Taylor Parker committed an unimaginable crime when she killed her pregnant friend Reagan Simmons-Hancock, cut the unborn baby from her womb and attempted to pass off the child as her own. The disturbing case is now the subject of Netflix’s June 2026 documentary Maternal Instinct, leaving viewers stunned by the elaborate web of lies that led to one woman’s death and a newborn’s tragic fate.
Here’s everything to know about what Parker did, who else was involved and where the key figures are today.
Taylor Parker’s Web of Lies Began With a Fake Pregnancy
Shortly after Parker moved to a small town in East Texas, she fell for local hog trapper Wade Griffin. Within months of their relationship, Parker — who already had two children from a previous relationship — claimed she was pregnant.
What Griffin didn’t know was that Parker had previously undergone a hysterectomy and was unable to have more children. As her supposed due date neared, those around her began asking questions about the pregnancy.
Simmons-Hancock, who met Parker when she worked as her wedding photographer in 2019, was pregnant at the same time Parker claimed she was expecting. The two grew close, and on October 9, 2020, they planned for a girls’ day together when Simmons-Hancock was 35 weeks pregnant.
Taylor Parker Killed Reagan Simmons-Hancock and Cut Out Her Baby
On that day, Parker strangled and stabbed Simmons-Hancock at her home before performing a C-section on her body to remove the unborn child. Parker then fled the scene with the newborn.
While driving erratically, she called 911 from a highway and claimed she had just given birth on the side of the road, but that the baby wasn’t breathing. State troopers reported to the scene, where they found Parker performing CPR on the newborn. She told them she had been on her way to meet Griffin at a hospital in Idabel, Oklahoma.
Once she arrived at McCurtain Memorial Hospital, doctors found no evidence that Parker had given birth and eventually learned she previously had a hysterectomy. Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation agent Chad Dansby began interviewing her at the hospital, and she was ultimately linked to Simmons-Hancock and her baby’s death.
Parker was arrested that same day, October 9, 2020, and was convicted of capital murder and kidnapping in October 2022.
Taylor Parker Is Now the Youngest Woman on Death Row in Texas
One month after she was convicted, Parker was sentenced to death in November 2022. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed her capital murder conviction and sentence in 2025. In May 2026, the Supreme Court declined to review her case an additional time.
Parker is currently in custody and awaiting her execution at Patrick L. O’Daniel Unit in Gatesville, Texas. A date has not yet been scheduled for the capital punishment. The sole method of execution in Texas is lethal injection.
She is currently the youngest woman on death row in the state of Texas at the age of 33 as of June 2026.
Taylor Parker Spoke Candidly About Her Crime
In February 2025, Parker spoke to The New Yorker about the case and admitted she initially didn’t believe the charges.
“I told myself, ‘You didn’t do what they said. It’s lies,’” she said at the time. “My realization came when I had to face the autopsy photos.”
Parker also opened up about her life behind bars and said she’s come to terms with the situation.
“It’s the hardest thing to admit, but I do not believe in going home for myself. My place is here,” she said. “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.”
Where Is Wade Griffin Now?
Griffin, a Texas native who works as a roofer, welder, hog-trapper and livestock manager, met Parker at a rodeo in the summer of 2019. Their romance quickly evolved, and Parker moved into Griffin’s home in the fall of 2019 before claiming she was pregnant in January 2020.
Griffin shared his story in Maternal Instinct, but has otherwise lived a mostly private life out of the spotlight.
“[It] pretty much ruined my whole reputation. Slandered my name, my brothers, my mom. I lost my job over it,” Griffin testified in court about his experience with Parker, per WRLB. “Still trying to figure out stuff today. Worst thing I’ve ever had to live through, for sure.”
Griffin insisted that he had no involvement or knowledge of Parker’s schemes, and investigators depicted him as one of Parker’s many victims during her trial. He also admitted that Parker “manipulated” him throughout their relationship.
Shortly after Parker was convicted, Simmons-Hancock’s widower, Homer Hancock, filed a negligence and wrongful death suit against Parker and Griffin, per WJTV. Griffin was accused of being partially responsible for Parker’s erratic driving, which contributed to the death of his child. Parker was driving a car registered to Griffin at the time she was pulled over.
It is not currently clear if an outcome has been reached in the suit.
McCurtain Memorial Hospital Asks Viewers Not to Visit
One week after Maternal Instinct was released, McCurtain Memorial Hospital — where Parker reported after claiming she gave birth — issued a statement asking Netflix viewers not to visit.
“While the events portrayed were real and remain a matter of public record, they also represent one of the most painful chapters in the lives of the victim’s family, the New Boston community, and the healthcare professionals who responded that day,” a rep for the hospital said in a statement on June 17, per KOCO. “For many, the emotional impact of this tragedy has never fully faded.”
The statement noted it was “not a story of entertainment or a destination for tourism. It is a story of devastating loss.”
The hospital continued, “Out of respect for those affected, including the family, our staff, and the community, McCurtain Memorial Hospital will not participate in interviews, photo opportunities, tours, or discussions related to these events. Today, we remember the mother and child whose lives were taken, and we continue to hold their loved ones in our thoughts. We also acknowledge the lasting impact this tragedy had on the first responders, nurses, physicians, and hospital staff who worked tirelessly in its aftermath.”
The hospital concluded by saying that the “New Boston community will forever carry the scars of this loss, and many members of our team continue to carry those memories as well.”
McCurtain Memorial Hospital did not immediately respond to Us Weekly’s request for comment. However, it did say in the initial statement that they have no additional comments to make regarding the documentary and case as of this time.
This story was compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists.
