On Friday, February 16, the Columbus Division of Police announced that they found the body of a five-year-old boy who had been missing from Columbus, Ohio. He was found in a sewer drain.
Darnell Taylor’s foster mother, 48-year-old Pammy Maye, has been taken into custody related to his disappearance.
The alert was activated early Wednesday morning, February 14 when Taylor was reported missing from his home in South Columbus. His foster father alerted authorities around 3 a.m., sharing his wife’s admission to him about the child’s death and his inability to locate Taylor.
Police located Taylor’s body early Friday morning in a sewer drain on the 1000 block of Marsdale Avenue, Columbus’ Southwest Side, hours after detaining Maye. Reports indicate that during the 911 call, Maye attempted to prevent her husband from speaking freely, suggesting she had a “plan.”
After Taylor’s disappearance, Maye was seen in her nightgown near a building on the 4000 block of Tiedeman Road, with her vehicle found close by at the Parkview Estates apartment complex. Following a detailed search by police and a K9 unit, Maye was apprehended and later revealed Taylor’s body’s location.
Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant expressed the department’s resolve to secure justice for Taylor, stating Maye is under hospital care in the Cleveland area, pending transfer to Franklin County to face potential murder charges.
The incident has deeply impacted Taylor’s biological family. His grandparents, Anthony and Tawanda Baynes, long-time acquaintances of Maye, voiced their distress and confusion over the events leading to Taylor’s death. They lamented their decision to place Taylor in Maye’s care due to their own challenges in managing his needs.
Police records show Taylor was in Maye’s foster care since May 2023. His biological family’s attempts to maintain contact culminated in July, around when Maye was granted full legal custody. Despite numerous efforts, the family reported no success in reaching Maye or Taylor, raising concerns about the child’s wellbeing and the oversight of his foster care arrangement.