A South Carolina couple faces criminal charges after their five-year-old autistic daughter vanished from a rental home and was found dead in nearby waters, with arrest warrants alleging the parents deliberately directed searchers away from the water where her body was ultimately discovered.

Frantic 911 Call Reveals Father’s Search

John Herb Hayes III, 70, called 911 just before 11:40 a.m. on August 30 from a Pawleys Island rental home, reporting his daughter Saylor missing. The father told dispatchers his autistic daughter had been buckled in their vehicle while he went inside to retrieve juice and other items for a planned beach trip. When he returned moments later, she was gone. During the emergency call, Hayes repeatedly stated he needed to check the water near the property.

Deputies arrived within minutes, and search crews quickly mobilized. More than 200 residents joined law enforcement, firefighters, and state agents in searching nearby properties and guarding local docks. The response included a South Carolina Department of Natural Resources dive team, drones, a marine unit, and a helicopter searching the Hagley Estates community area.

Body Found After Tracking Device Confusion

Department of Natural Resources agents discovered Saylor’s body in waters near the rental home at approximately 9:45 a.m. Monday, roughly 22 hours after she disappeared. The search had been complicated by information about a Project Lifesaver tracking device. Dispatchers contacted Washington County, Virginia authorities to obtain the device’s frequency code. However, arrest warrants now allege John Hayes and Geordyn Nichole Hayes, 31, directed search efforts toward the tracking device knowing Saylor was not wearing it, and intentionally steered searchers away from the nearby water. The warrants claim the device had been removed before the family left Virginia.

Tennessee Arrest and Pending Charges

The Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office arrested both parents Tuesday evening in Tennessee. John Hayes and Geordyn Hayes were booked into the Carter County Jail on fugitive-from-justice charges. The couple faces accusations of putting their daughter in danger or abandoning her under South Carolina law. Authorities have not released Saylor’s cause or manner of death. The parents await extradition proceedings to return them to South Carolina to face the charges stemming from the death of their young daughter.