The Chilling Story of Taylor Parker: She killed a Pregnant Woman Before Stealing her Baby in Texas



Taylor Parker's murder case remains one of the most disturbing crimes to occur in the United States in recent years.

It involved the brutal murder of 21-year-old Reagan Simmons-Hancock, a pregnant mom from Texas, as seen on CNN.

In 2020, Parker brutally killed Simmons-Hancock and cut her unborn baby from her womb in a desperate attempt to pass the child off as her own. 

This unbelievable act not only stunned a small Texas community but also led to Parker becoming one of the few women on death row in Texas.

Let's get into it

Taylor Parker


Background of the case

In early 2020, Taylor Rene Parker, a 29-year-old woman from Texas, deceived her friends and family by claiming she was pregnant.

Accordin to CBS news, Parker faked her pregnancy to hold onto her boyfriend, Wade Griffin, who was reportedly eager to start a family.  

To make her deception believable, Parker went to extraordinary lengths. 

She staged a gender-reveal party, faked ultrasound images, and claimed she was due to give birth in late 2020. 

She even went as far as scheduling a hospital appointment to pre-register for labor, a move designed to reinforce her fabricated story.  

However, over time, close acquaintances, including her ex-husband, started to grow suspicious. 

On September 16, 2020, Parker’s ex-husband sent an email to Griffin, exposing her lies about the pregnancy. 

Desperate to maintain her story, Parker came up with a horrifying plan to steal an unborn baby at any cost.

It was at this point she targeted Reagan Simmons-Hancock, a 21-year-old expectant mother who was 34 weeks pregnant at the time. 

According to Reagan Simmons-Hancock's husband, Parker was actually a family friend.

Sadly, this friendship made Reagan trust Parker to some extent, unaware of the terrible plan she had for her and her unborn child.


Reagan Simmons-Hancock with family

The Day Of The Murder

On October 9, 2020, Taylor Parker traveled to Reagan Simmons-Hancock's home, who was nine months pregnant. 

After Parker arrived, she pretended to offer assistance for the birth of Reagan’s baby.

However, instead of assisting like she promised, Parker attacked and strangled Reagan around 9AM.

Once the woman lost consciousness, Taylor proceeded to cut open her abdomen with a knife, removing the baby from her womb.

According to Independent News, Parker reportedly slashed Reagan multiple times after stealing the baby to make sure she didn't survive. 

Crime scene investigators later revealed that the fatal attack was so brutal that the young mother was slashed hundreds of times, with her skull fractured from multiple blows.

After she was done, Parker wrapped the newborn in a towel and left the crime scene.

After leaving, she drove to the nearby city of Simms, about 10 miles away. On the way, she stopped at a Walmart, where she was seen in the store with the infant. 

After leaving the Walmart, she was stopped by an officer who saw her driving erratically. 

She reportedly told the officer she had given birth and was on her way to a hospital in Idabel, Oklahoma.

The officer eventually called the paramedics, who helped in transferring her to the hospital, where her lies finally unraveled.

Reagan Simmons-Hancock


Investigation and How Taylor Parker Was Exposed

At the hospital, Taylor Parker tried to present the baby as her own, but hospital staff grew suspicious when she could not provide medical records or a credible story. 

After noticing several inconsistencies in Parker’s story about giving birth in her car, the hospital staff contacted the local police department. 

Deputies were quickly dispatched to the hospital, where they detained Parker and began questioning her. 

Meanwhile, Reagan's lifeless body was found on the roadside that morning, leading to a 911 call from the local residents.

So while Parker was at the hospital with detectives, crime scene experts meticulously analyzed the crime scene where Regans lifeless body was found.

The brutal nature of the crime led investigators to believe that the baby had been stolen after the woman had been murdered. 

Evidence quickly began to pile up against Parker. 

Further investigation revealed that Parker had been pretending to be pregnant herself, and there were no records of her having recently given birth.

When questioned, Parker denied any involvement in the crime, maintaining her false story of giving birth on her own. 

However, as investigators continued their examination, they uncovered more critical evidence.

Parker was arrested shortly after the investigation at the hospital, and the newborn baby was declared dead on arrival.

Here is bodycam footage of her initial interaction with law enforcement official and her subsequent arrest


Taylor Parker in court


Justice of Reagan Simmons-Hancock and Her Child

Taylor Parker’s trial began in late 2022, with over 140 witnesses testifying over 25 days. 

Prosecuting lawyers painted Parker as a manipulative and dangerous individual who stopped at nothing to fulfill her delusional plans. 

During the trial, it was revealed that Parker had researched how to fake a pregnancy and had even watched videos about premature births.

Parker’s defense attorneys argued that Parker’s actions were a result of unresolved trauma and sought to humanize her in the eyes of the jury. 

However, the overwhelming evidence led to her conviction on October 3, 2022, for capital murder in the deaths of Simmons-Hancock and baby Braxlynn. 

On December 14, 2022, the jury sentenced Parker to death, making her one of just seven women on Texas’ death row.

For the Simmons-Hancock family, the pain of losing Reagan and Braxlynn remains immeasurable, but justice has been served. 


Got a tip about a crime? Please contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS immediately. 

You can also see how to report a crime anonymously online if you wish to remain anonymous.



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