FRANKLIN COUNTY, Ohio — 10 Investigates is learning more about the contact between police, Franklin County Children's Services and the family of a 5-year-old boy who was killed in Columbus.
The Columbus Division of Police believe Darnell Taylor was suffocated and killed by his guardian, 48-year-old Pammy Maye, on Feb. 13. Police issued an AMBER Alert for the boy on Feb. 14 and found his body in a sewer in south Columbus two days later. Maye is charged with aggravated murder, abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence in connection to Darnell's death.
Franklin County Children's Services released information about their contact with Darnell prior to his death, including that the agency substantiated a report of physical abuse and neglect involving the boy on March 24, 2022.
10 Investigates obtained a Columbus police report, which shows the adult involved in that case was Darnell's biological mother. 10TV is not naming her because she is not charged with any crime involving the child.
The report shows that Columbus police responded to a home on Buffalo Court after someone reported that a child was left outside and unattended. They found Darnell strapped into a stroller and left outside by himself.
Officers spoke with Darnell's mother and she said she was punishing him for calling her a bad name. She told police she left Darnell outside by himself for about five minutes, but the person who reported the incident said he'd been there alone for an hour.
Darnell was taken to FCCS, and his mother was taken to Grant Medical Center after she made suicidal and homicidal remarks to the officers.
10TV spoke exclusively with Darnell's grandparents, Anthony and Tawanda Baynes, on Feb. 15. They said they took Darnell in, but they were having a hard time handling him. They said Maye was a longtime family friend who they trusted when they needed help raising the boy. His family said they hadn't seen Darnell since July 2023, not long after Maye and her husband got legal custody of the boy.
Maye has no criminal history, but in a Feb. 22 arraignment a prosecutor said she has a history of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia and that she exhibited troubling behavior in the past, like being possessive and controlling.
10TV asked FCCS how the agency screens mental health when navigating custody issues. FCCS spokesperson Scott Varner could not speak directly to Darnell's case, but did say the agency does home studies, background checks and interviews before placing a child with a family friend.