Police say the body was found in Franklin County shortly after 1 a.m. Friday when investigators had learned it may be in a sewage drain.
Ryan Haidet, Anna Meyer, Matt Rascon, Monica Robins
7:13 AM EST February 16, 2024
12:04 AM EST February 17, 2024
COLUMBUS, Ohio — “This is a tragic development and we certainly hoped for a different outcome.”
Those were the words from Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant as she announced early Friday that authorities had found a body believed to be 5-year-old Darnell Taylor, the missing child at the center of a statewide Amber Alert earlier this week.
The suspect — identified as his foster mother, 48-year-old Pammy Maye — has also been found and arrested near Cleveland.
Bryant says the body was located in the 1000 block of Marsdale Avenue in Franklin County shortly after 1 a.m. when investigators had learned it may be in a sewage drain.
The body’s discovery came after Brooklyn police officers responded to Cenveo on Tiedeman Road at around 9:34 p.m. Thursday amid a report of a woman walking suspiciously around the building.
The caller described the woman, who was not wearing shoes, as being “distraught and crying.” Additionally, the woman refused to provide her name to the caller or the 911 dispatcher.
“The responding officers identified the woman as Pammy Maye and took her into custody without incident,” Bryant said.
3News learned that Maye was taken to MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland for medical treatment.
“Brooklyn Police Department would like to take this opportunity to thank the municipal, state and federal law enforcement agencies who provided support via resources and personnel. We also would like to extend our appreciation to the private citizens and other private entities for their contributions to this investigation. It is not the resolution we had hoped for and we extend our condolences to the family of Darnell Taylor. The Brooklyn Police Department will continue to work in cooperation with members of the Columbus Police Department during this investigation,” said Brooklyn Police Department Lieutenant Cindy Eschweiler.
We streamed the entire press conference live, which you can watch in the video below:
Bryant said information surrounding the body’s potential location was developed while investigators interviewed Maye.
A charge of murder will be filed against Maye as Columbus police begin the process of bringing her back to Franklin County.
The statewide Amber Alert was issued early Wednesday morning by Columbus police. The situation started shortly after 3 a.m. that morning when officers were dispatched to the 900 block of Reeb Avenue in Columbus. Police say the caller stated that his wife, Maye, woke him up and made statements that made him believe Darnell had been hurt.
Police report the caller also said that Maye abruptly left the residence in a 2015 Jeep Cherokee. That Jeep was found in Brooklyn a few hours later.
