What to Know
The Netflix documentary Maternal Instinct quickly became a must-see in summer 2026. The 94-minute program captivated millions of viewers as they watched in disbelief as Taylor Parker lived a life of lying, scheming, and betrayal. She took her ex-boyfriend, Wade Griffin, for a fool and changed his life in the worst way possible.
Maternal Instinct shares Parker’s story through interviews with people whose lives she effectively ruined. After faking a pregnancy, Parker brutally murdered Reagan Simmons-Hancock on October 9, 2020, and attempted to steal her unborn baby girl.
Her crimes landed her on death row in Texas alongside 166 other criminals convicted of capital murder. While she may be in the company of the state’s most violent criminals, audio from a conversation with her daughter shows a much different side of Parker.
Parker had two children before faking her third pregnancy.
According to KTAL, Parker gave birth to a daughter at 17 and a son at 21. She had a hysterectomy following her second pregnancy, leaving her unable to have more children.
It’s hard to imagine Parker as anything other than a murderer, but a prison phone call obtained by TMZ paints a much different picture. During the undated call, Parker speaks with her mother, Shona Prior, and daughter, Emersyn, as if she’s just on vacation, and not spending the rest of her life in prison.
Parker sounds like an attentive mother.
In the brief conversation, Prior asks Parker if she heard a rainstorm the night before, and she replies that though she has a window, she couldn’t tell what was happening with the weather outside.
Emersyn tells her mother that they’re enjoying a campfire and excitedly shares that she got a “real sapphire” with diamonds all around it from her grandmother as an early Christmas present. The little girl’s voice sounds full of excitement and little understanding of what is to come.
The conversation is hard to listen to.
@redflagsbodybags In this jail call Taylor Parker is complaining about what’s happening with her children and her visitation. Her mom tells her “what’s done is done”. What do you think? Real emotion or more manipulation? #truecrime #crimenews #truecrimetok #taylorparker ♬ original sound – Red Flags and Body Bags
Parker doesn’t sound like a woman who brutally murdered a friend and tried to take her unborn child to raise as her own. Yet, we know the truth. At the time, it’s unlikely her daughter could have comprehended the gravity of her mother’s crimes and what that would mean to their relationship in the future.
She’s just an innocent kid excited about Christmas and new things in her bedroom. Parker sounded interested and excited for her little girl, which makes the reality of her crimes so much more disturbing. Why would she risk losing the two children she already had? It will never make sense.
Parker currently sits on death row in Texas.
According to a note obtained by TMZ, Parker attempted an apology to Jimmy Griffin, ex-boyfriend Wade Griffin’s father, for what she did to him and their entire family.
“I’ve asked God for forgiveness, and I believe He has showed me it,” she wrote.
A court sentenced Parker to death for the October 9, 2020 murder of Simmons-Hancock. She’s the youngest inmate and one of only seven women on death row in the state of Texas.
READ NEXT: Director Behind ‘Maternal Instinct’ Explains Why Taylor Parker Never Appears in the Documentary
