North Carolina police have published grisly details about the killings of a mother and her two children, who went missing for nearly two weeks before being found killed.
Benjamin Joseph Taylor, 34, faces three counts of murder and one count of concealing of death. He is suspected of killing 22-year-old Markayla Johnson, 4-year-old Miracle Johnson, and 7-month-old Messiah Johnson.
Johnson and her two children were reported missing on March 3, after she ceased contact with her relatives. Her relatives last saw them on January 20 near the 400 block of Orchard Trace Lane in Charlotte.
On March 5, family and investigators from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department knocked on Johnson’s home, but no one responded. A maintenance worker informed detectives that he opened the door using a master key, but it was halted by the security chain. He stated that no one answered his call.
According to an affidavit, officers received security video on March 6 showing Taylor departing the state on a bus. Police issued a missing person alert to the public on March 8.
Officers acquired a search warrant for Johnson’s flat on March 16. When they stepped inside, they discovered Johnson’s body in a plastic container with cables wrapped around her.
“Detectives also located multiple used air fresheners and candles,” according to the affidavit. “Multiple fans were turned on and the AC unit was turned down to approximately 62 degrees.”
The next day, March 16, police searched Taylor’s automobile. According to the affidavit, Miracle and Messiah were discovered in plastic bags hidden within travel bags in the trunk. Investigators discovered Miracle’s wrists bound and diapers wrapped around her face and head. Officials have not yet announced the causes of death.
“This is difficult for me as a police chief,” Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings stated during a press conference on March 16. “Nothing is worse than the homicides of small children and family members.”
Taylor and Johnson were “in a relationship,” but Taylor was not the father of either kid, according to Jennings.
One reporter wondered if Taylor had slain Johnson and her two children to destroy witnesses.
“Well, I’m not sure how much a 7-month-old can be a witness, but at the same time, I don’t want to speculate about the reasoning behind any of these murders,” Jennings was quoted as saying.
Taylor was apprehended on March 18 in California, near the US-Mexico border. It’s unclear how police located Taylor in California, but a news release commended the Imperial County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI field office there. Taylor was brought to Imperial County Jail and extradited to North Carolina last week. He is currently being held without bond at the Mecklenburg County Jail.
Johnson’s family is clearly distraught by the loss of her and her children.
“He needs to know that she was loved, as were her children,” Tabby Holiday told local ABC affiliate WSOC. “She was doing extremely well. He simply wanted to take that away from all of us.
The family wants Johnson to face the toughest punishment possible.
“We want a definite death penalty,” Holiday stated.