Before Taylor Parker fell in love with Wade Griffin and falsely claimed she was pregnant with his child, she was married twice.
Following the release of Netflix’s June 2026 documentary Maternal Instinct, Us Weekly breaks down everything to know about Parker’s dating and marriage history, what Griffin has revealed about their romance and details about the terrifying crimes she committed that landed her on death row.
Inside Taylor Parker’s Relationship With Donald Whiteside
Parker was in a relationship with boyfriend Donald Whiteside when she welcomed her first child, daughter Emersyn, when she was just 17 years old, according to court documents viewed by Us.
Not much is known about her romance with Whiteside. However, the couple did break up and she moved on with her now first ex-husband, Tommy Wacasey.
Inside Taylor Parker’s Marriage to Tommy Wacasey
Parker married her first husband, Wacasey, in 2011. She welcomed her second child and her first with Wacasey together, son Trey, when she was 21 years old.
Trey had a complicated birth, and Parker later underwent a tubal ligation that was intended to prevent her from having children in the future.
Two years later, she suffered an ectopic pregnancy and had to undergo surgery. During the procedure, a doctor found an ovarian cyst and scarring from endometriosis, according to KTAL News. Parker was under anesthesia at the time, so Wacasey gave the doctor approval to perform a hysterectomy.
Parker’s uterus, cervix and one of her ovaries were removed, guaranteeing that she would not be able to get pregnant in the future.
The former couple separated in July 2017 and they finalized their divorce in March 2018.
Following their split, Wacasey had custody of Trey and Parker had custody of Emersyn.
Inside Taylor Parker’s Marriage to Hunter Parker
Shortly after her divorce from Wacasey, Parker married her second husband, Hunter Parker. The pair got married in 2018, just 11 days after she finalized her divorce from Wacasey. Hunter and Taylor’s marriage didn’t last long and they divorced after about one year of marriage in 2019.
Hunter testified against Taylor during her trial and claimed she didn’t tell him she was infertile until after they were married, according to Oxygen. He also said she claimed to have a variety of medical problems and accused her of faking seizures in an attempt to prevent him from leaving her.
Hunter also claimed that Taylor tried to convince him to get a loan and use a surrogate so that they could conceive a biological child. She then allegedly suggested that her grandmother would pay for the surrogate using cash. Taylor said she arranged to have the money delivered by a man named “Tim Hightower,” and she later told Hunter that Hightower got into an accident on the way to deliver the money and the cash was stolen by first responders.
Inside Taylor Parker’s Relationship With Wade Griffin
Taylor met Griffin in the summer of 2019 after she moved to a rural town in Texas. They quickly began a whirlwind romance and she moved into his home in the fall of 2019. Months later, Taylor claimed she was pregnant in January 2020.
After Taylor alleged she was expecting her first child with Griffin, she reportedly asked Wacasey to take custody of Emersyn, per KTAL News.
The couple remained together until Taylor killed her pregnant friend, Reagan Simmons-Hancock, cut the baby out of her and claimed she had given birth to the child in October 2020.
At the time of the killing, Taylor had surpassed her alleged due date of September 22, 2020, and many of Griffin’s family members had expressed skepticism about Taylor’s pregnancy.
During her trial, Griffin testified about his experience with Taylor and said she went to great lengths to make herself indispensable. “I love to eat,” he said on the stand, according to KTAL News.
Griffin explained that he would text Taylor about what he wanted to have for dinner, and she would make sure the food was ready for him when he got home. Additionally, Griffin said that Taylor helped take care of the livestock on their property, kept up with the finances and managed the household.
He also reflected on how she tricked him into believing her lies. “A few people might have said a few things like that. I’m like, ‘Man I’m just telling ya, she’s dotted her I’s, crossed her T’s from the healthcare paperwork and everything makes sense to me,” he said. “You just might not see the whole picture.”
Taylor Parker Was Convicted of Murder in October 2022
After Taylor killed Simmons-Hancock, she claimed to police officers that she had given birth and was taken to the hospital. However, it didn’t take long for doctors to realize she had not given birth and she was quickly linked to Simmons-Hancock’s death.
Two years after the horrifying killing, Taylor was found guilty of capital murder and kidnapping in connection to Simmons-Hancock and her child’s murder.
She was sentenced to death and is currently the youngest woman on death row in the state of Texas.
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