Troubling past of Southern mom, 31, married to man aged SEVENTY after daughter, 5, wandered from home and met tragic end
Geordyn Hayes, 31, the mother of five-year-old Saylor Hayes, has faced multiple child abuse and endangerment charges since last year, it has emerged, after her autistic and non-verbal daughter's body was recovered from a waterway near their rental home in Pawleys Island, South Carolina. Saylor went missing on Sunday after wandering off, prompting an urgent search, and her body was found the following morning; Hayes has not been charged over her daughter's death, and the Georgetown County Sheriff's Office says its investigation remains ongoing with no arrests made.
Court documents show Hayes was charged in February 2026 with abuse of a child and disregard for life, and with cruelty and/or injury to a child, involving a child whose identity was not specified. The first charge was reduced from a felony to a misdemeanour, with Hayes granted a deferred disposition and next due in court in August 2027, while the second charge was dropped without prejudice, meaning it could be revived later. Saylor had previously been fitted with a Project Lifesaver tracking device due to a tendency to wander, but was not wearing it when found; the band was later located in Virginia, where her family is from, after having to be physically cut off.
- Autistic girl, 5, found dead after wandering from South Carolina home
- Mother had prior child abuse and endangerment charges since 2026
- No arrests made; investigation into the girl's death continues
New here? Start with this
Geordyn Hayes, 31, is the mother of five-year-old Saylor Hayes, an autistic and non-verbal child who went missing after wandering from the family's rental home in Pawreys Island, South Carolina, on Sunday. A search was launched and Saylor's body was found in a nearby waterway the next morning. Local investigators, the Georgetown County Sheriff's Office, say the case remains open and no one has been arrested or charged in connection with the death.
Since the discovery, it has come to light that Hayes had already faced child abuse and endangerment charges dating back to last year, relating to a child who has not been publicly identified. One charge was later reduced to a lesser offence with a deferred court process, and a second was dropped but could potentially be reopened. This history is now drawing scrutiny alongside questions about the family's circumstances, including Saylor's use of a tracking device designed to help find children prone to wandering, which she was not wearing when she died.
This story matters because it touches on how child welfare concerns are handled by authorities, the safeguards in place for vulnerable children with additional needs, and how a death is being investigated when the family already had a documented history with child protection cases.