ON OCTOBER 5, 2012, six-year-old Taylor Syring lost his life while at the beach with his stepmother, Laura Day.
Following an investigation into his untimely death, authorities found Taylor’s death wasn’t accidental.
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 were divorced less than half a year, and he moved on with a woman named Laura Day.
He and Day got married three months after David’s divorce and were only married for two months before Taylor sadly passed.
At the time, Day was also married.
“I was going through a rough patch with Kelly. And Laura was very friendly. She was married, too,” David said about meeting Day.
“She would explain to me the issues that she had in her marriage. And seemed as though neither one of us were really happy with our spouse.”
Despite only knowing David briefly, Day said she considered Taylor as one of her own.
“We went everywhere together. Movies, Chuck E. Cheese; I took him to Taekwondo and we did everything,” she recalled.
“I had a bright future for him. Even talked about saving money and putting it away for college, like I did my own son.”
What happened to Taylor Syring?
On October 5, 2012, Day picked up Taylor from school, claiming he wanted to go to the beach.
According to Day, she turned around for a second, and Taylor was reportedly nowhere to be found.
Sadly, Taylor drowned while playing in the water.
Before his accident, Day said she removed his life jacket because he was getting a rash.
“I said, ‘If you can show me that you’re OK and you feel safe enough to dive under the waves, and you feel comfortable, then I’ll let you swim and play in the shallow water, without your lifejacket,'” Day said in her initial statement.
Taylor resurfaced moments later, and Day allegedly didn’t perform CPR despite having certification.
She claimed she panicked and drove Taylor to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
An investigation was performed, and Day was charged with child endangerment, capital murder, and injury to a child.
Authorities also found that Laura had a previous conviction for second-degree murder.
At 17 years old, Day shot and killed her 21-year-old boyfriend, James Kendall, after he allegedly ended things with her.
After she killed him, she attempted to take her own life but survived and was sentenced to 17 years in prison.
However, Day only served six years before she was released.
Where is Laura Day now?
Laura Day was sentenced to life in prison without parole following Taylor’s death.
As of July 2024, she is serving her sentence at the Christina Melton Crain Unit in Gatesville, Texas.
Since her conviction, Day and David have split.
In June 2022, ABC’s 20/20 released an episode of the incident where Day gave her first interview since her conviction.
“A tragic accident happened. I tried to save him,” Day said, recalling the tragedy.
“I tried to get the water out of his lungs. And it just wasn’t coming out. I didn’t know why. I panicked. And I was disoriented. I wasn’t thinking clearly.”
A re-run of the episode will air on ABC on Friday, July 5, 2024, at 9 pm ET.