The parents of a non-verbal 5-year-old girl found dead in a South Carolina waterway have been arrested on charges of child endangerment. Geordyn Hayes, 31, and her husband, John Herb Hayes III, 70, were arrested in Tennessee on Tuesday, a day after the body of their daughter, Saylor Hayes, was discovered following an extensive two-day search.
Authorities stated the couple appeared in court Thursday for an extradition hearing. They face charges of unlawfully placing a child at risk and willfully abandoning a child in connection with Saylor's death. The arrest affidavit indicates the parents are accused of exposing Saylor to an unreasonable risk of harm by failing to provide adequate supervision and safeguards for a severely nonverbal, autistic child with known tendencies to wander and an affinity for water.
In a developing aspect of the case, it was revealed that Geordyn Hayes was arrested approximately six months prior on child abuse and neglect charges involving a different child. According to reports, she was taken into custody on February 17 and faced charges including child abuse and reckless disregard for life in that separate case concerning a juvenile male. The details of the resolution of that prior case were not immediately clear.
Saylor was reportedly supposed to wear a Project Lifesaver transmitter due to her tendency to elope, or wander off, but was not wearing the device when she left the property during the family's vacation. Her body was found on Monday.
The Georgetown County Sheriff's Office confirmed the parents will be extradited to South Carolina. They appeared in a Carter County courthouse on Thursday and waived their rights to an attorney and an extradition hearing. A status hearing is scheduled for September 14 if extradition has not occurred by then. Both parents are being held without bond.