Tennessee Arrests 2 Parents After 911 Call in 5-Year-Old Saylor Hayes Death

Q: Why did the parents deliberately remove their autistic daughter's tracking device before taking her to a waterfront rental?

There is no verified public explanation for why Saylor Hayes’ parents removed her tracking device before the trip to the waterfront rental. Investigators have alleged the device was deliberately cut off before the family left Virginia, but court documents released so far do not state a motive. What is established is that Saylor, a severely nonverbal 5-year-old with autism, had a known history of wandering and a strong attraction to water. She was enrolled in Project Lifesaver, a radio-frequency tracking program designed for people at risk of wandering. Authorities in Virginia said the transmitter could not have been casually unclasped; it had to be physically cut off. Deputies later found it inside a vehicle at the family’s Virginia property. South Carolina warrants allege the parents then left Saylor unsupervised about 49 feet from water near Hagley Landing and, after she was reported missing, directed searchers toward tracking technology even though they allegedly knew she was not wearing the device. Investigators also say they steered attention away from the nearby water. Those facts have fueled suspicion, but they do not answer the “why.” Police have charged the parents with unlawfully placing a child at risk or willfully abandoning a child, not homicide, and officials say the investigation is ongoing. Until investigators disclose a motive or prosecutors present evidence in court, any reason for removing the device would be speculation.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 3

911 audio from Aug. 30 shows John Hayes reporting 5-year-old Saylor missing from a Pawleys Island rental home and saying within minutes that he needed to search the nearby water.
Dispatch records show deputies, dive teams, drones, a marine unit and a helicopter were sent quickly, with command posts set up to watch the water while authorities also tried to activate Saylor’s Project Lifesaver device.
Arrest warrants allege John and Geordyn Hayes steered searchers toward a tracking device they knew Saylor was not wearing and away from the water, though the dispatch log itself does not establish what they knew.
DNR agents found Saylor’s body at about 9:45 a.m. Monday in waters near where she was last seen; her 70-year-old father and 31-year-old mother were arrested Tuesday in Tennessee and await extradition to South Carolina.