The Project Lifesaver device for a 5-year-old Southwest Virginia girl who was found dead in South Carolina on Monday was found in Washington County, Virginia, according to Sheriff Blake Andis.

The sheriff said Saylor Hayes was from the Bristol area of Washington County and was enrolled in the program since June 2024.

According to a news release, “Project Lifesaver assists law enforcement in locating individuals who are at risk of wandering due to cognitive conditions or other special needs. Clients wear a small transmitter that emits an individualized radio frequency, allowing specially trained personnel to track and locate them if they become missing.”

On Sunday, the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office in South Carolina contacted the Washington County, Virginia Sheriff’s Office after Saylor was reported missing and requested information regarding her Project Lifesaver transmitter. The sheriff’s office provided them with the assigned frequency and other relevant information to assist with the search.

After search personnel in South Carolina were unable to detect Saylor’s frequency, Georgetown County contacted Washington County authorities again and asked to check her residence in Washington County. Washington County authorities detected Saylor’s assigned frequency and tracked the signal to her Project Lifesaver transmitter, which was located inside a vehicle on the property. The transmitter was not with Saylor when she went missing in South Carolina.

According to authorities, Project Lifesaver is a voluntary program.

“A parent, guardian, or caregiver is responsible for ensuring the transmitter remains properly secured to the client,” the news release stated. “The transmitter is attached using a specialized band designed for continuous wear. It cannot simply be unclasped or removed by the client; the band must be physically cut in order to remove the transmitter.”

“Project Lifesaver works, and we believe strongly in this program,” said Sheriff Blake Andis. “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. While no technology can guarantee an outcome, every minute matters when a vulnerable child or adult is missing. 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.”

Deputies said Saylor wandered away from the home her family was renting in Hagley Estates in Pawleys Island Sunday. She was found near the area where she was last seen Monday, according to authorities in South Carolina.

Georgetown County Coroner Chase Ridgeway said an autopsy has been scheduled for Friday morning at the Medical University of South Carolina in connection with Saylor’s death.