Netflix has released a new documentary that has left viewers deeply shaken. 'Maternal Instinct', which premiered last week, tells a harrowing story over 90 minutes, prompting strong reactions online. Warning: this article contains distressing content.
One viewer, Calvinbuddy1972, wrote on Reddit that they 'wished they hadn't watched it', adding: 'That was my first thought when it ended.' The documentary focuses on Taylor Parker, a woman from Texas whose web of deception led to a brutal murder.
Disturbing Footage
The trailer begins with bodycam footage of a police officer pulling over Parker, who claims she gave birth in her car. She is heard calling emergency services, crying: 'I need an ambulance 'cause I started having my baby.' Inside a hospital, a medical professional notes: 'She doesn't look like she had a baby.'
Netflix describes the film as 'gut-wrenching', stating: 'Maternal Instinct unravels a woman’s years-long web of deception and the grisly murder it led to, told through the voices of those who lived through it in a small Texas town.' The documentary includes warnings about 'sensitive topics including violence, graphic crime-scene imagery, and distressing details surrounding the murder of a pregnant woman and her unborn child'.
Viewers' Reactions
People who knew Taylor, including Wade Griffin, a local hog trapper who was in a relationship with her, are interviewed. He recalls Taylor telling him she was pregnant after a couple of months, but things did not add up. On social media, viewers expressed horror. One user wrote: 'I watched this last night: terrifying, demonic.' Another said: 'I’ve watched over 50 documentaries, but this, this blew my mind. Taylor Parker was a next-level delusional psychopath my goodness!'
The convicted murderer killed her pregnant friend Reagan Simmons-Hancock and cut her unborn daughter Braxlynn from her womb. The documentary includes bodycam footage of Parker performing CPR on the stolen baby. According to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Parker is one of seven women on death row in the state.
'Maternal Instinct' is available to stream on Netflix.
