaking news for The Knoxville News Sentinel and Tennessee. She can be reached at ampratt@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Saylor Hayes' parents arrested in Tennessee after girl, 5, found dead in South Carolina
