Bail is set at $4 million for an Ohio woman charged in her 5-year-old foster son’s suffocation death

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A judge Thursday set bail at $4 million for an Ohio woman charged with murder in the suffocation death of her 5-year-old foster son.

Pammy Maye, 48, of Columbus, also faces kidnapping and child endangerment charges in the death of Darnell Taylor, whose body was found in a sewer drain on Feb. 16. She did not speak during the brief hearing and showed no visible emotion.

The discovery of the body came two days after Maye told her husband the child was no longer alive and then abruptly left her home as he spoke with a 911 dispatcher, police have said. An Amber Alert was soon issued for her and the child, and she eventually was taken into custody the next day in Brooklyn, a Cleveland suburb about 150 miles (240 kilometers) from Columbus.

Officers found Maye wandering in a nightgown, and she told investigators where they could find the boy’s body, police have said. Authorities have not disclosed a possible motive for the slaying.

Maye had been the boy’s foster mother since May 2023. The child’s biological family was notified about the boy’s death and Maye’s arrest.

Speaking at the court hearing, Assistant Franklin County Prosecutor Tyler McCoy said Maye was previously diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia and had exhibited possessive and controlling behavior in the past.

Maye was represented by a county public defender, whose office does not comment on cases.