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by JENN WOOD
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The Virginia couple charged following the disappearance and death of their five-year-old daughter in Pawleys Island, South Carolina both previously faced felony child abuse allegations in their home state, according to court records (.pdf) obtained by FITSNews.
John Herb Hayes III, 70, and Geordyn Nichole Hayes, 31, were arrested Tuesday evening (September 1, 2026) in Carter County, Tennessee, on South Carolina warrants accusing them of unlawfully placing a child at risk, causing harm or willfully abandoning a child.
The warrants were issued after the body of their daughter, Saylor Hayes, was recovered from the water near the family’s Georgetown County vacation rental on Monday (August 31, 2026).
Neither South Carolina arrest warrant identified the prior Virginia cases – or alleged that they were connected to Saylor’s death.
However, newly obtained warrant records indicated the earlier case involved two young children who allegedly tested positive for controlled substances while in the couple’s custody. One was identified as a two-year-old girl with the initials S.H. — matching Saylor Hayes’ initials and age at the time — although the document did not provide her full name.
The records provided new context surrounding the caregivers now accused of failing to protect a severely nonverbal, autistic child with a documented affinity for water and history of elopement.
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INTERCEPTED IN TENNESSEE
According to Carter County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) incident reports, deputies received information on the evening of September 1, 2026, that the two fugitives would be traveling from South Carolina to a residence on Marion Branch Road in Carter County.
Authorities were told they would be traveling in a black SUV bearing a Texas registration plate.
Deputy Kevin Smith and Sgt. Cody Farley established surveillance near the intersection of Marion Branch and Bear Hollow roads. Smith reported seeing a black GMC SUV with Texas plates pass their position and pull into the driveway of the residence.
Deputies followed the SUV into the driveway and identified John Hayes in the driver’s seat and Geordyn Hayes standing near the vehicle’s passenger side.
After confirming the South Carolina warrants remained active and carried full extradition authorization, deputies detained both suspects without incident. They were subsequently transported separately to the Carter County Detention Center and charged under Tennessee law with being fugitives from justice for alleged crimes committed in another state.
Both remained jailed without bond pending extradition proceedings. According to Carter County public information officer Abby Frye, no extradition hearing had been scheduled as of Wednesday morning (September 2, 2026).
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PRIOR CHILD-ABUSE CASE INVOLVED TWO CHILDREN
The newly obtained records (.pdf) provided significantly more detail about the two felony child-abuse charges previously filed against John Hayes.
One of the alleged victims was a two-year-old girl identified by the initials S.H. — matching Saylor Hayes’ initials and approximate age in July 2023. The records did not state the child’s full name, however, so FITSNews has not independently confirmed that S.H. was Saylor.
The second child was identified as J.H., a one-year-old boy.
According to an affidavit prepared by Washington County sheriff’s detective William W. Smarr, the county’s Department of Social Services removed both children from the custody of John Hayes and Geordyn Taylor — now Geordyn Hayes — in July 2023.
Smarr wrote that hair-follicle testing performed on the children indicated that S.H. tested positive for methadone, while J.H. tested positive for both methamphetamine and methadone.
Authorities also administered drug screens to the children’s parents, according to the affidavit. John Hayes allegedly tested positive for methadone, while Geordyn allegedly tested positive for methamphetamine and methadone.
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Both parents showed investigators cards associated with their methadone treatment clinic, Smarr wrote. When asked how the children had been exposed to the substances, the couple reportedly said they did not know.
“John and Geordyn were the custodians and parents of the children and while in their custody both children were exposed to these substances,” Smarr wrote.
The detective also referenced a history of calls to the family’s address in which one parent allegedly accused the other of using methamphetamine or other drugs and requested police assistance.
Based on those allegations, authorities obtained two felony warrants charging John Hayes with child abuse or neglect demonstrating a reckless disregard for human life. One warrant concerned S.H. and the other concerned J.H.
The alleged offense date was July 3, 2023. The warrants were issued on August 22, 2023, and Hayes was arrested six days later. Both cases were eventually certified to a Washington County grand jury, which returned indictments in April 2024.
Court records indicate Hayes entered an Alford plea in one of the two cases on May 2, 2024. Under an Alford plea, a defendant maintains his innocence while acknowledging that prosecutors possess sufficient evidence to likely obtain a conviction.
The cases were handled through a deferred-disposition arrangement that included two years of supervised probation. Court records list both charges as dismissed on February 11, 2026.
Accordingly, Hayes does not have a conviction arising from either case.
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RELATED | Parents of Saylor Hayes Arrested
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GEORDYN HAYES’ PENDING CASE
Six days after John Hayes’ cases were dismissed, Geordyn Hayes was arrested in Washington County on allegations of felony child abuse and felony cruelty or injury to a child.
The charges arose from an incident on February 17, 2026.
According to a criminal complaint (.pdf) filed by a Washington County deputy, authorities received a call from a man attempting to locate his wife, who reportedly had their baby with her. The man told authorities she had “relapsed on meth” and may have become stranded after her vehicle broke down.
Deputies located Geordyn Hayes and a juvenile inside a vehicle that had run out of gas.
The responding deputy alleged Hayes was acting erratically, was easily agitated and appeared possibly under the influence of a narcotic. The complaint states her speech appeared accelerated and slurred, her pupils were dilated and nonreactive to light, and she was unsteady on her feet.
According to the deputy, the child had been in the back of the vehicle without the heat running while the temperature outside was approximately 35 degrees.
Hayes allegedly told deputies she had been gone throughout the day. The child’s father reportedly said she left at approximately 1:00 p.m.
The deputy wrote that Hayes claimed she had attempted to contact two trucks for assistance but would not provide her location to her husband or to a dispatcher who called her cellphone.
The complaint did identify the child by name.
Court records show the felony child-abuse charge was later reduced to a Class 1 misdemeanor charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. On August 14, 2026 — approximately two weeks before Saylor disappeared — the court placed that case under a deferred disposition.
A related felony charge of cruelty or injury to a child was dismissed nolle prosequi, meaning prosecutors elected not to pursue it at that time.
A separate public-intoxication charge arising from the same incident was also continued under a deferred disposition. Court records list March 12, 2027, as the next proceeding in that case, while the contributing-to-the-delinquency case is scheduled for a dispositional hearing on August 17, 2027.
A deferred disposition generally allows a court to postpone a final judgment while a defendant completes certain requirements. Depending on compliance and the terms imposed, the charge may later be dismissed or otherwise resolved.
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SOUTH CAROLINA ALLEGATIONS
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Saylor disappeared August 30, 2026, from the family’s vacation rental on Old Waccamaw Drive in the Hagley community of Pawleys Island.
Her disappearance triggered a massive search involving deputies, firefighters, divers, K-9 teams, boats, drones, aircraft and volunteers.
Agents with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) recovered her body from nearby water the following morning.
According to affidavits accompanying the South Carolina arrest warrants, Saylor was a “severely nonverbal, autistic five-year-old child” with a known affinity for water and history of wandering.
Investigators allege her parents left her unsupervised within approximately 15 meters of the water without adequate safeguards.
Saylor had reportedly been assigned a Project Lifesaver transmitter in Virginia in 2024. The device is intended to help locate vulnerable people who are prone to wandering.
When South Carolina search teams could not detect the transmitter’s frequency, Washington County deputies checked the family’s Virginia property. Sheriff Blake Andis said deputies detected the assigned frequency and traced it to Saylor’s transmitter inside a vehicle at the residence.
Investigators allege the device had been removed before the family left Virginia.
Even though they allegedly knew Saylor was not wearing it, both parents are accused of directing searchers toward the tracking technology. The affidavits further allege they directed search efforts away from the nearby water.
Each parent is charged under S.C. Code § 63-5-70, a felony punishable by up to ten years in prison and a fine imposed at the court’s discretion.
Additional charges remain possible as the investigation continues.
An official cause and manner of Saylor’s death have not been released. An autopsy has been scheduled for this Friday (September 4, 2026).
An arraignment and extradition hearing for John and Geordyn Hayes is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. Thursday, September 3, 2026, in Carter County General Sessions Court.
As with anyone accused of a crime, John and Geordyn Hayes are presumed innocent unless and until they are convicted in court.
Field correspondent Troy Styles contributed to this report.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
As a private investigator turned journalist, Jenn Wood brings a unique skill set to FITSNews as its research director. Known for her meticulous sourcing and victim-centered approach, she helps shape the newsroom’s most complex investigative stories while producing the FITSFiles and Cheer Incorporated podcasts. Jenn lives in South Carolina with her family, where her work continues to spotlight truth, accountability, and justice.
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