Columbus, Ohio – A tragic case has unfolded in Columbus, Ohio, where Pammy Maye, the legal guardian of 5-year-old Darnell Taylor, confessed to police about his killing earlier this year. Maye faces charges of aggravated murder, abuse of a corpse, and tampering with evidence in connection to the boy’s death. Darnell was subjected to a statewide AMBER Alert on February 14 before his body was discovered two days later inside a sewage drain on Marsdale Avenue in Franklin County.
The body-camera footage released by the Brooklyn Police Department captures Maye admitting to killing Darnell in his room and concealing his body in a closet in another area of the house for several hours. Maye revealed her frustration with Darnell for eating snacks in bed and referenced previous incidents where he used profanity. She provided detectives with a detailed account of how she suffocated the young boy.
Following the tragic event, Maye’s husband returned home from work, unaware of the situation, and went to bed assuming Darnell was asleep. Hours later, Maye placed Darnell’s body in her vehicle and drove near her parents’ home, where she disposed of the body in a sewage drain on Marsdale Avenue. Upon returning home, Maye disclosed the shocking truth to her husband, who subsequently alerted authorities.
Despite pleading not guilty, Maye’s attorney, Sam Shamansky, indicated that she may change her plea to not guilty by reason of insanity. The defense attorney emphasized that post-arrest statements do not necessarily reflect Maye’s mental state at the time of the offense. Maye is set to appear in court on April 25 to address the charges against her.