COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – The family of a 5-year-old boy who was found dead inside of a garbage bag and dumped in a southwest Columbus sewer after an Ohio Amber Alert filed a wrongful death lawsuit alleging widespread abuse over a span of nearly a year.
According to Franklin County Court of Common Pleas documents, an administrator of the estate of Darnell Taylor “suffered unconscionable abuse, both physical and psychological” from his adoptive parents, Pammy Maye and Jabrell Maye, as well as a host of children’s services programs and their staff in and around Columbus.
The lawsuit, which includes 22 defendants, claims that the abuse suffered over a span of nine months, beginning in May 2023, resulted in Taylor’s death on Feb. 12, 2024. It also alleges that the boy was brutally killed while “others responsible for his care either looked away” or “turned a blind eye to clear and present indications of ongoing abuse and neglect.”
Documents include a historical timeline of Taylor’s time spent with the Mayes while living on Reeb Avenue in south Columbus.
The Mayes became legal custodians of Taylor after the Franklin County Children’s Services deemed Taylor’s grandparents would be unable to take legal custody due to the difficulty level of care Taylor would require. It was agreed a family friend may be better equipped to handle his care.
On May 9, 2023, an agent with Buckeye Ranch concluded that Taylor, who was evaluated as having developmental disabilities, diminished physical and mental capacities, needing braces for his legs, behavioral issues, and too young to articulate his wishes, would be placed with Pammy and Jabrell Maye temporarily.
The Mayes completed an Ohio Department of Job and Family Services assessment, an Individual Child Care assessment, and a home risk assessment study.
A series of monthly visits ensued, which revealed that Pammy Maye reportedly made no medical appointments for Taylor, did not take him to scheduled speech therapies, behavioral appointments, get him fitted for leg braces, enroll him in Help Me Grow of Franklin County, enroll him in special needs preschool, attend occupational therapy appointments, schedule visits with the biological parents or grandparents and admittedly refused to answer calls or texts from Taylor’s family.
As well, the Mayes blocked messages and calls from an agent for Buckeye Ranch and would only discuss Taylor’s case during unannounced visits by the agent.
With each visit, agents for Buckeye Ranch reportedly saw "no safety concerns" and recommended a change of temporary custody to legal custody to Pammy and Jabrell Maye.
The lawsuit alleges that in September Taylor, who was linked with Nationwide Children's Hospital for health services, was discharged due to lack of attendance/compliance. It also stated that a Buckeye Ranch agent stated Taylor’s behavior improved despite no additional visits to verity said claims.
During a December 2023 visit, the lawsuit alleges that Taylor had not yet been enrolled in school, attended doctors’ appointments, had not been fit for braces, seen biological family. Additionally, four attempted unannounced visits to the Reeb Avenue home in January were unanswered and agents for Buckeye Ranch reported not ever seeing Taylor in the home.
At least 31 phone calls from Taylor's family went unanswered, the lawsuit claims, and Taylor’s biological family discussed filing for custody of Taylor.
Taylor’s disappearance in February triggered a statewide Amber Alert, and Maye was soon after named as the suspected abductor. She was found in the Cleveland suburb of Brooklyn two days after Taylor’s disappearance, and Taylor’s body was found in southwest Columbus hours later.
“There’s no chance your son is alive?” an officer asked Pammy Maye in bodycam footage.
“No, he’s not,” Maye replied. “And I did it."
Maye described the area where she left Taylor, a Columbus police detective read Maye her Miranda rights. She waived her rights orally and in writing, the footage shows. Then Maye described, in detail, how and why she killed Taylor.
Maye repeatedly referred to the killing as premeditated, explaining to law enforcement how on Feb. 13, hours after she learned Taylor had eaten in bed, she went to his bedroom with a trash bag. She placed him in the bag, tied it, and waited 10 minutes, she said.
Maye said she knew Taylor was dead because his body wasn’t moving. She then placed his body, still in the bag, in a closet. When her husband came home, Maye said he thought Taylor was asleep. At about 1:30 a.m. on Feb. 14, she took Taylor’s body to the 1000 block of Marsdale Avenue.
Maye told law enforcement that she was the disciplinarian of the family, saying she was “harsh” to Taylor, citing his behavioral issues. She explained that she wanted to confess to her husband before the police were involved
Maye has been charged with aggravated murder, abuse of a corpse and three counts of tampering with evidence. Her attorney previously said he plans to argue Maye was not guilty by reason of insanity due to her mental state at the time of the killing.
The lawsuit includes the Mayes, Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services, Franklin County Board of Commissioners, Board of Trustees Franklin County Children Services, Buckeye Ranch and 13 employees of Buckeye Ranch, plus unnamed defendants whose names are unknown to the plaintiff at this time.
