Woman charged with murdering five-year-old extradited to Columbus

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A woman who was arrested and jailed in northeast Ohio, several days after a five-year-old was found dead in Columbus, will be extradited to Franklin County Wednesday.

Columbus Police Sergeant Joe Albert confirmed that Pammy Maye will be brought back to Franklin County to be processed for the murder of five-year-old Darnell Taylor.

Maye, 48, was taken to Cuyahoga County Jail Sunday afternoon on a fugitive warrant after an Amber Alert was issued on Feb. 14 for Taylor, who was thought to have been abducted by Maye.

Brooklyn, Ohio police located Maye southwest of Cleveland on Feb. 15, and she provided the location of Taylor’s body. On Feb. 16 police located Taylor’s body shortly after 1 a.m. in the 1000 block of Marsdale Avenue, on Columbus’ Southwest Side.

Maye’s charges of kidnapping and child endangerment in Franklin County Municipal Court were dropped and she has since been charged with murder.

The Amber Alert was issued Feb. 14 at 5:10 a.m., with initial reports believing Maye had taken Taylor from a south Columbus home in the 900 block of Reeb Avenue, about 5 miles from where Taylor’s body was found.

During a 911 call, Maye’s husband told operators that his wife said she had killed Taylor. Before the call ended, Maye fled the house. Her vehicle was recovered hours later in Brooklyn with no sign of her or Taylor.

Taylor was referred to multiple service agencies, including behavioral health at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and case management, according to children’s services, before Maye and her husband became legal guardians of him in May 2023.