A quiet family vacation in coastal South Carolina turned into every parent’s worst nightmare over the weekend. Five-year-old Saylor Hayes, a non-verbal child who wandered away from her family’s rental property, was found dead Monday morning floating in a nearby river.
The little girl vanished Sunday around 11:30 a.m. from a house in Hagley Estates on Pawleys Island. Her parents immediately called local authorities after realizing she had slipped away unnoticed, kicking off an intense two-day operation.
Within hours, hundreds of people poured into the neighborhood to help find the missing youngster. Local law enforcement officers, specialized K9 search teams, police boats, and dive teams scoured the surrounding streets, marshlands, and waterways.
The massive effort came to a tragic end Monday morning. Crews from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources spotted Saylor’s body floating on the surface of the Waccamaw River, not far from where her family was staying.
Investigators have not ruled out any possibilities as they work to piece together what happened. Detectives are looking into every potential scenario to figure out how the child got into the water and what caused her death.
The Georgetown County Coroner’s Office plans to perform an autopsy on Friday. Officials expect the medical examination to provide clear answers regarding the exact cause and manner of death.
As of right now, authorities have not named any suspects or made any arrests. The investigation remains fully active as local agencies continue gathering facts about the incident.
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