{"id":7815,"date":"2026-09-01T07:36:49","date_gmt":"2026-09-01T07:36:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=7815"},"modified":"2026-09-01T07:36:49","modified_gmt":"2026-09-01T07:36:49","slug":"nonverbal-5-year-old-found-dead-in-south-carolina-waterway-after-wandering-from-vacation-rental-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=7815","title":{"rendered":"Nonverbal 5-year-old found dead in South Carolina waterway after wandering from vacation rental home"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

A nonverbal 5-year-old was found dead after she wandered off in her bathing suit from her family\u2019s vacation rental home in South Carolina.<\/p>\n

Read more North Carolina teen dies from rare brain-eating amoeba typically linked to freshwater swimming<\/a><\/p>\n

The body of Saylor Hayes was found at around 9:45 a.m. Monday after \u201can intensive search involving hundreds of people and multiple agencies,\u201d The Georgetown County Sheriff\u2019s Office announced. <\/p>\n

Agents with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources found Saylor\u2019s body in the water near where she was last seen, police said.<\/p>\n

Saylor, who is from Virginia, had wandered off from her rental home in Hagley Estates in Pawleys Island \u2014 about 30 miles from Myrtle Beach \u2014 on Sunday.<\/p>\n

She was wearing a one-piece light blue bathing suit and had a pink and white lanyard around her ankle with a tracking device attached at the time of her disappearance.<\/p>\n

The Charleston County Sheriff\u2019s Office deployed Project Lifesaver equipment on land and by helicopter for hours \u2014 trying to pick up a signal from the tracking device Saylor was wearing, police said.<\/p>\n

Project Lifesaver is an emergency search-and-rescue program designed to rapidly locate individuals with cognitive conditions, including Alzheimer\u2019s, dementia, autism or Down syndrome, who are prone to wandering or elopement.<\/p>\n

Other agencies deployed drones, K-9 units and divers, while crews scanned the waterways near where Saylor went missing.<\/p>\n

The search also drew volunteers from across the region. <\/p>\n

Crystal Cooper said she traveled about 80 miles from her home in Peedee, SC, to help with the search, WMBF News reported.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just got so emotionally invested in it yesterday [Sunday] because this little girl needed us and my momma heart was in it,\u201d Cooper said.<\/p>\n

Read more Mamdani toady Brad Lander learns that \u2018anti-Zionists\u2019 hate him for being Jewish<\/a><\/p>\n

A neighbor who joined the search said volunteers tried everything to lure Saylor out \u2014 including walking pets through the area and bringing in an ice cream truck to play music throughout the neighborhood, WMBF News reported.<\/p>\n

Another resident, Ronald Gagliardi, said he and others stayed out past 2 a.m. searching for the missing 5-year-old.<\/p>\n

Gagliardi told the outlet he was heartbroken to hear the news Monday morning that Saylor\u2019s body had been found.<\/p>\n

\u201cDecided to come in this morning to continue the search, although they found her now, which is, you know, it\u2019s devastating, but it\u2019s at least a positive thing for the family that, you know, she was recovered,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was really sad. I mean, I\u2019m emotional now,\u201d Cooper also told the outlet of the news.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just \u2014 it\u2019s just heartbreaking, like really heartbreaking.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Authorities have not yet released a cause of death.<\/p>\n

Following the devastating discovery, officials praised the hundreds of volunteers and multiple agencies who gave everything they had to find Saylor.<\/p>\n

\u201cHundreds of residents from the area searched their own properties and surrounding areas and guarded local docks,\u201d the sheriff\u2019s office said. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe Georgetown County Sheriff\u2019s Office thanks everyone who assisted in the search and sends its deepest condolences to the young girl\u2019s family.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the community grieves, flowers have been left near the boat landing where search crews had been stationed, WMBF News reported.<\/p>\n

Read more Army Secretary Dan Driscoll resigns after long simmering tension with Pete Hegseth<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Saylor Hayes, a nonverbal 5-year-old, was found dead in South Carolina waters after wandering from her family’s Pawleys Island vacation rental.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7814,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7815","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-us-news"],"yoast_head":"\nNonverbal 5-year-old found dead in South Carolina waterway after wandering from vacation rental home - Metro Transit Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=7815\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Nonverbal 5-year-old found dead in South Carolina waterway after wandering from vacation rental home - 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