Reagan Simmons-Hancock had every reason to believe Taylor Parker was someone she could trust. Parker was not only a friend, but also her wedding photographer and, seemingly, another mother-to-be. What Simmons-Hancock understood as a real bond, however, was built on an elaborate lie — a deception that would end in a brutal killing.
Parker was convicted in 2022 of capital murder in the 2020 death of Simmons-Hancock, 21, and the abduction of her unborn daughter, who was cut from her mother’s womb and later died. The case is now examined in Netflix’s true-crime documentary “Maternal Instinct,” directed by Jessica Dimmock and executive produced by Liz Garbus.
“What Taylor did is a type of cold-hearted manipulation that could make your blood run cold,” Dimmock told News Agency. “This is not what we think danger looks like. God, she’s such a master manipulator. She is so deceptive. It’s really unfathomable the lengths that she will go to avoid accountability. So much of what happened just never needed to happen.”
The disturbing case of Taylor Parker — who pretended to be pregnant before murdering expectant mother Reagan Simmons-Hancock and cutting the unborn baby from her womb — is at the center of Netflix’s new true-crime documentary, “Maternal Instinct,” now streaming. (Courtesy of Netflix)
Simmons-Hancock, originally from Arkansas, first crossed paths with Parker while looking for an affordable photographer for her wedding to Homer Hancock. Parker came recommended by a friend and appeared to be an ideal choice. Before long, the professional connection turned personal. Their friendship seemed to deepen when Simmons-Hancock became pregnant with her second child, while Parker told those around her that she, too, was expecting — claiming it would be her third baby.
In reality, Parker was not pregnant. Her story concealed a critical fact known to only a small number of people, including her boyfriend, Wade Griffin: she had undergone a hysterectomy years earlier and was unable to carry a child.
Taylor Parker wore a silicone bump as part of her false claim that she was pregnant. (Courtesy of Netflix)
“Taylor got together with Reagan under the premise of bonding over their pregnancies, something they were both ‘sharing’ at the time,” Dimmock explained. “But of course, it’s not true. Only Reagan was pregnant. Only Reagan was going through her third trimester.”
Taylor Parker (left) and Reagan Simmons-Hancock (right) bonded over what appeared to be shared pregnancies. But Parker’s pregnancy was a lie. (Courtesy of Netflix)
Parker orchestrated an elaborate pregnancy hoax that fooled friends, family and her boyfriend for months. She wore a silicone baby bump, shared fake ultrasound images, staged medical appointments and documented her supposed growing baby bump on social media. She also held a gender-reveal party, posed for maternity photos and prepared a nursery, as if she were expecting a baby girl.
Taylor Parker, who faked her own pregnancy for 10 months, had researched how to fake a pregnancy and watched several videos on delivering babies preterm at 35 weeks, which was how far along Reagan Simmons-Hancock was when she was killed. (Courtesy of Netflix)
Even as cracks began to appear in her story, Parker doubled down on the deception, fabricating medical records and pregnancy updates to keep the ruse alive. She even used pandemic restrictions to her advantage, telling her boyfriend that COVID-era protocols allowed only one person at prenatal appointments, preventing him from accompanying her.
The documentary suggested that Parker faked her pregnancy in hopes it would keep her and Griffin together.
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Taylor Parker and Wade Griffin met in July 2019 at a local rodeo in East Texas. (Courtesy of Netflix)
“From where I sit, I’m not sure that having a baby was even the priority as much as it was having a baby to keep her relationship going,” said Dimmock. “On the surface, that’s what it is. But underneath the surface, it’s deeper. Something is very wrong. She is a compulsive liar. She manipulated people long before this happened. There is something very broken and dangerous about the way she interacts with the world.”
Dr. Christopher Mason described how it would have been impossible for Taylor Parker to become pregnant. (Courtesy of Netflix)
“It’s quite clear pretty early on that there were lots of red flags,” Dimmock continued. “It’s quite clear that a lot of what she’s telling people doesn’t add up. And yet, she has this ability to always provide an explanation in a way that throws people off her trail. It’s her ability to constantly throw curveballs that kept the charade going.”
Those who knew Simmons-Hancock all described her as “an exceptional mother” who was her sister’s best friend, a loving wife and someone who saw the good in people, said Dimmock.
Reagan Simmons-Hancock is seen here on her wedding day with her sister Emily Shirey. Taylor Parker was the wedding photographer. (Courtesy of Netflix)
“Reagan was a completely unsuspecting victim in all of this,” said Dimmock. “It all came down like a bolt of lightning. No one saw it coming.”
On the morning of Oct. 9, 2020, Simmons-Hancock, who was in the final weeks of her pregnancy, was found dead inside her home. Authorities later said she suffered more than 100 sharp-force injuries and had her skull crushed with a hammer, the Associated Press reported. A scalpel was used to remove her unborn baby, later identified as Braxlynn Sage.
Emily Shirey described her sister Reagan Simmons-Hancock as her best friend. (Courtesy of Netflix)
Simmons-Hancock’s 3-year-old daughter was still inside the property during the attack but wasn’t physically harmed.
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Jessica Brookes said that her daughter, Reagan Simmons-Hancock, was elated to welcome a new baby. (Courtesy of Netflix)
Later that same day, police stopped Parker on the road for driving erratically. Parker frantically told officers she had just given birth on the side of the road and the newborn wasn’t breathing. Emergency responders quickly transported Parker and the infant to a hospital. The baby was pronounced dead on arrival.
McKenzie Bright said she and Taylor Parker were no longer friends by the time Parker announced her pregnancy, adding that the news came as a surprise. (Courtesy of Netflix)
Medical staff quickly determined that Parker showed no signs of recent childbirth. They also revealed that she did not have a uterus due to a previous hysterectomy. Pregnancy would have been biologically impossible. DNA testing established that the infant was not hers. She was Simmons-Hancock’s daughter. Parker was arrested.
Dimmock said Simmons-Hancock’s family is still struggling with the murder.
Reagan Simmons-Hancock’s stepfather, Marcus Brookes, explained how the killings deeply impacted his family. (Courtesy of Netflix)
“They are an incredible family with an incredible network of support and love around them,” said Dimmock. “But what happened will never make sense. They have an incredibly strong faith, which I think is a part of what has helped them. But they made it clear, they would not wish this on anyone.”
In the documentary, Griffin admitted to grappling with guilt for not noticing any signs of deceit sooner.
Codey Ott said that at first, Taylor Parker seemed like an ideal match for his friend, Wade Griffin. (Courtesy of Netflix)
“We have the interrogation video, and he immediately calls out the fact that his family had been telling him that she couldn’t be pregnant, and yet he chose to stick up for Taylor,” said Dimmock.
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Wade Griffin revealed in the documentary that he was uncomfortable with how quickly his relationship with Taylor Parker progressed. (Courtesy of Netflix)
“And in sitting down with him, it’s so clear that he never wanted something like this to happen. He’s going to have to carry the trauma of being part of this for a long time in the eyes of his community and, I think, in his own heart. But ultimately, he was not the one who hurt Reagan. He was not the one who committed violence against her and he wasn’t the one who was lying.”
Parker faked her pregnancy for 10 months. Dimmock believes that Parker, who was worried about losing Griffin, was “flailing and getting desperate.”
Abby Bell said there were red flags about Taylor Parker’s pregnancy that left friends perplexed. (Courtesy of Netflix)
“She was panicking,” said Dimmock. “I don’t think that Reagan was her intended victim months out. I think she was looking at a variety of things. But the reality is, what she was trying to do is completely insane, completely unhinged. She was looking at everything from adoptions to faking home birth certificates to stalking pregnant women outside of OB-GYN offices.”
Taylor Parker and McKenzie Bright are seen here before their friendship came to an end. (Courtesy of Netflix)
“I always think Taylor is thinking one step ahead and she’s never thinking two steps or more ahead. She knew what she was going to do, which was to get a baby in her hands. But I don’t think she had really thought about what the next step was going to be. She clearly didn’t think about the repercussions for anyone else.”
Parker’s attorneys argued that the baby was never alive and moved to dismiss a kidnapping charge, which would have lowered the capital murder charge to murder, the Associated Press reported. Prosecutors said, however, that several medical professionals testified that the infant had a heartbeat when born. They also recounted Parker’s actions leading up to the day Simmons-Hancock was killed.
Taylor Parker was convicted of capital murder in 2022. (Bi-State Detention Center via AP)
Parker, now 33, is currently on Texas death row.
“This is a story of an unlikely perpetrator and an unlikely victim in an unlikely set of circumstances,” said Dimmock. “It’s a story about danger not always looking like what we are taught danger looks like.”
