This gruesome Netflix doc is now the number 1 movie in the world on Netflix

Several friends and colleagues have already started talking about it. The documentary Maternal Instinct on Netflix. By the way, the chance is high that when you open Netflix and see it immediately, because it is number 1. Not only in the Netherlands, but it is currently even the most viewed film on the streaming service in all countries.

And believe me: there is really a reason for that. This is yet another true story where you find yourself saying out loud multiple times, “no, no, no, noooo, this can't be true.” You feel it coming, but you just can't believe it.

A traffic stop that completely spirals out of control

It all starts small. Real bodycam footage shows how a police officer in Texas in 2020 stops a female driver who is swerving dangerously on the road. The driver, Taylor Parker, claims she just gave birth in her car and that her baby is not breathing. She is rushed to the hospital, but there it becomes clear (also via bodycam footage) almost immediately that her story cannot possibly be true.

From that moment on, you see a bizarre documentary.

Web of lies

In the documentary, you see how Taylor Parker led a completely fabricated life for years. She claimed she would soon inherit millions from her wealthy grandmother, came up with stories about a huge family fortune that was about to come. But everything turned out to be a lie. Even her pregnancy was staged, allowing her to deceive her partner, friends, and family for months.

With forged ultrasounds, stolen medical documents, and silicone bellies, she maintained this fake pregnancy for months. Even a reveal party was organized. Her boyfriend, family, and acquaintances all shared in the pregnancy, while some already suspected that something was off.

You see through the perfect editing, real footage, and interviews with former friends how one lie keeps growing. Until she was almost 10 months pregnant.

The truth is even more gruesome

Without giving everything away: this case ends in a gigantic tragedy that shocked the entire United States and is still seen as one of the most gruesome murders in recent years.

Fortunately, the documentary does not opt for sensationalism for the sake of sensationalism. Instead, they show friends, family members, former colleagues, and investigators how Taylor Parker managed to manipulate everyone for years and how no one could suspect what she was ultimately capable of.

No true crime for dinner

If you, like me, love documentaries like American Murder or Into the Fire, The Murder of Rachel Nickell then you will Maternal Instinct probably want to see this immediately. No, it's not light true crime, but still, I want to see it all. You really want to keep watching until the end.

Are you going to watch it?

Okay, if you are like me a fan of true crime stories, then this is Maternal Instinct absolutely a recommendation. Just prepare yourself for a documentary that shows how dangerous deception can become when no one intervenes in time. I am also so curious about what disorders this woman has, it certainly won't be just Pseudologia fantastica . This must be a series of gigantic disorders.

Where is Taylor Parker now?

The story did not end with her arrest, but with her trial. Taylor Parker was sentenced to death in November 2022 for the murder of Reagan Simmons-Hancock and the kidnapping of her unborn baby. She is still on death row in the Patrick L. O’Daniel Unit in Texas. Her appeal also failed, in fact, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to review the case again. There is currently no execution date, so she is still waiting for the execution of her sentence.

With her conviction, Taylor Parker became the youngest female inmate on death row in Texas. But