Where Is ‘Maternal Instinct’ Subject Taylor Parker Now? Her Life Today After She Killed Her Friend

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.

Prior to the killing, Parker had lied and told her loved ones that she was pregnant with her own child. She was ultimately caught in a web of lies, and her crime was documented in Netflix’s June 2026 documentary Maternal Instinct.

Following the film’s release, viewers have been left wondering where Parker is today.

What Did Taylor Parker Do?

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.

However, those around her began asking questions about her pregnancy as her due date neared.

Simmons-Hancock, who met Parker when she worked as her wedding photographer in 2019, was pregnant at the time that Parker claimed she was expecting. The two grew close and had a girls’ day together in October 2020 when Simmons-Hancock was 35 weeks pregnant.

On that day, Parker killed Simmons-Hancock, cut the baby out of her body and fled the scene. She then called 911 from a highway and claimed she had just given birth, but that the baby wasn’t breathing.

State troopers then reported to the scene, where they found Parker performing CPR on a newborn. She also told them that she had been on her way to meet Griffin at a hospital in Idabel, Oklahoma.

Once she arrived at the hospital, doctors found no evidence that Taylor had given birth and eventually learned she previously had a hysterectomy.

Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) agent Chad Dansby began interviewing her while she was in the hospital, and she was ultimately linked to Simmons-Hancock and her baby’s death.

Parker was arrested that same day on October 9, 2020, and was convicted of capital murder in October 2022.

Where Is Taylor Parker Now?

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, according to Netflix’s Tudum.

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.

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 Candidly Discussed Her Crime and Charges

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 in the interview, 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.”