COLUMBUS, Ohio — Pammy Maye, the 48-year-old woman at the center of an Ohio Amber Alert case, appeared for her arraignment Friday afternoon in Franklin County to face several charges connected to the death of 5-year-old Darnell Taylor.
Through her attorney, Samuel Shamansky, Maye entered a not guilty plea to each of the charges. Her previous bond set at $4 million will be continued.
Shamansky asked the judge to consider moving Maye from the Franklin County Jail to a "secure psychiatric facility" during Friday's arraignment. "This is going to be a mental health case through and through," he added.
On Tuesday, Maye was indicted by a Franklin County grand jury on one count of aggravated murder, three counts of tampering with evidence and one count of abuse of a corpse.
Maye, the child's custodial mother, was previously booked into the Cuyahoga County Jail before she was extradited back to Columbus last week amid charges of murder, kidnapping and child endangering. A judge set bond at $4 million total -- $3 million for murder and $1 million for kidnapping at a previous arraignment.
Authorities say Maye suffocated Taylor around 11 p.m. on Feb. 13. A few hours later, Maye's husband called 911 saying his wife told him Taylor was no longer alive. During the call, Maye allegedly held her hand over her husband's mouth and said she "had a plan," according to court records. Maye then abruptly left the home and an Amber Alert was issued for her and Taylor.
Police report the caller also said that Maye abruptly left the residence in a 2015 Jeep Cherokee. That Jeep was found in Brooklyn a few hours later.
Maye was found wandering in a nightgown outside of a business of Tiedeman Road in Brooklyn on the evening of Feb. 15 and authorities took her into custody. Roughly three hours later, a body believed to be Taylor was found in a sewage drain in the 1000 block of Marsdale Avenue.
3News' Ryan Haidet and WBNS 10TV contributed to this report.
Previous Reporting:
- Grand jury indicts Columbus woman on murder, abuse of corpse charges in death of Darnell Taylor
- Pammy Maye makes first court appearance in Ohio Amber Alert case involving death of 5-year-old boy Darnell Taylor: Bond set at combined $4 million
- Pammy Maye arrested and charged in death of 5-year-old Darnell Taylor after Ohio Amber Alert issued for missing boy
- Ohio Amber Alert timeline: Case of 5-year-old Darnell Taylor