Netflix’s Maternal Instinct revisits Taylor Parker’s shocking Texas murder case

Warning: Distressing content

Netflix viewers thought they had seen every shocking true crime documentary imaginable. Then Maternal Instinct arrived.

The new documentary has quickly become one of the streaming giant’s most talked-about releases, with viewers describing it as the “craziest” and “most disturbing” crime stories they’ve ever watched.

At the centre of the documentary is Taylor Parker, a Texan woman whose elaborate web of lies ultimately culminated in one of America’s most horrifying double murders.

Parker claimed to be an heiress of a wealthy oil drilling family as her relationship with Wade Griffin began.

Her initial charm and her lavish spending on him and his family, made those around her fall in love with the newest addition to the family.

As money problems started to emerge, promised funds not arriving and even the repossessing of a gifted car, Parker announced she was pregnant.

For months, Parker convinced those around her that she was, however, she wasn’t. She couldn’t fall pregnant at all after having a hysterectomy years early.

According to the documentary, she wore a silicone baby bump, produced ultrasound scans, shared medical paperwork and even selected a name for the baby she claimed she was carrying.

It was the start of a lie that resulted in an unimaginable crime that left families broken.

Her boyfriend, Wade Griffin, believed he was about to become a father.

Friends and family celebrated the pregnancy.

Parker hosted a gender reveal party, and documented her supposed journey on social media. Behind the performance, she also offered acquaintances $100,000 ($A152,900) to act as surrogates.

As her “due date” approached, questions began mounting, with many family members growing suspicious. Yet, Parker continued the deception, even telling her loved ones she had scheduled an induction on October 9, 2020.

At one point, family asked how it was possible to be 10 months pregnant.

According to prosecutors, it was the deadline she could no longer outrun.

The documentary details how Parker arrived at the home of Reagan Simmons Hancock, a 21-year-old expectant mother who was 35 weeks pregnant and had previously hired Parker as a wedding photographer.

This is where the documentary takes a gut-wrenching turn.

After her visit, police stopped Parker while she was speeding on a highway.

She was stopped with a newborn baby in the car. The infant’s umbilical cord was still attached. Covered in blood, Parker claimed she had just given birth and was pleaded for help.

After she was taken to the hospital, Taylor initially refused an examination. Hospital staff eventually convinced her to comply, with a doctor quickly determining she had not just given birth.

While in hospital, the baby tragically passed away.

As police and hospital staff attempted to work out what they were dealing with in the hospital, a dark reality was unfolding at another address.

Police were called to the home to Ms Hancock, the woman Parker had visited, after her body was discovered by her mother.

Emergency services were confronted with a shocking, bloody scene. While assessing the crime scene, police confirmed there was no baby inside Ms Hancock’s remains.

It had been removed and taken by Parker.

The case shocked the United States and ultimately led to Parker being convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death. In 2025, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals upheld both her conviction and sentence.

For director Jessica Dimmock, the case stands apart from other true crime stories because of the sheer scale of the deception and brutality involved.

“The length of Taylor’s selfishness and cruelty feels very unique to her,” Ms Dimmock told Tudum.

“The idea that you could do this to someone who you’re just casually friends with ... I will never understand why Taylor did this.”

Ms Dimmock said one detail continued to haunt her throughout the making of the documentary: the fact Reagan’s three-year-old daughter was home during the attack.

“I will never understand how she could have done that with (Reagan’s) three-year-old there and left her,” she said.

Notably, Parker herself does not appear in the documentary.

Ms Dimmock said she deliberately chose not to interview the convicted killer, explaining she never believed Parker would be truthful or remorseful.

“I wanted to hear from all of the people whose lives she damaged and broke forever, and not give her any more room to talk,” she said.

The approach appears to have resonated with audiences.

Across Reddit, viewers have been warning others to brace themselves before pressing play.

“If you’re pregnant, do not watch this,” one viewer warned.

“Ive never felt physically sick from a documentary before but this one changed that. Absolutely horrific”, another commented.

“Watching this pregnant was rough. Hearing her poor mom scream on the phone broke my heart more than anything ugh”.

For many, Maternal Instinct is more than another true crime documentary. It’s a story so disturbing that even seasoned Netflix crime fans are struggling to believe it actually happened.