Saylor Hayes, 5, Remembered at Memorial as Investigation Into Her Death Continues

A South Carolina community gathered this week to remember 5-year-old Saylor Hayes, whose death remains under investigation following her disappearance from Pawleys Island.

Saylor was reported missing on August 30, 2026, while her family was visiting the Pawleys Island area. Her body was discovered the following day, August 31, in a body of water near Hagley Landing.

A preliminary examination found pulmonary edema, a condition consistent with drowning. However, authorities have not yet determined Saylor’s official cause of death. A complete autopsy report is expected to take approximately 8 to 10 weeks.

The examination reportedly found no obvious signs of external trauma. When Saylor was discovered, she was wearing a swimsuit and an ankle monitor.

Investigators have also focused on Saylor’s history of wandering. She was enrolled in Project Lifesaver and was supposed to wear a tracking device intended to help authorities locate her if she wandered away.

But according to the case file, that tracking device was not with Saylor when she disappeared. Police later discovered it inside a vehicle at the family’s home in Virginia.

Saylor’s parents, John Herb Hayes III and Geordyn Nichole Hayes, were arrested in Tennessee on September 1 and later extradited to South Carolina. Both face charges of unlawfully placing a child at risk and willful abandonment.

The charges are allegations and do not constitute convictions.

On September 5–6, a South Carolina judge denied bail for both parents. Judge Steven Pop said he would not approve a personal recognizance bond in the case.

Meanwhile, the community has been left mourning the loss of a young child whose disappearance triggered a search that ended in tragedy.

On September 7, family, friends and community members gathered at Hagley Landing for a memorial service honoring Saylor.

As investigators await the full autopsy results, important questions surrounding the circumstances of Saylor’s death remain unanswered.

For those who knew and loved her, however, the focus is now on remembering a five-year-old girl whose life ended far too soon.

Source: WIS