The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department has announced charges against a suspect in a recent triple homicide. Around 1:45 p.m. on March 15, 2024, CMPD officers were carrying out a search warrant in the 400 block of Orchard Trace Lane when they discovered human remains. Homicide Unit detectives responded to investigate.

Detectives identified the human remains as 22-year-old Markayla Johnson, 4-year-old Miracle Johnson, and 7-month-old Messiah Johnson. On March 3, 2024, the victims were reported missing to CMPD. The police department’s Missing Persons Unit issued an advisory asking for the public’s assistance on March 8, 2024.

As a result, additional leads were thoroughly investigated. The Missing Persons Unit had probable cause to obtain a search warrant to search the victim’s last known location. On March 17, 2028, CMPD announced that its Homicide Unit had charged 35-year-old Benjamin Joseph Taylor with three counts of Murder and one count of Concealment of Death.

Taylor was arrested in Imperial County, California on March 16, 2024. He is being held in the Imperial County Jail awaiting extradition to North Carolina.