Ohio Amber Alert: Caller tells 911 missing boy is believed dead
[Editor’s note: This article has been updated to reflect that Darnell Taylor’s foster parents gained legal custody of the boy prior to the issuance of the Amber Alert, according to new information provided by Franklin County Children Services.]
BROOKLYN, Ohio (WJW/WCMH) — The search continues for a missing five-year-old Columbus boy who police fear could be in grave danger. His mother is also still missing.
Police are looking for Darnell Taylor, 5, and his mother Pammy Maye, 48. An Amber Alert is out for both of them.
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Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant in a Thursday update implored Maye to contact police.
“Pammy, if you’re watching this, could you please reach out and contact us? We need to know that Darnell is safe. We need to know that you’re safe,” she said.
Authorities also released new photos of Maye and the Jeep she is believed to have driven to the Cleveland area:
Police are asking Greater Cleveland residents — especially those living in Brooklyn and along Memphis Avenue and in Linndale and along West 117th Street in Cleveland — to try to recall if they saw that vehicle between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. on Wednesday.
Those who own a business like a gas station — or “anywhere they might have stopped for a break,” said Deputy Chief Smith Weir — are also asked to recall if they saw Maye or Taylor:
The Columbus police tip line is 614-645-2228.
“No matter how insignificant of a tip you may think it is, we are asking, pleading with residents to let us know,” Bryant said. “We’ve left no tip unturned.”
The search began in the early hours of Wednesday. Maye’s husband called 911 shortly before 3 a.m.
According to FOX 8’s sister station, NBC4 in Columbus, an affidavit filed with Franklin County Municipal Court details the call. According to the court document, the man told a 911 operator that his wife, Pammy Maye, said she killed the child. Maye allegedly said the boy was no longer alive and had not been seen since Monday or Tuesday, WCMH reports.
The document said while he was on the phone with dispatchers Maye tried to cover her husband’s mouth while telling him she had a plan, WCMH reports.
Police said during that 911 call, Maye fled their Columbus house. Neither she nor the boy have been seen since.
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On Wednesday night, Columbus police were in Brooklyn, searching the parking lot and the wooded area behind the Parkview Estates Apartment Complex, where police had found the Jeep Maye was allegedly driving.
The vehicle was found early Wednesday morning, empty and about 150 miles from the home in Columbus where the situation first began.
It had been spotted by a license plate-reading camera in the area, Bryant said Thursday.
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Police are now investigating to see if there is any possible connection between Maye and the city of Brooklyn. They are asking people to search their property. If you see anything unusual, out of place, or missing you should contact the police immediately.
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Columbus crime scene detectives also spent time on Wednesday at the Columbus home where the child was first reported missing. FOX 8 sister station WCMH reported the crime scene unit took photos both inside and out.
“If you’ve seen anything, if you’ve heard anything, if you saw that vehicle, if you think you may have seen them or have any information, we’re pleading please give us a call,” said Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant.
Maye was last seen wearing a green floral nightgown and pink shoes. Maye has brown hair and brown eyes. She stands 4′ 9″ and weighs about 115 pounds.
Darnell was wearing Spiderman pajamas and white boots.
Maye is currently facing charges of endangering children and kidnapping which are both felonies.
Pammy Maye and her husband were originally Taylor’s foster parents, and they gained legal custody of the boy prior to the issuance of the Amber Alert, according to a spokesperson for Franklin County Children Services. The agency issued a statement to FOX 8 News that read in part:
Franklin County Children Services is working closely with our partners at Columbus Police. We all share a sense of urgency in locating Darnell and Ms. Maye as soon as possible. His safety is our highest priority. We join in asking for the community’s help in sharing with detectives any information they might have about Darnell and Pammy Maye. At this time, there is little additional information we can share about Darnell, his family, or his history with the agency.
WCMH’s Daniel Griffin and Adam Conn contributed to this report.
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