Maternal Instinct: What did Taylor Parker do and where is she now?
The latest Netflix true crime documentary tells an unimaginable story that needs to be seen to be believed
There's been a number of true crime documentaries released in recent weeks that really push the boundaries of belief when it comes to what some of our fellow humans can be capable of - Should I Marry a Murderer? and The Mother of All Cons among them.
However, Netflix's Maternal Instinct brings some next level incredulity. Currently airing on the streamer, the single-episode documentary tells a gruesome tale of a woman named Taylor Parker, who wound herself up in a huge web of lies.
Taylor's deceit ended with murder, and one of the most heinous crimes you might ever hear about. We delve into exactly what Taylor did, and where she is now.
What did Taylor Parker do?
Taylor Parker faked a pregnancy at the same time a close friend of hers, Reagan Simmons-Hancock, really was expecting a baby.
When Taylor's due date had passed and of course, no baby arrived, she did the unimaginable and cut Reagan's baby from her body to pass off as her own. However, this despicable act was the culmination of many lies told by Taylor.
Taylor moved to a rural community in East Texas, and already had a daughter and son from previous relationships at the time. In 2019 she met roofer Wade Griffin at a local rodeo.
She told those around her, including Wade, that she came from a wealthy family and was one day going to be heir to a large fortune and a millionaire. The couple quickly moved in together and Taylor began a massive spending spree, purchasing cars, livestock, and offering $4 million in cash for a ranch in Oklahoma.
In reality, Taylor was never in line to inherit any money, and had only ever worked clerical jobs at a staffing agency and an OB-GYN clinic.
Shortly after moving in with Wade, Taylor announced her pregnancy, and Wade felt everything was moving too quickly. He believed all the money she was spending and becoming pregnant so quickly was pushing his life in a direction he had little control over, and his family became sceptical of Taylor's claims.
She used fake bellies to continue the charade that she was pregnant, hiding herself from Wade by saying she was insecure about her stretch marks to be intimate with him. Due to covid-19, Taylor had to attend doctor's appointments alone, and nobody could accompany her to verify the pregnancy.
Eventually, Wade's family tracked down Taylor's mother, who revealed the truth about the so-called fortune she'd told everyone she would one day inherit - that it did not exist. She also dropped another bombshell, that it would be impossible for Taylor to be pregnant because she'd had a hysterectomy some years previously.
It later came to light Taylor had lied about many other things, especially when it came to her health. She'd spun stories about having multiple sclerosis, treatment for cancer and a brain tumour, also claiming she'd once suffered a stroke.
Before anyone could act on information coming to light about Taylor, she'd passed her September 22 due date and was getting desperate to find a baby to pass off as her own.
Now aged 29, she turned to 21-year-old Reagan Simmons-Hancock. The pair had become friends when Taylor had photographed Reagan's wedding as part of a side hustle she'd set up.
Reagan had a three-year-old daughter, Kynlee, and was heavily pregnant with her second daughter when Taylor needed a baby she could pretend was hers.
On October 7, Taylor arranged to spend the day with her friend, who was 35 weeks pregnant. She returned to her friend's home on October 9 and according to The Guardian, Taylor either slashed or stabbed Reagan around 100 times, and took her baby from her body using a scalpel.
When Reagan's mother hadn't heard from her in a while, she went to her daughter's house to be confronted with an horrific scene. Kynlee was found hiding under a blanket at the home, and was unharmed.
Taylor ran from the house with Reagan's baby, whom she'd planned to name Braxlynn, and later called 911 from a highway, claiming she had just given birth and the baby wasn't breathing.
Sadly, Reagan's baby did not survive - it is unknown whether she was alive or dead when Taylor took her from her mother's body and she has not revealed this information. Taylor was taken to hospital where she was examined and doctors found no evidence she had recently given birth.
Police were already hunting down Reagan's killer after her mother reported the scene she'd walked into at her daughter's home, and it didn't take long before authorities pieced together what had happened and Taylor was arrested for murder.
Where is Taylor Parker now?
Taylor was convicted of capital murder, and is currently the youngest woman on death row in Texas, at the age of 34, after being handed the death penalty for her crimes.
She is being held at the Patrick L. O'Daniel Unit in Gatesville. In 2025, Taylor was interviewed for a New Yorker article, speaking to journalist Lawrence Wright.
After saying she didn't initially believe the charges brought against her, Taylor says, "My realisation came when I had to face the autopsy photos."
She now appears to have accepted her fate, continuing, "It’s the hardest thing to admit, but I do not believe in going home for myself. My place is here."
She says, "I stand firm on the belief you do not deserve to have something you took from another. That’s part of the acknowledgment and acceptance process on the road to redemption."
Maternal Instinct is currently airing on Netflix.
