Credit: Netflix

Maternal Instinct is an incredibly unsettling true-crime Netflix documentary that recounts the shocking real-life story of Reagan Simmons-Hancock, who was brutally murdered by Taylor Parker in 2020.

Simmons-Hancock was a 21-year-old mother pregnant with her second child, her first with her husband, Homer Hancock. When she was around 35 weeks pregnant with their daughter, Braxlynn, her wedding photographer-turned-friend, Parker, murdered her in cold blood on October 19th, in an attempt to steal her unborn baby, who was later announced dead.

Before committing the double homicide, Taylor, who claimed to have come from a wealthy family, faked a pregnancy. Despite a doctor’s appointment confirming the pregnancy and baby bump pictures all over social media, her partner, Wade Griffin’s friends and family had a hard time digesting the lies. As a result, they launched their own investigation, ultimately reaching Parker’s mother, who revealed Parker couldn’t get pregnant due to a hysterectomy.

Parker was past her due date by two weeks when she killed Simmons-Hancock and was subsequently arrested. She was found guilty of capital murder and sentenced to death in November 2022. Although the Netflix documentary covers most of these aspects, here are three disturbing details still missing from the Maternal Instinct.

Three unsettling details the Maternal Instinct left out

Taylor Parker’s allegation about a non-consensual hysterectomy

Maternal Instinct clarifies that Taylor Parker couldn’t have been pregnant due to a hysterectomy. However, the Netflix documentary doesn’t include her allegations that the procedure took place without her consent. In an interview with Parker’s doctor in the docu-film, OB/GYN Dr Christopher Mason from Mount Pleasant, revealed that it was her decision to undergo a “permanent sterilisation – physically blocking the tubes so that you can’t have children anymore” after her second child was born.

Dr Mason recalled that Parker was persistent with her decision and went through the required waiting time. Nearly a year and a half later, she returned to his office because of unexplained bleeding. According to his suspicions, she was possibly experiencing complications from an ectopic pregnancy due to the tubal ligation potentially failing. As they performed an “exploratory” surgery to “resolve the ectopic pregnancy,” doctors also found a cyst on her right ovary, an ectopic pregnancy and scarring from endometriosis.

Following this, “the decision was made to do a hysterectomy and removal of both tubes and the right ovary,” Dr Mason said. But in the court, Parker’s attorneys alleged that she never gave her consent to begin with, since she was in surgery. The lawyers went on to claim that the doctors sought Wacasey’s approval for the hysterectomy. “[Parker] under anaesthesia, Wacasey authorised doctors to perform a hysterectomy,” the court documents read.

“Doctors removed Appellant’s uterus, cervix, and one of her ovaries. When Appellant woke up after the surgery, she ‘flew off the handle and asked why [Wacasey] didn’t wake her up so she could make that decision.’”

The ruling out of Taylor Parker’s mental illness

Amidst Taylor Parker’s trial and sentencing period, many psychiatrists and psychologists reportedly testified about her mental state to determine whether she had any undiagnosed mental illness. Forensic psychologist Dr Michael Arambula didn’t meet Parker, but was evaluating the case. He testified that Parker was mentally fit when committing the crime.

“I was looking for some kind of mental deterioration that would account for that, but instead I saw that she stuck to her plan and (there was) no remorse afterwards,” Arambula said (via KTAL News). “In this case, there is nothing regarding any mental illness and nothing regarding intoxication, and Ms Parker falls in the category of fetal abductors, which are rare but fall into a class of women who don’t have a mental illness. The murders are planned. They’re premeditated. They have plans for after.”

Dr Arambula suspected that Parker could fit the bill of “Cluster B” personality disorders from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), which “involve impulsive and dramatic behaviour.” According to the Cleveland Clinic, the category consists of people who fail to recognise their thoughts and behaviour as problematic.

Parker’s licensed counsellor in prison, Makesha Parrish, found Parker polite, yet a “bit guarded.” She recalled an incident that particularly frustrated Parker when she was in handcuffs, and she “went completely dark, her eyes went completely dark, and her face distorted.” “In my opinion, she’s not a typical inmate,” Parrish said, while describing Parker as a “top dog” in jail who “almost appears to thrive while being incarcerated.”

When Parker’s lawyers summoned psychiatrist Dr Edward Gripon to testify about Parker regarding their meetings, he said that he didn’t believe Parker had any mental illness except qualities of mixed personality disorders (via court documents).

Although according to Gripon, Parker didn’t fall in the criteria of narcissistic personality disorder, antisocial personality disorder, histrionic personality disorder or borderline personality disorder, he suspected she could have a “mental condition” that impacted her “quality of their life, the stability of their life, their ability to maintain relationships, maintain employment sometimes, those sort of things.”

Lastly, following a series of standardised tests, Dr Timothy Proctor revealed that he didn’t find any hint of mental disorder in her, but perhaps “psychopathic traits.”

Taylor Parker’s search history before the murder

The Netflix documentary travels the extra mile to detail the extreme lengths Taylor Parker went to fake her pregnancy, which included purchasing fake pregnancy results, silicone babies, and getting a nursery made. But when the due date approached, she grew desperate to put an end to the planning and plotting.

Texas Department of Public Safety Special Agent Dustin Estes testified that starting September 14th, 2020, Parker made active online searches about where she could find pregnant women, as per KTAL News. Her search was specifically around maternity consignment shops and pregnancy clinics in the area. In fact, she even searched license plate numbers, including one that belonged to a pregnant woman.

When the due date crossed, Parker reportedly also took part in a teen pregnancy support group. Estes testified that Parker may have been approaching pregnant girls she ran into, saying she was a midwife, to grow close with them.