COLUMBUS, Ohio — Pammy Maye pleaded not guilty Friday to charges of aggravated murder, tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse in connection to the death of 5-year-old Darnell Taylor.
Sam Shamansky, Maye's attorney, said the case will be about mental health.
Shamansky asked the magistrate in court to consider transferring Maye to a secure psychiatric facility. But the magistrate did not make a decision.
“We know that folks in the midst of a mental health crisis, whether it’s a minor one or catastrophic one, can’t get help in the county jail,” said Shamansky.
The magistrate asked Shamansky if he wanted a health assessment on Maye, but Shmanksy said they would wait to find a psychologist to do the assessment.
On Feb. 14, an AMBER Alert was issued for Darnell after he was reported missing to authorities. Maye's husband had called 911 and said that his wife had killed the little boy and had fled the home. Later that morning, Maye's car was found abandoned in a Cleveland suburb.
Maye was found in the Cleveland area less than two days later and was taken into custody.
After interviewing Maye, detectives learned that Taylor's body might have been placed in a sewage drain on Marsdale Avenue in Franklin County. Authorities later found his body there.
Prosecutors for the case said this will be a challenging one.
“Anytime we have the death of someone that young in a tragic way, it's going to be a challenging case from a legal standpoint, but also an emotional standpoint,” said Anthony Pierson with the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office.