Autopsy reports released for murdered mother and her two children

CHARLOTTE — Warning: There are graphic details in this article that may be upsetting.

Channel 9 has more information about how a mother and her two young children died in Charlotte.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police found the remains of Markayala Johnson and her children Miracle Fleming and Messiah Johnson at the Orchard Trace Apartments on March 15, days after a relative reported them missing.

Channel 9 recently obtained the autopsy reports for the three victims that shed light on the family’s final moments.

The Mecklenburg County medical examiner noted the children had severe physical injuries and that all three victims died from fentanyl poisoning.

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The report reveals Markayala Johnson had very high levels of fentanyl and the opioid-reversal drug naloxone in her system. According to the report, her head was covered by a plastic bag and multiple diapers, and there was a cord wrapped tightly around her neck. The report also says investigators found Johnson’s body in a large, plastic storage bin inside a bedroom closet.

According to the report, state investigators impounded Johnson’s boyfriend’s car and found the bodies of 4-year-old Miracle and 7-month-old Messiah in gym bags in the trunk.

The autopsy report for Miracle shows she had bruising around her face and neck. The medical examiner says her wrists were tied together and her head was covered by diapers.

The report for Messiah says the boy died from fentanyl toxicity and states there was cocaine in his system that contributed to his death.

The medical examiner wrote Messiah also had blunt force trauma to his head.

Deputies found Markayla Johnson’s boyfriend, Benjamin Taylor at a campsite in California. He is charged with three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of concealing or failing to report a death.

VIDEO: Suspected killer of mother, 2 kids extradited back to Charlotte

Suspected killer of mother, 2 kids extradited back to Charlotte

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