Who Was Reagan Simmons-Hancock? Inside Her Life Before She Was Murdered

Reagan Simmons-Hancock's story has re-entered the national conversation following the release of Netflix's June 2026 documentary "Maternal Instinct." The 21-year-old Texas mother was 35 weeks pregnant when she was killed on October 9, 2020, by her friend Taylor Parker. Parker committed the crime by strangling and stabbing Simmons-Hancock before performing an unauthorized C-section to remove the unborn child, Braxlynn Sage, who did not survive. Parker, who had previously undergone a hysterectomy and falsely claimed to be pregnant, attempted to pass the baby off as her own. Simmons-Hancock was married to Homer Hancock and was already raising a young daughter, Kynlee. She met Parker in 2019 when Parker worked as her wedding photographer. Simmons-Hancock's mother, Jessica Brookes, who discovered her daughter's body, and her sister, Emily Shirley, have spoken publicly about their belief that Parker's actions were calculated. They have pushed back on the framing of Parker as unstable, with Brookes stating it is "hard not to say evil" when describing the killer.