The mother of a missing 5-year-old Florida girl Taylor Williams is reportedly in life-threatening condition after an attempted suicide.
According to First Coast News, two law enforcement sources said that 27-year-old Brianna Williams tried to kill herself Tuesday afternoon, although it’s unclear how. Authorities were en route to arrest Williams when the incident occurred. She’s currently in the emergency room at UF Health.
The news comes hours after search crews found human remains in Demopolis, Alabama, where Williams is from. Officials were searching the area in hopes of finding Williams’ daughter, Taylor, who was reported missing on Wednesday.
It’s unclear what charges Williams was facing when she attempted suicide.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, the Demopolis Police Department posted on Facebook that the remains were found in a wooded area between Linden and Demopolis.
The identity of the remains are pending.
Williams, a Petty Officer 1st Class at NAS Jacksonville, initially cooperated with investigators. She claimed when she checked on Taylor on Wednesday morning, she was not in her room and the back door was unlocked.
Authorities said she stopped cooperating when they informed her that her story didn’t add up. Since then, she’s been staying on base.
“Yesterday we were talking to her about some inconsistencies in her statement and that’s when she chose to stop cooperating with us,” JSO Sheriff Mike Williams said on Thursday.
Taylor’s paternal grandfather said it’s been close to two years since he’s seen his 5-year-old grandaughter. The man said Taylor’s father, Maurice Tate, also hadn’t seen the girl in nearly two years after Williams left Alabama and moved to Jacksonville, Florida.
Tate, a truck driver, confirmed to the outlet that “it’s been a while” since he saw Taylor, although he did not elaborate any further.
Authorities said Taylor was indeed in Jacksonville at some point. Records confirmed she was once enrolled in a military daycare center. The parent of another child said she last saw the little girl at the daycare in June.
Further, First Coast News reports that neighbors, along with a couple hired to help Williams move from a Southside apartment to a Brentwood home, stated they “never saw a child.”
“We never saw a child. We never heard a child. Nothing,” Tiffani Nicole, who helped Brianna Williams move, told the outlet. “I was assuming the kid was in daycare, or the child was with a friend, so she can get her apartment cleaned out.”
The story is developing. Check back for further updates.
For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast. Here is a related episode.
[Feature Photo: Taylor Williams/Police Handout]
