Feb. 16 (UPI) — After finding the body of a missing 5-year-old in a sewage drain near Columbus, Ohio, authorities arrested and charged his foster mother Thursday night.
Pammy Maye faces murder, kidnapping and endangering children charges in the death of Darnell Taylor, who had been reported missing Wednesday.
A state-wide Amber Alert was issued Wednesday in Ohio when Maye’s husband said she made statements that made him concerned Taylor had either been hurt or was in danger.
Columbus Police Chief Elaine R. Bryant said at a 1 a.m. Friday news conference, “This is a tragic development and we certainly hoped for a different outcome.”
Bryant said Maye was arrested in the Cleveland suburb of Brooklyn shortly before 10 p.m. Thursday after reports of a woman who was suspiciously walking around a building.
When Maye was arrested, Bryant said, she told police Darnell’s body was in the sewage drain in the 1000 block of Marsdale Avenue in Columbus.
Maye’s husband told police in a 911 call that she killed the child and that he searched the home for the boy before calling police.
Maye, according to court records, held her hand over her husband’s mouth as he tried to call police and said she “had a plan.”
Darnell was last seen at the Maye home at about 3 a.m. Wednesday morning, according to police.
