Taylor Parker was responsible for a brutal crime when he murdered his pregnant friend Reagan Simmons-Hancock, removing the baby from the womb and trying to present the child as his own. The disturbing case, which involved a complex web of lies and culminated in the death of a woman and the tragic fate of a newborn, is now the subject of the Netflix documentary “Maternal Instinct”, released in June 2026.
The production explores Parker’s actions, the participation of others involved and the current situation of the central figures in this case.
How a Fake Pregnancy Started Taylor Parker’s Web of Lies
Shortly after moving to a small town in East Texas, Taylor Parker began a relationship with Wade Griffin, a wild hog hunter. Within months, Parker, who already had two children from a previous relationship, announced that she was pregnant.
Griffin, however, was unaware that Parker had had a hysterectomy and was unable to have any more children. As her supposed due date approached, people close to her began to question the veracity of the pregnancy.
Reagan Simmons-Hancock, who met Parker in 2019 when she served as his wedding photographer, was also pregnant at the same time Parker was claiming to be expecting a child. The two developed a friendship, and on October 9, 2020, they planned a meeting while Simmons-Hancock was 35 weeks pregnant.
The Brutal Acts of Taylor Parker: Murder and Removal of Reagan Simmons-Hancock’s Baby
On that fateful day, Parker attacked Simmons-Hancock in her residence, strangling and stabbing her, then performing a forced cesarean section on her body, removing the fetus. Parker then fled the scene with the newborn.
While driving dangerously, she called 911 from a highway, claiming she had given birth on the side of the road and that the baby was not breathing. State police were called and found Parker performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the newborn. She informed agents that she was on her way to meet Griffin at a hospital in Idabel, Oklahoma.
Upon arrival at McCurtain Memorial Hospital, doctors found no evidence that Parker had given birth and later discovered that she had undergone a hysterectomy. Agent Chad Dansby of the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation began the interrogation at the hospital, and Parker was ultimately connected to the deaths of Simmons-Hancock and her baby.
Taylor Parker was arrested the same day, October 9, 2020, and convicted of capital murder and kidnapping in October 2022.
Death sentence: Taylor Parker becomes youngest woman on Texas death row
A month after conviction, Parker received the death sentence in November 2022. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals upheld the capital murder conviction and sentencing in 2025. In May 2026, the United States Supreme Court declined to review the case again.
Taylor Parker is currently in custody awaiting execution at the Patrick L. O’Daniel Unit in Gatesville, Texas. A date for the application of capital punishment, which in Texas is carried out exclusively by lethal injection, has not yet been defined.
In June 2026, at the age of 33, she is the youngest woman on death row in the state of Texas.
Taylor Parker’s frank statements about the crime he committed
In February 2025, Parker gave an interview to The New Yorker magazine about the case, in which he admitted that, initially, he did not believe the accusations.
“I said to myself, ‘You didn’t do what they said. They’re lies,'” she said at the time. “My awareness came when I had to face the autopsy photos.” Parker also discussed his life in prison, stating that he accepted the situation.
“It’s the hardest thing to admit, but I don’t believe in returning home. I belong here,” he declared. “I stand firm in the belief that you do not deserve to have something you took from someone else. This is part of the process of recognition and acceptance on the path to redemption.”
The whereabouts and consequences for Wade Griffin after the crime
Wade 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 relationship quickly progressed, and Parker moved into Griffin’s home in the fall of 2019, before claiming to be pregnant in January 2020.
Griffin shared her experience in the documentary “Maternal Instinct,” but has generally maintained a private life away from the spotlight.
“It practically ruined my entire reputation. It defamed my name, my brothers’ name, my mother’s name. I lost my job because of it,” Griffin testified in court about his relationship with Parker. “I’m still trying to sort things out today. Without a doubt, the worst thing I’ve ever had to face.”
Griffin insisted he had no involvement or knowledge of Parker’s plans, and investigators presented him as one of Parker’s many victims during the trial. He also admitted to being “manipulated” by her throughout their relationship.
Shortly after Parker’s conviction, Simmons-Hancock’s widower, Homer Hancock, filed a negligence and wrongful death lawsuit against Parker and Griffin. Griffin was accused of being partially responsible for Parker’s erratic driving, which contributed to her son’s death, as she was driving a car registered to him at the time she was stopped.
It is not clear, at this point, whether there has been a final decision in the process.
McCurtain Memorial Hospital’s Appeal to Avoid Visitors and Curiosity
A week after the release of “Maternal Instinct,” the local McCurtain Memorial Hospital where Parker was taken after claiming to have given birth released a statement asking Netflix viewers not to visit.
“While the events depicted are true and remain in the public domain, 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 hospital representative said in a June 17 statement. “For many, the emotional impact of this tragedy has never completely disappeared.”
The statement stressed that “this is not a story of entertainment or a tourist destination, but rather 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 shoots, tours or discussions related to these events. Today, we remember the mother and son whose lives were taken and continue to keep their loved ones in our thoughts. We also recognize the lasting impact this tragedy has had on the first responders, nurses, doctors and hospital staff who have worked tirelessly in its wake.”
The hospital concluded by stating that “the New Boston community will forever carry the scars of this loss, and many members of our team continue to carry these memories as well.”
McCurtain Memorial Hospital did not immediately respond to Us Weekly’s request for comment. However, he stated in the initial statement that, at this time, he has no additional comments to make about the documentary and the case.