A South Carolina magistrate denied bond for the parents of a 5-year-old autistic girl, who was found dead in a waterway on Aug. 31, citing their alleged failure to properly supervise their daughter. Georgetown County Magistrate Steven Pop stated there was "no way on this earth" he would grant John Hayes III, 71, and Geordyn Hayes, 31, bond.
The couple, who are from Virginia, face charges of unlawfully placing a child at risk and willfully abandoning a child. They were arrested in Tennessee and extradited to South Carolina. Their daughter, Saylor Hayes, was non-verbal and autistic and had a known history of wandering off, particularly towards water.
According to an arrest affidavit, the Hayes are accused of putting Saylor "at an unreasonable risk of harm affecting her life and safety by failing to provide supervision and safeguards appropriate for a severely nonverbal, autistic, five-year-old child with a known affinity to water and a history of elopement."
Saylor's body was discovered during an intensive two-day search on Pawleys Island, where the family was vacationing. An autopsy report indicated the cause of death was consistent with drowning, noting pulmonary edema, a condition of fluid buildup in the lungs. The official cause of death has not yet been determined. The child was found wearing a bathing suit with a tether strap attached to her ankle, which appeared to be a wrist tether. Authorities noted that Saylor was supposed to be wearing a Project Lifesaver transmitter, a device designed for individuals who tend to wander, but she was not wearing it when she disappeared from the property.
During the bond hearing, the attorney for John Hayes argued that the parents had endured a "horrific" experience and sought release, stating their desire to fight the charges. However, Magistrate Pop was resolute in his decision, stating, "That’s not going to happen on my watch. There’s no way on this earth that I’m going to grant a PR bond."