The Disappearance and Presumed Murder of Candice Taylor

Candice Taylor vanished at the age of 21 in March 2017. She was reportedly last seen in the northeast side of Columbus, Ohio. Candice’s mother reported her missing on March 17th, 2017. There is very little information on the exact circumstances of her disappearance, however Candice’s mother stated that she continued to receive text messages from Candice’s phone up until June 2017. The first text message was sent shortly after Candice was reported missing. The message stated that Candice was pregnant and she was going to Cincinnati to “clear her head.” The next set of messages were sent during the months of April and May. During those months, Candice’s mother reportedly received messages from Candice’s phone, stating that she wanted “space for a month or two.” The last message Candice’s mother received was on June 24th, 2017—Candice’s 22nd birthday. Candice’s mother reportedly sent her a text to wish her a happy birthday, to which she received a response that simply stated “thanks”.

At the time the messages were received, Candice’s mother appeared to believe that they were sent by Candice herself—even though Candice had not been seen by any of her family members or friends since March of 2017. Just days after Candice was reported missing, on March 29th 2017, a set of human legs were found in a garbage truck at a garbage sorting facility on the northwest side of Columbus. Investigators searched the areas along the garbage truck’s route, but did not find any other remains or clues. It took nearly two years to identify who the legs belonged to, but in January 2019, investigators confirmed that the partial remains were that of Candice Taylor.

At the time the partial remains were found, Candice’s mother still believed that her daughter was alive—as she was still receiving text messages from her phone for months after the fact. However, once the human remains were identified, police shifted Candice’s case into a homicide investigation. If Candice has been deceased since March of 2017, it is clear that the text messages that her mother received from Candice’s phone were not from Candice herself. It appears likely that whoever had her phone knows what happened to Candice, but the phone has never been located and police have not publicly announced any suspects or persons of interest in the case.

No other parts of Candice’s body have been found. Though her case is being treated as a possible homicide, she is still listed as a missing person in the NamUS database. Candice’s case remains unsolved. If you have any information that could help the investigation, please contact the Ohio homicide detectives at 614-645-4730.