A tragic incident has unfolded in a Charlotte apartment complex where a mother and her two young children were found dead, leading to the arrest of her boyfriend, Benjamin Joseph Taylor, 34. He faces charges of first-degree murder and failure to report a death in connection with the deaths of Markayla Johnson, 22, her daughter Miracle, 4, and her 7-month-old son Messiah.
Concerns arose when Johnson’s family began receiving suspicious text messages that seemed out of character. They reported her and her children missing on March 3, prompting an investigation by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s Homicide Unit.
Authorities later discovered the bodies of Johnson and her children in startling circumstances; police found them hidden beneath diapers and blankets. As the investigation progressed, it was revealed that all three had fentanyl and other drugs in their systems.
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Surveillance footage showed Taylor leaving North Carolina on a bus shortly after the deaths. When police searched his apartment, they found Johnson’s body in a plastic bin and the children in bags in the trunk of his car.
On March 16, Taylor was arrested in Imperial County, California, through the coordinated efforts of CMPD and the FBI. He was later extradited back to North Carolina, where he was denied bond during a court appearance on April 8.
CMPD Police Chief Johnny Jennings expressed deep concern during a press conference, emphasizing the brutality of crimes involving children and families. He pledged to achieve justice for the victims’ family.
According to reports, Johnson and her children had moved in with Taylor from South Carolina last year. Markeysha Johnson, Markayla’s mother, spoke fondly of her daughter, saying, “She was a good person and everybody knows Kayla would do anything for you. She didn’t deserve this.”