A wedding photographer who has the same name as a heinous criminal and subject of the true crime Netflix documentary Maternal Instinct says that people are mistaking her for the murderer and leaving her one-star reviews on her business.

Taylor Parker has operated a wedding photography business in Asheville, North Carolina, for the past 15 years, building up an impressive portfolio and trust with clients.

However, Maternal Instinct, which premiered on Netflix just a few days ago and is currently number one on the Netflix movies list, follows the murder of Reagan Simmons Hancock at the hands of an entirely different wedding photographer, who is also called Taylor Parker.

The criminal Parker is from New Boston, Texas, and was hired by Hancock to photograph her wedding. Parker wound up befriending Hancock after the wedding before ultimately murdering her and abducting her unborn child. She is currently on death row in Texas, and the documentary has made waves since it was released.

Mistaken Identity Leads to One-Star Reviews

Parker calls it a “very weird circumstance” that she finds herself in. She tells PetaPixel that it all started about a week ago, when she began receiving “odd” inquiries from people who said they had found her through Netflix.

“I actually don’t have Netflix, so I was super confused but not too worried about it,” Parker says. “Then I got a couple of one-star reviews and realized people were actually serious.”

It prompted Parker to publish a video to her Instagram page in which she asked people to stop harassing her and leaving fake reviews.

“It is affecting my business and my livelihood, and I’m very stressed out about it,” she says. “My name is Taylor Parker. This girl’s name was Taylor Parker. I’m Taylor Parker from Asheville, North Carolina, who photographs weddings for a living… I’m not the same person as the person in this Netflix documentary.”

New Boston, where the events of Maternal Instinct took place, is some 800 miles away from Asheville and in a different time zone. Parker is urging people to do their research before leaving businesses one-star reviews or harassing them.

“Please do your research on who you’re actually contacting,” she says. “Because it can really hurt someone and really hurt their family and their business that I’ve worked so hard on for so many years.”

Parker tells PetaPixel that she has reported the bad reviews to Google and is hoping the search giant will back her.

“Although I have heard it can be a process,” she adds. “I’m shocked to see my name written in such vicious titles, so it’s definitely been an adjustment just trying to navigate it all.”

Image credits: Courtesy of Taylor Parker Photography

PetaPixel articles may include affiliate links; if you buy something through such a link, PetaPixel may earn a commission.

Love PetaPixel? Go Premium.

PetaPixel is the world’s largest independent photography publication and we’re only able to continue our work with your help. Become a PetaPixel Member now and support our mission to bring you regular, high-quality reviews, features, news, and more.

• Remove banner ads
• Gain access to full-resolution RAW and JPEG Sample Galleries
• Get 5% off orders from KEH.com
• Get a $15 coupon to spend at Moment
• Get 10% off lighting equipment from FJ Westcott
• Get 10% off film development, scanning, and printing from Blue Moon Camera and Machine