An Ohio woman will be going to trial in the death of her foster son nearly two years after the crime. Pammy Maye was arrested after allegedly killing the boy but was then deemed incompetent to stand trial. Now, it has been decided that she can stand trial. In 2024, Maye admitted to killing her 5-year-old foster son Darnell Taylor for unknown reasons. After disappearing with the boy in the middle of the night, Maye called her husband, telling him that something had happened. He quickly called 911, which led to an Amber Alert and a two-day search for Maye and the boy. Unfortunately, the story had a tragic ending.
Maye has been held in a psychiatric facility receiving treatment.
BREAKING: court rules Pammy Maye is COMPETENT to stand trial. Her attorney says she’s doing much better, but he’s going to plead not guilty by reason of insanity. pic.twitter.com/eQCMwhUtrS
— Tom Bosco (@tomwsyx6) April 13, 2026
On April 13, 2026, during a hearing at the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, a judge heard that Maye was competent to stand trial, WCMH reported. A status hearing will take place in one month.
Her initial competency report was taken in July 2025, and experts from the Behavioral Health Center deemed she was incompetent to stand trial, WCMH reported in August 2025, but they said she could improve over time.
An official trial date could be set soon, but it’s expected to start in about three months. Until then, Maye will continue to be held at Central Ohio Psychiatric Hospital.
Her team plans to say she’s not guilty by reason of insanity.
Maye’s attorney, Sam Shamansky, spoke with WBNS, revealing the plan.
“The issue is her mental health at the time and whether finding not guilty by reason of insanity is appropriate. As the judge said, it is an extraordinarily difficult standard and one that we hope Dr. David will help us understand more fully after he completes an evaluation,” he told the outlet.
Judge Mark Serrott said that next, they need to determine whether Maye meets the requirements to plead not guilty by reason of insanity.
The boy died two years ago.
On February 14, 2024, Maye’s husband called 911 around 3 a.m., WHIO reported at the time. “My wife just…she killed our foster child. She told me she killed our foster child,” he said.
According to Maye’s husband, she left their home abruptly in a 2015 Jeep Cherokee. The vehicle was found in Brooklyn, Ohio, but Maye and Darnell weren’t inside. A statewide Amber Alert was issued that morning.
The 5-year-old’s body was found about 1 a.m. in a sewage drain, WCMH reported at the time. Police searched there after Maye was arrested. According to the Franklin County Coroner’s Office, Darnell died of asphyxia by smothering with cervical neck compression, WBNS reported.
She was charged with aggravated murder, abuse of a corpse, and three counts of tampering with evidence.
A lawsuit was filed by the boy’s biological family.
In November 2024, members of the boy’s family alleged that multiple parties, including Buckeye Ranch and several of its employees, as well as Franklin County Children Services and Maye’s husband, played a part in the boy’s death, WSYX reported.
They claimed Buckeye Ranch and the FCCS kept the boy in Maye’s custody despite multiple red flags that she wasn’t an adequate caregiver.
Throughout 2023 and early 2024, the family claimed, the boy wasn’t attending school or receiving medical care. Caseworkers who tried to contact Maye were unable to reach her, and she admitted to blocking phone numbers.
Every time the family tried to set up visits with Maye, they were unable to reach her. They claimed the last time they saw the boy was in September 2023.
Buckeye Ranche sent a statement to WSYX about the case in 2024.
“The death of Darnell, allegedly at the hands of his legal custodian, Pammy Maye, is a tragic incident that no one could have foreseen. The Buckeye Ranch is committed to using best practices to provide care to families through strong procedures, systems, and continuous quality improvement,” it reads.
