New preliminary autopsy findings have added another important detail to the investigation into the d#ath of 5-year-old Saylor Hayes, who was found in a waterway near her family’s vacation rental on Pawleys Island, South Carolina.

According to the Georgetown County Coroner’s Office, the examination found pulmonary edema — fluid buildup in the lungs — consistent with drowning. However, authorities have emphasized that an official cause of d#ath has not yet been finalized, with the complete autopsy report expected in approximately eight to 10 weeks. No visible signs of trauma were reported in the preliminary findings.

One detail has drawn particular attention: Saylor was found wearing a bathing suit with a strap attached around her ankle. The coroner’s office described it as resembling a child’s wrist tether. That detail has prompted questions because Saylor had previously been enrolled in Project Lifesaver due to her tendency to wander, yet the tracking transmitter she was supposed to wear was reportedly not with her when she disappeared.

Authorities have said the transmitter was found inside a vehicle at the family’s home in Virginia, more than 300 miles away. Investigators have not publicly established who removed it or exactly when that happened.

Saylor was reported missing on August 30 after disappearing from the family’s rental property. An extensive search involving multiple agencies followed, and she was discovered the following morning in a nearby waterway. Her parents, John Herb Hayes III and Geordyn Hayes, were later arrested and charged with unlawfully placing a child at risk and willfully abandoning a child. Those allegations have not been proven in court.

For now, the ankle strap should not be treated as proof of what happened to Saylor. Investigators have not publicly said that it caused or contributed to her d#ath, and the preliminary autopsy does not establish why it was around her ankle.

The final medical findings could therefore become significant as investigators continue reconstructing the timeline.

👀 Why was the strap around Saylor’s ankle, where was her tracking device, and what will the final autopsy reveal about the little girl’s final hours?

Nguồn: ᴀssociated Press / local reporting on the preliminary autopsy · WPDE — Saylor Hayes autopsy update 