What This Story Is About
Sheriff’s office emphasizes the importance of a program that can help find vulnerable people faster if they disappear.
Why It Matters
A child was reported missing, then found dead a day later, but her Project Lifesaver transmitter was found states away at her home near Bristol.
What Happens Next
An autopsy for Hayes is scheduled Friday morning at the Medical University of South Carolina.
For Context
Several East Tennessee agencies participate in the Project Lifesaver Program.
Catch Up
Monroe County launches Project Lifesaver tracking program
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – A sad outcome in the search for a missing child is prompting a reminder about a potentially life saving program.
Saylor Hayes disappeared Sunday afternoon. After an intensive search, agents with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources recovered Saylor Hayes’ body around 9:45 a.m. Monday in the water near where she disappeared. An autopsy for Hayes is scheduled Friday morning at the Medical University of South Carolina.
Washington County, Virginia Sheriff Blake Andis said Saylor Hayes and her family are from the Bristol area, and Hayes has been enrolled in the agency’s Project Lifesaver program since June 2024.
The program helps law enforcement find people who are at risk of wandering because of cognitive conditions or special needs. The people wear a small transmitter on their wrist or ankle that has a specific frequency attached to it. If the person disappears, first responders can use that frequency to help find the person and bring them home safely.
In Saylor’s case, the sheriff’s office said rescue crews in South Carolina reached out for the frequency, but weren’t able to pick it up near where she vanished. WCSO then checked her home in Virginia and found the transmitter inside a car on the family’s property.
The sheriff said the transmitter is attached with a special band and can’t simply be unclasped or removed, but rather it must be physically cut.
“What makes this situation especially heartbreaking is that Saylor did not have her transmitter with her when she went missing.” Andis said in a Facebook post. “Had Saylor been wearing her Project Lifesaver transmitter, we believe the technology could have assisted search teams in locating her much sooner. While no technology can guarantee an outcome, every minute matters when a vulnerable child or adult is missing.”
Several East Tennessee agencies have this technology available, including the following:
Anderson County Sheriff’s OfficeClinton Police DepartmentKnox County Sheriff’s OfficeLoudon County Sheriff’s OfficeRoane County Sheriff’s OfficeMonroe County Sheriff’s OfficeUnicoi County Sheriff’s Office
To enroll a loved one, Project Lifesaver says to reach out to the agency in your area to get more information.
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