One of the most important details in the Saylor Hayes investigation was not discovered in the river. It was discovered hundreds of miles away.

Five-year-old Saylor Hayes disappeared from a vacation rental near Pawleys Island on August 30. She was nonverbal, had autism and was known to wander, according to authorities and court documents. Because of those vulnerabilities, she had been enrolled in Project Lifesaver, a program designed to help authorities locate people who may become lost or wander from caregivers.

But when Saylor disappeared in South Carolina, investigators say the transmitter ᴀssociated with her tracking system was not on her.

It was back in Virginia.

Washington County Sheriff Blake Andis later addressed the issue publicly, emphasizing that the Project Lifesaver equipment functioned as designed when authorities searched for its ᴀssigned frequency. The problem, investigators say, was that the device was not traveling with Saylor.

The discovery has become a central part of the investigation because time was critical.

Saylor’s father called 911 around late morning on August 30 to report that his young daughter had disappeared from the rental property. According to reports, he described her as highly autistic and nonverbal and expressed concern about finding her because she could not communicate with rescuers.

A mᴀssive search followed.

Hundreds of people and multiple agencies searched by land, air and water. Boats moved through waterways. Aircraft and drones were used. Ground teams searched the surrounding area. Community members joined the effort as authorities tried to locate a child who could not call out for help.

Saylor was ultimately found the next morning in water near the rental property.

Investigators now allege that the parents knew Saylor was not wearing the transmitter and nevertheless directed search personnel toward the technology. Authorities also allege that search efforts were diverted away from the water.

Those claims became part of the basis for the criminal charges against John Herb Hayes III and Geordyn Nichole Hayes. Both were arrested in Tennessee and returned to South Carolina, where they were charged with unlawfully placing a child at risk and willfully abandoning a child. They remain enтιтled to the presumption of innocence while the case proceeds.

The medical findings have added another layer to the case.

A preliminary autopsy conducted at the Medical University of South Carolina found pulmonary edema, or fluid in the lungs. No obvious internal or external trauma was observed. Officials have said the finding is consistent with drowning, but they have not declared a final cause or manner of death. Additional testing is still pending.

That means investigators are now working with two different kinds of evidence: medical evidence concerning how Saylor may have died, and investigative evidence concerning what happened before she entered the water.

Neither category has produced every answer yet.

The coroner expects the final autopsy report to take roughly eight to 10 weeks. Meanwhile, Saylor’s parents have been denied bond in South Carolina and remain in custody. Their next court proceedings are part of a case that has already raised questions far beyond the initial search for a missing child.

The tracking device was intended to shorten the distance between a vulnerable child and the people searching for her.

Instead, its absence has become one of the most closely examined details in the investigation.

Source: NYpost