CHARLOTTE, NC – Tragedy struck Charlotte when a woman and her two young children were confirmed dead over a week after they were reported missing, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) confirmed.
Benjamin Joseph Taylor, age 35, was apprehended on Saturday in Imperial County, California. He is now facing charges, including three counts of murder and one count of concealing death and is expected to await extradition to North Carolina while remaining in the Imperial County jail.
Johnny Jennings, CMPD Chief, expressed his devastation over the tragic incident, emphasizing the difficulty of witnessing grieving families, especially those mourning the loss of young children.
Last Friday, the CMPD posted on a popular social media platform about their ongoing investigation at an apartment complex located along Orchard Trace Lane and close to the U.S. Highway 29 and the Interstate-85 Connecter. They announced their discovery of human remains in the area.
Officers identified the remains, discovered around 1:45 p.m. the same day, as those of 22-year-old Markayla Johnson and her two children, 4-year-old Miracle Johnson and 7-month-old Messiah Johnson, all reported missing since March 8.
Chief Jennings, during a press conference held Saturday afternoon, declared the suspect was in a relationship with Johnson and was likely located somewhere in the Carolinas. However, he didn’t hesitate to state readiness for launching a nationwide manhunt if necessary.
In a Sunday announcement, the CMPD confirmed Taylor’s arrest in relation to the case. Reacting to this development, Jennings termed the deaths as ‘senseless acts of violence,’ which immensely saddened the victims’ families and the local community.
Several family members of Markayla Johnson, including her grandmother, Ramona Johnson, attended Saturday’s briefing and expressed their sorrow and grief over their loss.