Her father, John Herb Hayes, called 911 just before 11:40 a.m., telling the dispatcher that his “little 5‑year‑old girl” was missing and that he needed to check the nearby water.

Search teams, including a dive unit, drones, a marine unit and a helicopter, began looking in the water right away, and on Monday they recovered Saylor’s body from the same area.

The next day, John Herb Hayes III, 70, and his wife Geordyn Nichole Hayes, 31, were arrested in Tennessee and booked on fugitive‑from‑justice charges.

Arrest warrants claim the parents told rescuers to focus on a Project Lifesaver tracking device that Saylor supposedly wore, even though the device had been removed before the family left Virginia, and they also directed searchers away from the water where she was later found.

The case highlights why accurate information and the correct use of tracking technology are essential in emergency searches for missing children, especially those with autism.