Caught in the Crossfire: Taylor Hayden

In this episode of Hunting 4 Answers: In the summer of 2016, 25-year-old Taylor Hayden traveled to Atlanta for a celebratory weekend with friends. But just before dawn, outside a Buckhead lounge with a troubled past, her life was cut short by a deadly shootout between two rival groups. Taylor wasn’t part of the fight. She wasn’t even from Atlanta. She was an innocent bystander—caught in the crossfire of someone else’s war. Nearly a decade later, no arrests have been made, and her family is still searching for answers. Who fired the fatal shots—and why has justice never come? Anyone with information about this case should contact the Atlanta Police Department at 404-614-6544. 

This is the story of Taylor Hayden. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hunting for Answers is a production of the Black Effect
Podcast Network and iHeartRadio. Welcome to Hunting for Answers, a
true crime podcast. I'm your host Hunter and today's case
happened back in twenty sixteen, where on an early July
morning in Atlanta, Georgia, a young woman from Texas celebrating

(00:20):
a weekend getaway with college friends found herself in the
wrong place at the wrong time, Caught in the crossfire
of a deadly gang dispute. She was simply an innocent
bystander who paid the ultimate price for someone else's violence.
This is the story of Taylor Hayden. Taylor was just

(00:47):
twenty five years old and had recently graduated.

Speaker 2 (00:51):
From Prairie View A and M University in Texas.

Speaker 1 (00:54):
She came from a family that valued education and public service.
Her father, doctor Peter Hayden, is the CEO and founder
of Turning Point, a Minneapolis agency that works with African
Americans who are battling chemical dependency. Her brother, Jeff Hayden,
was a Minnesota state senator, and Taylor herself had graduated

(01:17):
from high school in Minnesota before heading to Texas for college.
In July twenty sixteen, with her degree in her whole
future ahead, Taylor made plans for a celebration. She and
a group of her college friends decided to take a
weekend trip to Atlanta.

Speaker 2 (01:36):
It was supposed to be a.

Speaker 1 (01:37):
Time to relax, celebrate their achievements, and make more memories together.
None of them knew that this trip would be Taylor's last.
July twenty third, twenty sixteen, Saturday night stretching into Sunday morning,
Taylor and her friends had been out enjoying a nightlife

(02:01):
and found themselves at the Anchor Down Girl in Lounge
on Piedmont Road and Buckhead. The restaurant was owned by
two former NFL players, and according to reports, the Anchor
Down had a bit of a troubled history and had
been rated multiple times for liquor law violations. As the
clock approached five am, patrons were heading to their cars.

(02:25):
Taylor was among them. At approximately four point fifty am,
in the parking lot, an argument erupted between two groups
of men. Witnesses described the tension building quickly. Harsh words exchanged,
voices raised, and then the situation escalated beyond words. The

(02:51):
argument turned violent and guns were drawn. Suddenly, the parking
lot became a battlefield. The two groups began to shoot
at each other, with no thought for who might get
caught in their line of fire. Bullets flew through the
air in a deadly crossfire. Panicked screams filled the night
as people doe for covering behind cars. Taylor, walking to

(03:15):
her car like any other patron, suddenly found herself trapped
in the middle of chaos. When the gunshots stopped, Taylor
lay wounded in the parking lot. She had been struck
by bullets in her arm.

Speaker 2 (03:29):
Inside.

Speaker 1 (03:31):
Paramedics rushed her to Grady Memorial Hospital, but despite the
medical team's efforts, Taylor's injuries were too severe. Atlanta homicide
investigators quickly determined that Taylor was not the intended target.
She was an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire. The

(03:52):
investigation revealed that the two groups involved in the shootout
were likely connected to gang activity. Taylor's father would later
describe the incident as quote a probable drug deal gone bad.
The Buckhead Coalition offered a two thousand dollars reward for
information leading to an arrest and conviction. Meanwhile, the anchor

(04:15):
down's owners called for people to settle disputes without guns,
a plea that.

Speaker 2 (04:21):
Came a little too late for Taylor.

Speaker 1 (04:27):
In the aftermath, Taylor's family raised serious questions about why
the Anchordown Girl was allowed to remain open after being
rated multiple times, and in May twenty eighteen, nearly two
years after Taylor's murder, another woman was injured in a
shooting at this same exact venue. Despite the reward money,

(04:54):
community support, and ongoing investigation, police have yet to make any.

Speaker 2 (05:00):
In connection with Taylor's murder.

Speaker 1 (05:03):
Years have passed and the case remains unsolved.

Speaker 2 (05:08):
The family has.

Speaker 1 (05:09):
Refused to let Taylor's memory fade. They organize memorial events,
including balloon releases at Central Park in midtown Atlanta and
another in her Minnesota hometown.

Speaker 2 (05:21):
The case of Taylor Hayden.

Speaker 1 (05:22):
Is a reminder of how gun violence can claim innocent
lives in the blink of an eye. Taylor wasn't involved
in gains, She wasn't involved in anything those men had
going on that morning. She wasn't even from Atlanta. She
was simply a young woman who was in the wrong
place at the wrong time, a victim of reckless violence

(05:45):
that plays too many communities. My thoughts and prayers are
with Taylor Hayden's family and friends as they continue to
search for justice.

Speaker 2 (05:55):
Today, her case remains open.

Speaker 1 (06:00):
Anyone with information about this case should contact the Atlanta
Police Department. You can find their information in the description
box below. As we close out this episode, don't forget
to click the follow button to stay updated on this
case and others like it. Be sure to subscribe to
Hunting for Answers on YouTube and follow us on Instagram

(06:21):
and TikTok. From our true crime update, thank you so
much for joining us on another episode.

Speaker 2 (06:28):
Until next time.

Speaker 1 (06:39):
Hunting for Answers is a production of the Black Effect
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