Kriti Mehrotra
When 21-year-old Reagan Simmons-Hancock was killed inside her home, and her 35-week fetus, Braxlynn Sage Hancock, was abducted from her belly, it left the entire nation shaken. Unfortunately, the latter was also pronounced dead at a hospital within hours on that fateful morning of October 9, 2020, with it coming to light that Taylor Parker was responsible for it all. Netflix’s ‘Maternal Instinct’ explores this harrowing case in detail, with the victim’s family serving as key features as they open up about their loss, their grief, and their fight for justice.
Reagan Simmons-Hancock Grew Up in a Tight-Knit Blended Family
Reagan Michelle Simmons-Hancock was born on November 14, 1998, in Hope, Arkansas, to devoted mother Jessica Brookes and loving father Brandon Simmons as the apple of their eyes. The new parents were over the moon to welcome her into their world, but they had no idea they would soon have to be careful to make her a priority as their relationship crumbled apart. Things could have gotten really messy between them, but it appears as if they were able to be amicable co-parents to their adorable young girl, even after they both moved forward in life.
While Jessica found love again with Marcus Brookes before settling down with him in Texas, Brandon blissfully tied the knot with Arkansas native Kristen Simmons on November 1, 2014. Therefore, Reagan eventually became an elder sister/elder half-sister to 4 beautiful young ones: Emily Simmons, Destiny Brookes, Clayton Brookes, and Sawyer Simmons. According to records, the latter is the youngest as he was born to Brandon and Kristen in February 2019, making him even younger than Reagan’s firstborn, Kynlee Grace.
After all, Kynlee Grace was reportedly born in 2015 when Reagan was merely 17 years old, only for the teenager to wholly and giddily embrace her new role as a mother. She was residing with her mother and stepfather in Texas at the time, who, admittedly, initially had a tough time accepting her pregnancy as they were disappointed, but things soon changed. They realized that she was “always meant to be a mother,” given how naturally it all came to her, so they supported and helped her out whenever needed.
Jessica and Marcus Brookes Found Reagan Simmons-Hancock on the Fateful Day
Jessica still remembers that it was after Reagan had Kynlee that she really came out of her shell, which inadvertently led to her meeting and falling in love with Homer Hancock. The couple joyously tied the knot on September 21, 2019, a few months after which the 21-year-old dedicated family woman revealed she was pregnant again with another baby girl. Her daughter was due in early October 2020, only for her to soon learn that her wedding photographer-turned-friend, Taylor Parker, was also pregnant and due around the same time.
Neither Reagan nor any of her loved ones knew that Taylor was faking her pregnancy – they’d heard rumors regarding the same, but they didn’t have a reason to believe it until it was too late. On the morning of October 9, 2020, Jessica got a call from Homer asking whether she had heard from his wife because the texts he was receiving from her number didn’t sound like her. They both tried calling the 35-week pregnant, almost mother of two, but she did not answer. She was also a no-show at work, and Kynlee wasn’t at the daycare where she was supposed to be.
That’s when Jessica rushed to Reagan’s New Boston, Texas, home, after already having called Marcus to check on her. She was the first to arrive at the scene, only to grow even more worried when she noticed the garage door was open, since she knew her daughter always preferred it closed. However, she was not prepared for what she saw when she entered the home – her daughter lying dead in a pool of her blood. Jessica was hysterical, yet she still managed to dial 911, which is around the same time Marcus arrived with a friend and saw the heinous scene too. Reagan was attacked, her abdomen was cut, and her fetus was abducted while Kynlee was in her room the whole time.
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Jessica, Marcus, and Emily Are Trying Their Best to Move Forward in Their Lives
It was within half an hour of Reagan’s murder that a traffic stop was conducted on Taylor Parker, only for her to claim she had given birth on the side of the road and the baby wasn’t breathing. There was a newborn girl and an umbilical cord in her lap, so officers waited for medics to arrive before she was rushed to a hospital, where the baby was sadly pronounced dead. A simple examination then also brought to light the fact that Taylor had not given birth or been recently pregnant, following which the little girl was identified as Reagan’s stolen fetus. Taylor was subsequently arrested and indicted on the charges of capital murder, murder, and kidnapping, for which she faced a jury trial almost two years later in September 2022. The then-29-year-old was found guilty on October 3 and was consequently sentenced to death on November 9.
Only then did Reagan’s family finally let out a sigh of relief, happy that justice was served for both the newly married mother and Braxlynn. Jessica even gave a victim impact statement during the proceedings, referring to Taylor as an “evil piece of flesh demon” before adding, “[My daughter] was one of the very few people on this Earth who cared about you. Now, who cares about you?” Since then, from what we can tell, Jessica and Marcus have been trying to move forward in life by enjoying quality time together, with their children and their grandbabies. The residents of New Boston, Texas, keep Reagan’s memories alive in their hearts at all times, but they are also focusing on their faith and their profession as automobile technicians.
As for Emily, the Stamps, Arkansas, resident now goes by Emily Shirey as she tied the knot with her high school sweetheart and the love of her life, Austin Shirey, on September 21, 2024. She deliberately chose this date to share it with her late sister, but she has since revealed that the trauma of the past briefly scared her so much that she didn’t want to hire a wedding photographer. Thankfully, she did, so she can now look back on everything, including the tribute table they had for Reagan, and share the memories with her own family. After all, the Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) at Prime Therapeutics gave birth to her first child, a daughter named Haisley Michelle Shirey, on November 21, 2025. We should also mention that while the rest of Reagan’s family largely prefers to stay out of the limelight, it seems like Kynlee is currently being raised by Brandon and Kristen in Arkansas, alongside 7-year-old Sawyer Simmons.
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