Parents Arrested in South Carolina After Autistic Daughter's Death Near Coastal Getaway
John Herb Hayes III, 70, and Geordyn Nichole Hayes, 31, were arrested in Tennessee following the discovery of their 5-year-old autistic daughter, Saylor Hayes, deceased in waters near Pawleys Island, South Carolina. The couple faces charges of putting their daughter in danger or abandoning her under South Carolina law. Saylor, who was severely nonverbal and autistic with a strong attraction to water and a history of wandering, was found near Hagley Landing after an extensive search involving numerous agencies and local residents. Arrest warrants allege that Saylor, despite having been equipped with a monitoring device since 2024, had the device removed before the family left Virginia. She was then reportedly left unsupervised within approximately 15 meters (49 feet) of a body of water. The warrants further claim that the Hayeses directed search efforts towards tracking technology they knew she wasn't wearing and away from the nearby body of water. Both parents have prior felony cases involving allegations ... 
