New forensic findings have added another important piece to the investigation into the death of 5-year-old Saylor Hayes. An autopsy conducted at the Medical University of South Carolina found pulmonary edema — fluid buildup in the lungs — but no visible external or internal trauma. However, officials have stressed that the findings do not yet establish the official cause or manner of death. A final report is expected after additional laboratory testing, estimated to take another 8–10 weeks.

The latest findings are significant because investigators are still trying to determine exactly what happened after Saylor disappeared from the family’s rental home on Pawleys Island. Her body was recovered from the Waccamaw River on August 31, following an extensive search involving multiple agencies.

Investigators have also focused on a child-tether strap found attached to Saylor’s ankle during the initial examination. Authorities said it appeared consistent with a wrist-tether strap. At the same time, investigators have alleged that a Project Lifesaver tracking transmitter associated with Saylor was not with her during the disappearance and was instead found at the family’s Virginia residence.

Saylor’s parents, John Hayes III and Geordyn Hayes, were arrested in Tennessee and subsequently extradited to South Carolina. They were booked into the Georgetown County Detention Center and are facing charges of unlawfully placing a child at risk and willfully abandoning a child. Prosecutors’ allegations remain allegations unless proven in court.

A Georgetown County magistrate later denied bond for both parents, meaning they remain in custody while the criminal case and death investigation move forward. Investigators have alleged that the parents provided information during the search that diverted authorities away from the water, a claim contained in the arrest warrants.

The autopsy does not currently answer the biggest question: how Saylor died. The absence of trauma does not by itself prove drowning, homicide, accident or any other specific manner of death. Officials are awaiting additional toxicology and laboratory work before issuing the final determination.