Foster Mom Arrested After Missing 5-Year-Old Found Dead In Sewer
The search for a missing Ohio boy came to a tragic end Friday after Columbus police announced that they’d found his body inside a sewage drain.
Pammy Maye was taken into custody Friday morning and charged with kidnapping and child endangerment in the case of her missing foster son, 5-year-old Darnell Taylor.
Speaking at a press conference following the discovery, Police Chief Elaine Bryant said Darnell was believed to have been found dead, and said she’d contacted the prosecutor’s office to add an additional murder charge to Maye’s case.
Darnell Taylor and Pammy Maye via Columbus Police Department
“This is a tragic development and we certainly hoped for a different outcome,” Bryant said.
An Amber Alert was issued Wednesday morning after a man police identified as Darnell’s father called 911 to report his wife had “made statements that made him believe that their foster child... had been hurt.”
Darnell’s father told police that “his wife said their son was no longer alive,” According an affidavit obtained by NBC Affiliate WCMH.
Maye allegedly held her hand over her husband’s mouth during the 911 call and stated “she had a plan.” According to the affidavit, Maye then fled the home while her husband was still on the phone.
Police located Maye’s car, a 2015 Jeep Cherokee, in Brooklyn, Ohio almost three hours after the 911 call, according to a police bulletin.
The car was unoccupied, but Brooklyn officers found Maye on Friday after a business called police to report a suspicious woman walking around the building, Bryant said at the press conference.
Maye was arrested and initially taken to the hospital for medical treatment. Bryant did not specify why Maye was taken to the hospital.
Bryant told reporters that investigators were able to obtain information surrounding Darnell’s potential location during their interview with Maye. Soon after, police found a body they believed to have belonged to the missing 5-year-old.
“This is not the outcome we wanted,” Bryant said. “We want to be sure to do everything we can to get justice for Darnell.”
According to Bryant, Darnell had been living with the foster family since May and officers have made contact with his biological family.
