Darnell Taylor, five years old, died of choking after his neck was crushed, according to the study done after his death by the Franklin County Coroner’s office.
In February, on Valentine’s Day, an Amber Alert was sent out for Darnell. She was Darnell’s guardian and is now 48-year-old Pammy Maye, who is being held in the Franklin County jail on murder charges.
Maye’s husband said she told him Darnell wasn’t at their home on Reeb Avenue. Sad to say, Darnell’s body was found in a trash bag in a storm drain on Marsdale Avenue two days later.
Maye, who had been caught near Cleveland, told police where his body was found. It was found in the autopsy report that Darnell choked on his own stomach contents and that his body had started to break down.
The report also said that the boy had an amount of alcohol in his body that was higher than what could have been made by any decomposition process. The report doesn’t say how Darnell would have taken the alcohol or if it could have come from cough syrup or some other drug.
Darnell’s face and the area around his right ear were bruised, and he had small cuts, or petechiae, in his eyes. Petechiae are often seen in cases of choking and strangulation as per Irish Star.
The little boy Darnell was healthy. He weighed 32 pounds and was 38 inches tall, which are both average for his age. After his death, the autopsy showed that he was “well-nourished.”
In May 2023, Maye and her partner were legally named Darnell’s guardians by the cops in Columbus.
The court has scheduled Maye’s hearing for late June, but it’s likely to be moved. Her lawyer has said that the focus of her defense will be on her mental health.
According to court records, she hasn’t had a psychological evaluation yet.