What happened to Taylor Syring?

ON OCTOBER 5, 2012, six-year-old Taylor Syring died on the beach with his stepmother Laura Day.

After an investigation into his untimely death, authorities concluded that Taylor’s death was not an accident.

Who was Taylor Syring?

Taylor Michael Syring was the six-year-old son of David and Kelly Syring, born on July 31, 2006 in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Taylor’s parents described their child as “humble, caring and full of life.”

At the time of his death, David and Kelly had been divorced for less than six months and he was living with a woman named Laura Day.

He and Day married three months after David’s divorce and were married for only two months before Taylor sadly passed away.

At that time, Day was also married.

“I was going through a difficult time with Kelly. And Laura was very kind. She was also married,” David said of meeting Day.

“She explained to me the problems she was having in her marriage. And it seemed like neither of us was really happy with our spouses.”

Although she only knew David casually, Day said she considered Taylor one of her own.

“We went everywhere together. To the movies, Chuck E. Cheese; I took him to taekwondo and we did everything,” she recalled.

“I predicted a bright future for him. I even talked about saving money and putting it aside for college, just like I did with my own son.”

What happened to Taylor Syring?

On October 5, 2012, Day picked Taylor up from school and claimed he wanted to go to the beach.

According to Day, she turned around briefly and Taylor was apparently nowhere to be found.

Sadly, Taylor drowned while playing in the water.

Day said she took off his life jacket before his accident because he had developed a rash.

“I said, ‘If you can show me that you are OK and feel safe enough to dive into the waves and you feel comfortable, then I will let you swim and play in the shallow water without a life jacket,'” Day said in her initial statement.

Taylor resurfaced a few moments later, and Day reportedly did not perform CPR despite having the necessary skills.

She claimed she panicked and drove Taylor to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

An investigation was launched and Day was charged with child endangerment, felony assault and battery on a child.

Authorities also discovered that Laura had previously been convicted of first-degree murder.

At the age of 17, Day shot her 21-year-old boyfriend James Kendall after he allegedly ended their relationship with her.

After killing him, she attempted to take her own life, but survived and was sentenced to 17 years in prison.

However, Day only served six years of her sentence before being released.

Where is Laura Day now?

Laura Day was sentenced to life in prison without parole after Taylor’s death.

Starting in July 2024, she will serve her sentence at the Christina Melton Crain Unit in Gatesville, Texas.

Since her conviction, Day and David had separated.

In June 2022, ABC’s 20/20 aired an episode of the incident in which Day gave her first interview since her conviction.

“It was a tragic accident. I tried to save him,” Day said, recalling the tragedy.

“I tried to get the water out of his lungs. But it just wouldn’t come out. I didn’t know why. I panicked. And I was disoriented. I couldn’t think clearly.”

A repeat of the episode will air on Friday, July 5, 2024, at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.