CHARLOTTE — The suspect accused of killing a missing Charlotte woman and her two children has been arrested in California.
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Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department detectives charged 35-year-old Benjamin Joseph Taylor with three counts of murder and one count of concealment of death.
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CMPD sent out an alert on March 8 saying 22-year-old Markayla Johnson and her two children, 4-year-old Miracle and 7-month-old Messiah, were missing. Police said Johnson hadn’t contacted any known family members and they were concerned about her welfare.
Then on Friday, police found the family’s supposed remains at an apartment complex where they were reported missing. It’s part of the Orchard Trace apartments off North Tryon Street.
Channel 9′s Glenn Counts talked to Johnsons’ sister, Tabby Holiday.
“Did you think you would hear something this quick? We did not but we were very relieved knowing that he was caught and he won’t be doing this to anyone else’s family,” she said. “We don’t really know exactly what happened, we just know the text messages started getting weird around February.”
The remains are being sent to the medical examiner’s office for confirmation.
Two days later, police confirmed Benjamin Taylor’s arrest. Taylor, who was in Imperial County, California, was arrested Saturday due to the efforts of several law enforcement agencies. He’s being held in jail there while he awaits extradition to North Carolina.
Warrant reveals timeline
On Monday, Channel 9 uncovered search warrants detailing a new timeline in the case, and they answered some of the questions we’ve had since first learning of Johnson’s disappearance.
The warrants state that Johnson left her home in Myrtle Beach last fall to be with a new man she met online. After returning to Myrtle Beach late last year, she left again to go to Charlotte with both of her children in late January 2024.
On March 3, Johnson and the children were reported missing to CMPD. Warrants state that her phone was turned off in the area of the apartment complex and hadn’t been back on since then.
On March 5, family members went back to the Orchard Trace Apartments but got no answer.
On March 6, someone from Orchard Trace Apartments did a wellness check but didn’t see anyone in the apartment. They also didn’t see “any necessary items to care for a child or baby,” including food, bedding, toys, and diapers. No car seats were found in a Chevy Camaron that belonged to the same person leasing that apartment.
Johnson and her children were found dead on March 15.
Taylor appeared in court for the first time Monday and was arraigned on a fugitive complaint from North Carolina alleging he is wanted for three counts of first-degree murder in Mecklenburg County, said the district attorney of Imperial County.
Taylor waived extradition in open court.
He will remain in custody in Imperial County until he is picked up by authorities from North Carolina.
A review hearing to determine if Taylor has been picked up is set for April 12.
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