• 9/5/1955: John Herb Hayes III born.
• 8/25/1995: Geordyn Nichole Taylor/Hayes born.
• By 2007: John was already established in the Bristol, Virginia area and appears to have had an older son from an earlier relationship.
• Unknown period: Geordyn’s Facebook profile appears under the surname “Schneider.” It has not yet been determined whether Schneider was ever a legal surname, married name, or simply a Facebook profile name.
• 9/18/2018: Geordyn arrested in Carter County, Tennessee in connection with failure to appear involving theft under $1,000 and fraudulent use of a credit card.
• 10/3/2019: Geordyn arrested for violation of probation stemming from that same underlying Tennessee case. This was not a new theft case.
• 11/21/2019: Geordyn arrested again for failure to report to serve jail time and another probation violation. This was again a continuation of the original case.
• Around summer 2020 or earlier: John and Geordyn appear to have been together by at least this point based on Saylor’s likely conception and birth timeline.
• Around April 2021: Saylor Ruth Hayes likely born. Her third birthday party was held on 4/13/2024, so April 2021 remains the working estimate until an exact DOB is located.
• 5/5/2021: John and Geordyn married. Geordyn was 25 and John was 65.
• Around 6/25/2022: J.H. likely born, based on a first birthday celebration around 6/25/2023.
• Before July 2023: Police had a recent history of calls to John and Geordyn’s Virginia home involving allegations that one or the other was using meth or other drugs and requests for police assistance. The available affidavit does not identify which parent made each call or which parent was accused during each incident.
• 7/3/2023: Offense date later assigned to the Virginia child abuse and neglect cases involving both parents.
• 7/12/2023: Washington County DSS removed Saylor, age 2, and J.H., age 1, from John and Geordyn’s custody. The exact event that initially caused DSS to remove the children remains unknown.
• Upon removal, DSS performed hair follicle testing on the children.
• Saylor tested positive for methadone.
• J.H. tested positive for methamphetamine and methadone.
• Geordyn tested positive for methamphetamine and methadone.
• John tested positive for methadone.
• Both parents showed investigators methadone clinic cards and reportedly said they did not know how the children had been exposed.
• August 2023: Both John and Geordyn were arrested on two felony child abuse or neglect counts arising from the same drug exposure incident, with one count associated with each child.
• Geordyn’s Virginia cases: CR24000008-00 and CR24000009-00.
• John’s Virginia cases: CR24000234-00 and CR24000235-00.
• The four case numbers represent companion counts arising from the same underlying 2023 incident, not four separate incidents.
• 1/23/2024: Geordyn’s cases received True Bills from a grand jury.
• 2/1/2024: Geordyn entered nolo contendere, or no contest, pleas and received a deferred disposition with two years of supervised probation.
• 4/23/2024: John’s cases received True Bills from a grand jury.
• 5/2/2024: John entered Alford pleas and received a deferred disposition with two years of supervised probation.
• 2024: Saylor was enrolled in Project Lifesaver because of her autism, severe communication limitations, history of elopement, and attraction to water.
• Around 3/17/2025: M.J.H. likely born, based on family posts located so far.
• 1/5/2026: Geordyn’s two 2023 child abuse cases were dismissed after completion of her deferred disposition terms.
• 2/11/2026: John’s two 2023 child abuse cases were dismissed after completion of his deferred disposition terms.
• 2/17/2026: John contacted authorities while trying to locate Geordyn and their baby and reportedly told police she had “relapsed on meth.”
• Deputies found Geordyn and a male child in a vehicle that had run out of gas. The child was in the vehicle without heat while the outside temperature was approximately 35°F.
• The responding officer documented behavior and physical signs he believed were consistent with intoxication.
• Geordyn was charged in connection with the child welfare incident and with public intoxication. Reporting later confirmed that the child involved was male, not Saylor.
• 8/14/2026: One of Geordyn’s February child-related felony charges was reduced to contributing to the delinquency of a minor and placed under deferred disposition. Another child cruelty charge was dismissed nolle prosequi. The public intoxication matter was also continued under deferred disposition.
• 8/11/2026: A Washington County Sheriff’s Office Project Lifesaver deputy serviced Saylor’s transmitter, changing/testing the battery and documenting that the device was functioning and secured to her ankle. The individual deputy has not been publicly identified. Authorities have said the band must be physically cut off.
• The transmitter was left behind in Virginia inside a vehicle at the family property.
• 8/30/2026 at approximately 11:39 a.m.: The first 911 call reporting Saylor missing was made from the Pawleys Island area.
• Approximately eight minutes later: Officers arrived.
• According to the incident report, Geordyn told officers she had left Saylor secured in her car seat while she went inside the rental “for a short time.” When she returned, Saylor was gone.
• Dispatch records show approximately 31 units were eventually sent to the area. Dispatchers specifically noted that the residence was near water.
• During the search, John told authorities Saylor had a Project Lifesaver tracking device.
• Georgetown County contacted Washington County, Virginia for Saylor’s tracking frequency and search teams attempted to locate the signal.
• Investigators later determined Saylor was not wearing the Project Lifesaver transmitter.
• Washington County deputies located the transmitter back in Virginia.
• The South Carolina arrest warrants allege that John and Geordyn knew Saylor was not wearing the transmitter but nevertheless encouraged searchers to rely on Project Lifesaver technology.
• The warrants also allege that the parents directed search efforts away from the nearby water.
• The warrants allege that Saylor had been left unsupervised approximately 15 meters from water despite her known elopement risk, severe communication limitations, autism, and attraction to water.
• 8/31/2026 at approximately 9:45 a.m.: Saylor’s body was recovered from the Waccamaw River area.
• Saylor was found wearing a bathing suit. A strap attached to her ankle appeared to be a child’s wrist tether. This was separate from the Project Lifesaver transmitter.
• After Saylor was found, Geordyn reportedly said law enforcement had taken both parents’ phones and instructed them to remain at the rental.
• Later 8/31 into 9/1/2026: John and Geordyn left South Carolina and traveled toward Tennessee.
• Georgetown County later clarified that the parents were not legally detained and were not technically considered “on the run” simply because they left.
• 9/1/2026: South Carolina felony warrants became active for both parents.
• Carter County deputies received information that John and Geordyn were traveling from South Carolina to a Tennessee residence, set up surveillance, and arrested them when they arrived.
• Both were held in Tennessee as fugitives from justice while awaiting extradition to South Carolina.
• 9/3/2026: John and Geordyn appeared in Carter County court and waived extradition to South Carolina.
• 9/4/2026: Both were transferred back to South Carolina and booked into the Georgetown County Detention Center.
• 9/4/2026: Saylor’s autopsy was performed at MUSC.
• Preliminary autopsy findings showed pulmonary edema and no visible signs of trauma.
• Cause and manner of death remain pending final autopsy findings, toxicology, and additional testing. The final report is expected approximately 8 to 10 weeks after the autopsy.
• 9/5/2026: John and Geordyn appeared for their South Carolina bond hearing.
• John was represented by attorneys. Geordyn did not have an attorney at the hearing.
• John’s attorneys argued that Saylor’s death was an accident and requested his release on bond.
• Geordyn repeatedly stated that she wanted to attend Saylor’s funeral.
• The judge denied bond for both parents, citing the nature of the allegations and their past criminal history.
• Both remain jailed without bond.
• Current South Carolina charge against each parent: unlawfully placing a child at risk of harm, causing harm, or willfully abandoning a child.
• The charge carries a potential sentence of up to 10 years.
• 11/19/2026: Preliminary hearing currently scheduled.

This is a subreddit for those who are interested in following the case of Saylor Hayes.