New autopsy findings have been released in the death of 5-year-old Saylor Hayes, days after her parents were arrested and extradited back to South Carolina to face charges connected to her death.
Saylor, a nonverbal autistic girl from Virginia, disappeared on August 30 while her family was staying at a rental home in Pawleys Island, South Carolina. After an extensive search involving hundreds of people and multiple agencies, her body was recovered from the Waccamaw River the following day.
A preliminary autopsy conducted by the Medical University of South Carolina found pulmonary edema, or fluid in the lungs. However, officials said there were no visible signs of trauma.
Despite the findings, the Georgetown County Coroner’s Office has not yet determined the official cause or manner of Saylor’s death. A final autopsy report is expected within eight to 10 weeks.
The new findings come as Saylor’s parents, John Herb Hayes III, 70, and Geordyn Nichole Hayes, 31, have returned to South Carolina after being arrested in Tennessee. They are charged with unlawfully placing a child at risk and willfully abandoning a child.
Authorities allege that Saylor, who was known to wander and had a strong attraction to water, was left without proper supervision. Investigators also say her Project Lifesaver tracking device was not on her when she disappeared, despite search efforts initially focusing on the device.
The parents have not been convicted of the charges, and the investigation remains ongoing.
Officials are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding Saylor’s death while awaiting the final autopsy report, which could provide additional answers about what happened to the young girl.