Netflix’s latest true crime documentary, “Maternal Instinct,” revisits one of the most disturbing criminal cases in recent Texas history: the murder committed by Taylor Parker. The documentary explores how Parker, now on death row, carefully constructed a fake pregnancy while secretly hiding a horrifying plan. In October 2020, Parker was stopped by police after driving erratically while covered in blood and holding a newborn baby with the umbilical cord still attached. She falsely claimed she had given birth on the roadside, but doctors quickly discovered she showed no signs of childbirth. Investigators soon uncovered the devastating truth: the blood belonged to her friend, 21-year-old Reagan Simmons-Hancock, whom Parker had brutally murdered earlier that day. Prosecutors revealed that Parker stabbed Reagan more than 100 times before using a scalpel to cut the unborn baby from her womb. The child, later named Braxlynn Sage, did not survive. Reagan’s young daughter was found unharmed inside the house, hiding under blankets while the violent crime unfolded around her.

The documentary also examines Parker’s elaborate deception leading up to the murder. Despite previously undergoing a hysterectomy, she convinced her boyfriend and others that she was pregnant, even staging maternity photos and a gender reveal party. Prosecutors argued the crime was carefully planned, pointing to internet searches about premature births shortly before the attack. During trial, Parker’s legal team did not deny her involvement but instead challenged whether the kidnapping charge involving the unborn baby legally justified the death penalty. The court rejected those arguments, and Parker was sentenced to death in 2022, becoming one of only a handful of women currently on Texas death row. Although she remains alive years later, appeals and legal procedures continue delaying any execution date. “Maternal Instinct” shines a harsh spotlight on the devastating impact the crime had on Reagan’s grieving family and community.