Virginia couple to be extradited to South Carolina in death of 5-year-old daughter

John Herb Hayes III, 70, and Geordyn Nichole Hayes, 31, of Bristol, Virginia, appeared in Carter County General Sessions Court in Tennessee on Thursday and voluntarily waived their rights to extradition. The couple will be moved to South Carolina within the next ten days to answer charges of unlawfully placing a child at risk or willfully abandoning a child.

Their daughter, Saylor Hayes, was found dead on Monday in the waters near Hagley Landing, a boat ramp on the Waccamaw River in Pawleys Island, South Carolina. Authorities recovered her body after an extensive search that involved multiple law-enforcement agencies. Saylor, who was nonverbal, had been reported missing by her mother the previous day.

The Hayes were arrested in Carter County, Tennessee, more than 350 miles from the location where Saylor’s body was discovered. They are being held without bond at the Carter County Detention Center pending extradition. Both parents also waived the right to retain counsel while awaiting transfer.

According to court affidavits, investigators were misled about the location of Saylor’s Project Lifesaver monitoring device, a wearable tracker for individuals with cognitive impairments, even though the device was not on the child at the time of the search.

"Saylor was a vulnerable five-year-old child who depended upon the adults responsible for her care and protection," Georgetown County Sheriff Carter Weaver said in a statement.

The case follows prior legal issues involving John Herb Hayes, who faced child-abuse charges in 2023 that were later dismissed after a deferred disposition and supervised probation.