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by JENN WOOD
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An autopsy found fluid in the lungs of 5-year-old Saylor Hayes, but authorities said Friday they are not yet able to determine what caused her death or whether it was accidental.
The update came the same day Saylor’s parents — John Herb Hayes III, 70, and Geordyn Nichole Hayes, 31 — were extradited from Tennessee and booked into the Georgetown County Detention Center.
Both are charged with unlawfully placing a child at risk of harm or willfully abandoning a child, according to jail records. Geordyn Hayes was booked at 2:58 p.m. Friday, followed by John Hayes at 3:05 p.m.
The charges remain allegations, and neither parent has been convicted.
The Hayeses agreed to return to South Carolina during a Thursday morning court appearance in Tennessee, where both waived their right to an attorney for the extradition proceeding.
Their return came shortly before Georgetown County coroner Chase Ridgeway released the first findings from Saylor’s autopsy.
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According to Ridgeway, Saylor’s body was recovered from the Waccamaw River at approximately 9:54 a.m. Monday after Georgetown County sheriff Carter Weaver notified the coroner’s office.
Saylor was transported to the Georgetown County Morgue, where Ridgeway conducted an initial examination.
She was found wearing a bathing suit, according to the release. A strap attached to her ankle appeared consistent with one used as part of a child’s wrist tether.
The coroner did not say what — if anything — the strap was connected to when Saylor was found or whether it is believed to have played any role in her death.
No obvious external trauma was observed during the initial examination.
A forensic pathologist conducted an autopsy Friday at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. That examination revealed pulmonary edema — a buildup of fluid in the lungs — but found no visible signs of trauma internally or externally.
Pulmonary edema can be associated with drowning, but it is not by itself enough to conclusively establish drowning as the cause of death. Forensic pathologists typically consider autopsy findings alongside microscopic examinations, laboratory results and the circumstances surrounding a person’s disappearance and recovery.
For now, Ridgeway said both Saylor’s cause of death and manner of death remain unknown.
The cause identifies the medical reason a person died. The manner classifies the circumstances of the death as natural, accidental, suicidal, homicidal or undetermined.
The coroner’s office expects the final autopsy report to be completed within approximately eight to ten weeks, pending laboratory testing and review of the results.
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RELATED | Saylor Hayes’ Parents Had Prior Child-Neglect Cases in Virginia
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DISAPPEARANCE AND SEARCH
Saylor disappeared Sunday from her family’s vacation rental on Old Waccamaw Drive in the Hagley community of Pawleys Island, setting off an extensive search involving deputies, firefighters, K-9 teams, boats, drones, divers and volunteers.
Authorities said Saylor was nonverbal and had a tendency to wander. She was wearing a Project Lifesaver transponder — a tracking device designed to help locate people who may wander because of cognitive conditions.
Her body was recovered from the Waccamaw River the following morning.
The criminal charges against her parents concern the circumstances under which Saylor allegedly was placed at risk or abandoned. The coroner’s release does not attribute her death to either parent, and the final medical findings remain pending.
FITSNews will continue reporting on the criminal cases and the investigation into Saylor’s death as additional records and findings become available.
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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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1 comment
She WAS NOT wearing the transponder when she disappeared. It was found in a vehicle back home. Might want to update your story.