Body of Missing 5-Year-Old Recovered Near Pawleys Island
South Carolina authorities recovered the body of 5-year-old Saylor Hayes, who vanished near Pawleys Island, after an extensive multi-agency search.
South Carolina officials recovered the body of Saylor Hayes, a nonverbal five-year-old who disappeared from a rental home near Old Waccamaw Drive in the Hagley Community, early Monday morning. Agents with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources located the remains at about 9:45 a.m. in nearby waters.
The Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office, which posted the initial missing-person alert Sunday afternoon, said the search continued through the night with assistance from multiple agencies. Deputies employed Project Lifesaver tracking technology, drones, K-9 units, divers, and a helicopter from the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office equipped with the same system. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division contributed a helicopter and an underwater drone, while the U.S. Coast Guard provided a vessel.
Hundreds of local residents also searched their properties and monitored docks as part of the effort. Sheriff Carter Weaver, who confirmed the family is from Virginia, thanked volunteers and extended condolences to the Hayes family. No cause of death has been released.