Man suspected of killing Charlotte mother, 2 kids arrested in California

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WJZY) – A man suspected of gruesomely killing a Charlotte mother and her two children has been arrested in California, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police said Sunday.

Benjamin Taylor, 25, was located and arrested in California on Saturday. He is charged with three counts of murder and one count of death concealment. He is currently awaiting extradition to North Carolina.

The human remains of 22-year-old Markayla Johnson and her two children, 4-year-old Miracle Johnson and 7-month-old Messiah Johnson, were found at their northeast Charlotte home Friday afternoon.

The relationship between the suspect and the victims is unclear at this time. Authorities previously said they were looking for a suspect who may have been Johnson’s boyfriend.

“Who is to say that a man that she think that she loves was going to kill her…and kids?” Ramona Johnson, Markayla’s grandmother, said on Saturday.

The cause of death is unknown at this point.

“I miss my baby. I miss my grandkids. She was a good person. And everybody knows Kayla would do anything for you. She didn’t deserve this.”

A missing persons report was made on March 3 when Johnson and her two young children went missing from Orchard Trace Lane; however, CMPD did not notify the public until March 8.