How Could You? Hall of Shame-Darnell Taylor case-Child Death UPDATED

This will be an archive of heinous actions by those involved in child welfare, foster care and adoption. We forewarn you that these are deeply disturbing stories that may involve sex abuse, murder, kidnapping and other horrendous actions.

From Columbus, Ohio, a “5-year-old Ohio boy was reported missing on Wednesday [February 14, 2024] after his guardian told Columbus police that his wife claimed their “son was no longer alive.”

An Amber Alert was issued for 5-year-old Darnell Taylor on Wednesday, after a man police identified as Darnell’s foster father called 911 and told dispatchers his wife had killed the child, according to an affidavit obtained by local NBC affiliate WCMH.

The man said that his wife, 48-year-old Pammy Maye, “woke him up and made statements that made him believe that their foster child, Darnell had been hurt,” Columbus police wrote in a bulletin on Facebook.

The foster dad searched their home before making the 911 call and on the call, “stated his wife said their son was no longer alive,” per the affidavit.
The affidavit said that Maye held her hand over the foster dad’s mouth while he called 911 dispatchers and stated “she had a plan.” Maye then fled the home during the 911 call, the document said.

Police said on Facebook that the foster dad reported that Maye had “abruptly” left their home in a 2015 Jeep Cherokee. Police were able locate the unoccupied vehicle in Brooklyn, Ohio almost three hours after the call the was made.

Maye, who had not been taken into custody as of Thursday evening, has been charged with kidnapping and child endangerment, according to court records reviewed by HuffPost.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant pleaded to Maye to come forward on the whereabouts of the child.

“Pammy, if you’re watching this, could you please reach out and contact us? We need to know that Darnell is safe. We are asking you, Pammy, and we need to know you’re safe,” Bryant said.

According to Bryant, Maye’s husband is cooperating with the police’s investigation.”

Foster Mom On The Run After She Told Husband Their Son Is ‘No Longer Alive’: Police
[Huffington Post 2/15/24 by Pocharapon Neammanee]

“Police believe they have recovered the body of 5-year-old Darnell Taylor, whose disappearance had prompted a statewide Amber Alert in Ohio earlier this week.

The body was recovered in a sewage drain in Franklin County, near his hometown of Columbus.

The alert was issued Wednesday after his foster mother, Pammy Maye, made concerning statements to her husband that made him believe Taylor had been hurt or was in danger before disappearing.

Police had been searching for Maye — identifying her as a suspect — and asked the public to report any information on her whereabouts.

On Thursday night, police received a 911 call about a suspicious woman walking around a commercial building. Brooklyn, Ohio, police responded to the scene, identified the woman as Maye and took her into custody, according to Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant.

Maye was then transferred to a Cleveland hospital for medical treatment, where Maye told officers the location of Taylor’s body, according to Bryant.

She has now been charged with kidnapping and endangerment, and police are working to add murder charges, police said. She will be transferred back to Franklin County, according to Bryant.

The biological family has been made aware that the boy has been found dead. The parents are believed to have been fostering the child since May 2023, according to police.

“This is not the outcome that we wanted, but we’re going to make sure that we do everything that we can to bring justice for Darnell,” Bryant said.”

Missing Ohio 5-year-old found dead, foster mother arrested
[ABC News 2/16/24 by Nadine El-Bawab]

REFORM Puzzle Piece

Update:“A judge Thursday set bail at $4 million for an Ohio woman charged with murder in the suffocation death of her 5-year-old foster son.

Pammy Maye, 48, of Columbus, also faces kidnapping and child endangerment charges in the death of Darnell Taylor, whose body was found in a sewer drain on Feb. 16. She did not speak during the brief hearing and showed no visible emotion.

The discovery of the body came two days after Maye told her husband the child was no longer alive and then abruptly left her home as he spoke with a 911 dispatcher, police have said. An Amber Alert was soon issued for her and the child, and she eventually was taken into custody the next day in Brooklyn, a Cleveland suburb about 150 miles (240 kilometers) from Columbus.

Officers found Maye wandering in a nightgown, and she told investigators where they could find the boy’s body, police have said. Authorities have not disclosed a possible motive for the slaying.

Maye had been the boy’s foster mother since May 2023. The child’s biological family was notified about the boy’s death and Maye’s arrest.

Speaking at the court hearing, Assistant Franklin County Prosecutor Tyler McCoy said Maye was previously diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia and had exhibited possessive and controlling behavior in the past.

Maye was represented by a county public defender, whose office does not comment on cases.”
Bail is set at $4 million for an Ohio woman charged in her 5-year-old foster son’s suffocation death
[KTAR 2/22/24 by AP]