The Virginia parents of a 5-year-old nonverbal girl found dead in a South Carolina waterway have been taken into custody, just hours after the child’s mother posted an online tribute calling her daughter “mommy’s little angel.”

John Herb Hayes III, 70, and his wife, Geordyn Nichole Hayes, 31, were arrested Tuesday in Tennessee and are facing charges tied to unlawfully placing a child at risk and willfully abandoning a child in the death of Saylor Hayes, according to the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office.

Authorities said Saylor’s body was discovered around 9:45 a.m. Monday in a waterway near the family’s Pawleys Island vacation rental. She was found wearing a one-piece bathing suit and a white lanyard after what officials described as an “intensive search involving hundreds of people and multiple agencies.”

Saylor, who had a history of wandering away and was supposed to be wearing a Project Lifesaver transmitter, did not have the device on when she left the rental property during the family’s South Carolina vacation, investigators said.

In an arrest affidavit, authorities accused the parents of exposing Saylor to “an unreasonable risk of harm affecting her life and safety” by allegedly failing to provide the level of supervision and safeguards needed for a “severely nonverbal, autistic, five-year-old child” who was known to be drawn to water and had a history of elopement.

The affidavit states that Saylor had used a monitoring device since 2024, but that it had been taken off before the family traveled from Virginia. Investigators have not said who removed the tracker or exactly when it was removed.

Investigators also allege that Saylor’s parents hindered or complicated the search as authorities and volunteers worked to locate the missing child.

Police said the couple “encouraged search efforts to be directed toward the use of tracking technology,” even though they allegedly knew Saylor was not wearing the monitoring device at the time she disappeared.

“[They] further directed search efforts away from the nearby body of water.” 

Her parents, who have been married for five years, will return to Georgetown County once extradition proceedings have been completed. It’s not clear when they fled to Tennessee.

Georgetown County Sheriff Carter Weaver lamented Saylor’s death after sheriffs revealed her parents had been charged.

“Parents and caregivers have a fundamental responsibility to protect children who cannot protect themselves,” he said.

“When the evidence establishes probable cause to believe that a child has been unlawfully placed in circumstances that endanger that child’s safety, law enforcement has a responsibility to act.

“Saylor was a vulnerable five-year-old child who depended upon the adults responsible for her care and protection. She deserved to be safe. She deserved to be protected.”

Saylor’s cause of death has not yet been confirmed. An autopsy is set to take place on Friday. 

But her body had no visible signs of trauma, Chase Ridgeway, the Georgetown County Coroner, said, according to WHSV.

“The cause and manner of death remain undetermined pending the completion of the autopsy and any necessary additional testing,” he added. 

Saylor’s parents were arrested just hours after Geordyn Hayes paid tribute to her deceased daughter.

She shared an undated picture of Saylor beaming as she came down a slide.

Saylor had a halo above her head and angel wings on each side. 

“Mommy’s little angel,” the text on the picture said.

Geordyn Hayes also shared clips of Saylor playing on an inflatable water slide. 

She described it as “worry-free entertainment all summer long” for autistic children that are “attracted to water” but can’t swim.

Saylor was reported missing just after 12:30 p.m. on Sunday and the mammoth search effort involved drones, K9s, and helicopters fitted with Project Lifesaver equipment.

Cops believed the helicopter would detect the signal from her bracelet, and nearby docks and the Waccamaw shoreline were searched as part of the investigation.

Cops realized Saylor wasn’t wearing the transmitter when investigators traced the signal to a vehicle, Blake Andis, the Washington County, Virginia, Sheriff, said.

“The transmitter is attached using a specialized band designed for continuous wear,” he said.

“It cannot simply be unclasped or removed by the client; the band must be physically cut in order to remove the transmitter.”