The family of 22-year-old Ta’Haley Payton, a South Carolina mother, continues to grapple with unanswered questions surrounding her tragic death. Weeks after her passing, the young mother has yet to be buried as the family is seeking a second autopsy to clarify the circumstances surrounding her death.
Payton traveled from Greenville, South Carolina, to Charlotte, North Carolina, on November 19, 2024, to celebrate her birthday with her boyfriend, 25-year-old Setoby Armstrong. The couple stayed at the Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham Charlotte/Northlake. However, tensions arose during the trip when Armstrong allegedly accused Payton of texting other men.
According to Payton’s sister, Karlotta Payton, the argument led the couple to check out of the hotel the following morning, November 20. Armstrong reportedly drove off, leaving Ta’Haley behind at the hotel.
Ta’Haley’s mother, Stephanie Crawford, recently spoke about the heartbreak her family is enduring on Jan. 17, 2025. In an emotional statement, she told WBTV, “I’m crying because I’m hurting, because my daughter did not deserve this.”
Crawford revealed that Ta’Haley had been struggling with postpartum depression after giving birth to her daughter. Following treatment at a hospital, Payton was released but later disappeared. On December 9, 2024, Payton’s body was discovered in Pearl Park in Charlotte, in the 1100 block of Baxter Street. Police described her death as a “death investigation” but have yet to name any suspects or persons of interest.
Armstrong addressed the situation in a series of videos, claiming he left Payton with the police on the morning he drove away. He stated that he contacted her family, urging them to come and get her, but they did not arrive until the next day due to car troubles. Crawford confirmed this detail, explaining that she had begged Armstrong to stay with her daughter, but he left amid the alleged cheating accusations.
On December 21, a memorial service for Payton was held at Rock Hill Baptist Church in South Carolina, according to Beasley Funeral Home. However, as of January 2025, her family is looking forward to a second autopsy.
On January 11, a GoFundMe was launched by Payton’s best friend, Kelanie Davis, to raise $3,500 for a second autopsy.
In the description, Davis alleged that the first autopsy classified Payton’s death as a homicide and expressed concerns about the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department potentially closing the case prematurely. She also claimed Payton’s body was found “naked in a river, missing all of her clothing and much of her hair.”
The description of the GoFundMe did not name Setoby Armstrong as a suspicious person. While the family and Davis initially implied concerns about Armstrong, they later backed away from those allegations after he was not named a person of interest or suspect by authorities.
In the first GoFundMe, also started by Davis, which raised $4,516 out of a $6.5k goal, the description stated that the funds were “to cover the costs of bringing her (Ta’Haley) back home from Charlotte.” However, it remains unclear whether Ta’Haley’s remains are still in Charlotte or have been transported back to South Carolina.
The North Carolina Beat has reached out to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department for an update on the case but has not yet received a response.
