The search for 5-year-old Saylor Hayes, a nonverbal girl who disappeared from her family’s rental home in Georgetown County, South Carolina, has ended in tragedy after authorities recovered her body from nearby waters Monday morning.
Saylor was reported missing Sunday, August 30, after she wandered away from the home her family was renting along Old Waccamaw Drive in the Hagley community of Pawleys Island. The Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office immediately launched an extensive search involving deputies, K-9 teams, boats, divers, drones and other specialized resources.
Authorities described Saylor as approximately 3 feet, 6 inches tall, with blonde hair and blue eyes. She was last seen wearing a light-blue one-piece bathing suit and a pink-and-white lanyard around her ankle. Because she was nonverbal and did not respond to her name, investigators urged anyone who saw her to approach gently and speak slowly.
The search quickly expanded across the neighborhood and surrounding waterways. Multiple agencies joined the operation, including the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, Charleston County Sheriff’s Office, Horry County Fire Department, Midway Fire Department and Georgetown County emergency agencies.
Authorities also attempted to locate Saylor using Project Lifesaver technology because she was wearing a tracking device. A Charleston County Sheriff’s Office helicopter equipped with the technology was used during the search, while crews on the ground, boats and underwater teams continued looking through the night. Officials said they had not initially received a signal from the device.
Hundreds of local residents joined the effort, searching properties and surrounding areas and helping monitor docks. The Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office said the community response was extensive as volunteers and emergency personnel worked together in the hope of finding the child safely.
That hope ended Monday morning. At approximately 9:45 a.m., agents with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources located Saylor’s body in the water near the area where she had last been seen.
Authorities have not publicly released a cause or manner of death. The circumstances surrounding Saylor’s disappearance and how she entered the water remain under investigation, and additional information could be released as officials complete their investigation.
Saylor and her family were visiting the Pawleys Island area from Virginia, according to authorities. What began as a missing-child emergency brought together hundreds of residents and numerous agencies before ending with the heartbreaking discovery of the young girl’s body.
The Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office expressed its deepest condolences to Saylor’s family and thanked the residents, volunteers and emergency personnel who participated in the search. For the Pawleys Island community, the tragedy has left a profound sense of grief after an extraordinary effort to bring the missing child home safely.
