Parents Charged in Death of 5-Year-Old Found Near Beach
John Herb Hayes III and Geordyn Nichole Hayes face charges in connection with the death of their daughter Saylor; the case is at the charging stage and has not been resolved.
3 reports on this incident · first at Sep 1, 2026, 8:46 p.m. ET
Earlier reports
Sep 1, 2026, 10:06 p.m. ET
John Herb Hayes III and Geordyn Nichole Hayes Charged in Georgetown County Case
John Herb Hayes III and Geordyn Nichole Hayes have been charged with unlawfully placing a child at risk or willfully abandoning a child, according to reports from abccolumbia.com, fitsnews.com, and wlox.com. The case is still pending, and no trial has occurred.
The Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case, along with other agencies including the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Washington County Sheriff's Office, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, and U.S. Coast Guard.
As with anyone accused of committing any crime, both parents are considered innocent until proven guilty by our justice system, according to fitsnews.com.
Sentencing has not yet been determined. The statutory maximum for the charge is a prison sentence of not more than ten (10) years, according to fitsnews.com.
Sep 1, 2026, 8:46 p.m. ETFirst report
Parents of Saylor Hayes Charged in Child's Death; Case Undecided
The parents of Saylor Hayes have been charged in connection with her death, according to a report by FITSNews published on September 1, 2026. John Herb Hayes III and Geordyn Nichole Hayes are charged with unlawfully placing a child at risk and willfully abandoning a child, as reported by FITSNews. The matter is at the charging stage and has not been resolved; the charges are allegations and the case remains undecided.
The charges stem from allegations that the couple failed to provide supervision and safeguards appropriate for their severely nonverbal, autistic five-year-old daughter, who had a known affinity for water and a history of elopement. The government also claims the parents encouraged search efforts to be directed toward tracking technology despite knowing the child was not wearing the monitoring device, and directed search efforts away from a nearby body of water, according to FITSNews.
The Georgetown County Sheriff's Office, along with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and the Washington County Sheriff's Office, are involved in the investigation, as reported by FITSNews. The charges carry a maximum prison sentence of not more than ten (10) years, according to FITSNews.
As with anyone accused of a crime, both parents are presumed innocent until proven guilty, as stated by FITSNews. The case is ongoing and no determination of guilt has been made.
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Revision history
- Version 22 Sept 2026, 02:10current
Added a sentence stating the case is at the charging stage and has not been resolved, and updated the dek to reflect that.
- Version 12 Sept 2026, 00:46current
First published.
- Version 12 Sept 2026, 02:06current
First published.
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