BLOODY crime scene photos reveal the full horror of the murder at the center of Netflix documentary Maternal Instinct in a crime that sickened even veteran investigators.
Taylor Parker, a Texas woman who had spent months faking her pregnancy, killed her friend and cut her unborn baby from her womb, leaving blood all over the walls by her scans.
Taylor Parker is seen with puffy eyes and disheveled hair after her arrest in October 2020Credit: Bowie County
Blood is seen smeared on the side of a refrigerator in Reagan’s home, underneath baby scansCredit: Bowie County
Two mason jars were also found scattered on the ground splattered with bloodCredit: Bowie County
Blood was also seen soaked into Reagan’s brown leather sofa in the living room, as her body lay beside it and her other daughter’s toysCredit: Bowie County
A court heard Parker struck 21-year-old Reagan Simmons-Hancock with a hammer before stabbing her more than 100 times in what prosecutors described as a frenzied attack
Parker then carried out a C-section using a scalpel she had brought with her to her friend’s home, which prosecutors argued was evidence she had not arrived for a peaceful visit.
After fleeing the scene and leaving Reagan in a pool of blood, she was later pulled over for driving erratically and told officers she had just given birth.
The baby girl, who she named Braxlynn Sage, tragically died after before the pair were rushed to McCurtain Memorial Hospital in Oklahoma.
Medical staff quickly realized something was terribly wrong and that Parker hadn’t given birth.
Around the same time, Reagan’s body was discovered at her home.
Parker was interrogated for more than an hour before she was handcuffed in a hospital gown and booked in connection with the murder.
She was later convicted and sentenced to death.
The killer remains the youngest woman on Texas death row, spending 22 hours a day in a closet-sized cell with little privileges.
The U.S. Sun has obtained the full volume of evidence presented to the jury at trial, including dozens of 𝓈𝒽𝓸𝒸𝓀𝒾𝓃𝑔 crime scene images.
Among the heartbreaking photographs is one showing blood splattered up the side of a refrigerator beneath a row of Reagan’s black-and-white ultrasound scans.
She was 35 weeks pregnant – approximately a month from her due date – when Parker savagely attacked her on October 9, 2020.
A court heard how Reagan fought desperately for her life as she and Parker struggled throughout the home in New Boston, Texas.
Photographs shown to the jury reportedly captured personal items scattered across the floor in the aftermath of the violent struggle, including a white bracelet and other belongings.
An overwhelming amount of blood covered the home, including the wooden floors and even appliances, with one image showing it soaked into a brown leather sofa.
The scan photos of Reagan’s baby, who died in hospital, are seen in full displayed on the refrigeratorCredit: Bowie County
The wooden floors of the property were covered in pools of blood after the brutal murderCredit: Bowie County
A photograph of a blooded 𝒻𝒶𝓀𝑒 nail, belonging to Reagan, is seen in a crime scene photoCredit: Bowie County
The victim’s mother found Reagan’s body after reaching the house and finding blood on the door of the propertyCredit: Bowie County
One of the saddest details that left an indelible mark on officials who raced to the scene, was the fact that Reagan’s three-year-old daughter was trapped inside the home after the gruesome murder.
The young girl’s toys can be seen in the pictures taken by cops after the death.
Reagan’s mother, Jessica Brookes, who recounted the terrible day in the film, was the one who found her daughter’s body.
When she arrived at the home, she saw a bloody handprint on the back door, went inside, and found Reagan lying on the floor.
She was discovered sprawled across the floor in the doorway of the living room, covered in blood and partially clothed.
Jessica initially couldn’t find Reagan’s daughter, Kynlee, before her husband Marcus found the terrified child in another room.
He said he had to step over Reagan’s body to reach her and she ran to hug him.
Jessica said that the little girl often mentioned her mom being in blood for months after the murder.
Meanwhile, the horror extended beyond the house.
Shortly after the attack, when Parker was pulled over, officers found her holding the baby, with the umbilical cord still attached.
She was covered in blood and begged to be taken to a hospital.
Photographs obtained by The U.S. Sun also show blood soaked into Parker’s driver’s seat.
Other images show Parker in custody with puffy eyes and disheveled hair after her arrest.
She was processed by officers and photographed as part of standard procedure, including documentation of her hands and fingernails, with blood underneath, for potential forensic evidence.
Parker spent months not taking full responsibility for the brutal murder and fetal abduction.
But she claims the autopsy images affected her, which are also included in the massive volume of court files.
A second mason jar, thought to be from a wedding, was also found on the floor after the pair were involved in a violent struggleCredit: Bowie County
Blood was also seen soaked into the driver’s seat of Taylor Parker’s car after she fled the sceneCredit: Bowie County
Taylor Parker was photographed after her arrest, and images show her bloody finger nailsCredit: Bowie County
Yellow police tape was used to cordon off the home where Reagan Simmons-Hancock was murdered in October 2020Credit: Bowie County
Reagan’s family reportedly left the courtroom when some of the most graphic images were being shown.
Speaking to The New Yorker in 2025, the convicted murderer said the terrifying reality of what she’d done finally hit her when she was presented with the photographs.
She described this breakthrough as a moment where “Jesus hit me straight on, flesh to flesh,” and alleges she heard his voice telling her to “open my eyes and see reality.”
Parker now claims to have found God on death row and has even prayed with visiting nuns.
She also said entering her cell after being convicted was one of “the most grateful moment of my life” because “Christ was right there beside me.”
Despite being sentenced to death, Parker’s case is still winding its way through the courts.
Her attorneys continue to challenge both her conviction and sentence, filing new legal claims in an effort to overturn the verdict or secure a new trial.
So far, however, judges have repeatedly ruled against her.
That means Parker is unlikely to face execution anytime soon.
Texas cannot set an execution date until every avenue of appeal has been completed, a lengthy process that often keeps death row inmates behind bars for many years.
Although her legal team continue to appeal, Parker also told The New Yorker, “Thinking of the free world brings anxiety and fear of my past.
“It reminds me of those things that controlled me for so long.
“It’s the hardest thing to admit, but I do not believe in going home for myself. My place is here.”
She added, “I stand firm on the belief you do not deserve to have something you took from another.
“That’s part of the acknowledgment and acceptance process on the road to redemption.”
