World news and discussion on TalkFuse.
Saylor Hayes’ cause of death revealed months after non-verbal 5-year-old was found dead in South Carolina river
A South Carolina coroner has ruled that five-year-old Saylor Hayes died from drowning, with child neglect contributing to her death. The manner of death remains undetermined because investigators could not establish whether it was accidental or the result of a homicide.
Saylor, who was autistic and non-verbal, was found in the Waccamaw River on 31 August after going missing during a family holiday on Pawleys Island. She was not wearing her Project Lifesaver transmitter, which authorities said appeared to have been removed before she left the family home in Virginia. Her parents were arrested in Tennessee and face charges related to placing a child at risk and abandonment; they have not been convicted.
In short
- Saylor Hayes died by drowning, with child neglect listed as a contributing factor.
- The coroner could not determine whether her death was accidental or a homicide.
- Her parents face charges over alleged neglect and abandonment.
Explained simply
The Waccamaw River runs through South Carolina, near Pawleys Island, a coastal holiday destination. Saylor Hayes, a five-year-old autistic child who did not use spoken language, went missing there during a family holiday and was later found in the river.
Project Lifesaver is a programme that uses tracking transmitters to help locate people who may wander or become lost. Authorities said Saylor was not wearing hers when she went missing, and that it appeared to have been removed before she left the family home in Virginia.
Her parents face criminal charges connected with child safety and abandonment, but have not been convicted. The case matters because the coroner attributed her death to drowning and child neglect, while leaving open whether the drowning was accidental or involved a homicide.