Parents of 5-year-old autistic girl arrested after her death in South Carolina waterway

The parents of a 5-year-old nonverbal, autistic girl who was found dead in a South Carolina waterway have been arrested and charged in connection with her death. John Herb Hayes III, 70, and Geordyn Nichole Hayes, 31, were taken into custody on Tuesday, September 1, in Carter County, Tennessee, following the death of their daughter, Saylor Hayes. Saylor was reported missing on Sunday, August 30, after she allegedly wandered away from a rental property in the Hagley Estates community of Pawleys Island, South Carolina. An intensive search involving hundreds of people and multiple agencies was launched. Her body was recovered the following morning, August 31, at approximately 9:45 a.m. from the Waccamaw River near where she was last seen. The Georgetown County Sheriff's Office announced the arrests and stated that the couple faces charges of unlawfully placing a child at risk and willfully abandoning a child. According to arrest warrants, the parents are accused of placing Saylor at an unreasonable risk of harm by failing to provide appropriate supervision for a severely nonverbal, autistic child with a known affinity for water and a history of elopement.