Florida authorities confirmed that remains found two weeks ago are of Taylor Williams, a 5-year-old Florida girl reported missing earlier this month.
According to Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Chief of Investigations, T.K. Waters, DNA analysis confirmed the girl’s identity. During a Monday afternoon press conference, Waters said that authorities are still investigating the incident. A cause of death has not yet been released.
“This confirmation adds yet another layer to the vast scale of this investigation that has been underway since Taylor was reported missing November 6,” Waters said.
JSO Updates Taylor Rose Williams Case. Missing Person Case is now a death Investigation. Amber Alert cancelled.
Posted by Jacksonville Sheriff's Office on Monday, November 25, 2019
The remains were found near Demopolis, Alabama, off of County Road 55 off Highway 28 in Marengo County. Taylor’s mother, Brianna Williams, is from the Demopolis area.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Brianna Williams is listed as an inmate in the Duvall County jail. She’s facing two felony child neglect charges, along with a charge of lying to police.
Williams, a Petty Officer 1st Class at NAS Jacksonville, was charged after she provided police with “numerous false statements” after reporting her child missing, according to police. Her bond has been set at $1 million.
Williams previously told police she last saw Taylor in her bedroom at around midnight on November 6, in their Brentwood, Florida, home. She said that by morning, an exterior door had been opened and Taylor had disappeared.
Williams initially cooperated with investigators. Authorities said she stopped cooperating when they informed her that her story didn’t add up.
“We were talking to her about some inconsistencies in her statement and that’s when she chose to stop cooperating with us,” Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams said earlier this month.
Williams lived in an apartment at SouthSide Villas in Jacksonville until early November, when she moved to a home off of Ivy Drive in Brentwood. She reported Taylor missing after moving to the new home, yet the last known sighting of Taylor was on May 21.
Law enforcement sources previously confirmed that the remains were badly deteriorated.
An arrest affidavit indicated a neighbor spotted Taylor wandering home alone several times in April, at the Southside Villas complex. The neighbor, who was home during the day and worked night shifts, said Taylor would wave to him from the sliding glass door in her apartment. She always had on the same pajamas each time, the neighbor told police.
The neighbor said Williams’ wouldn’t come until 8 or 9 p.m., carrying food that appeared to be for one person.
On April 17, the same neighbor spotted Taylor alone, again in the same pajamas, holding a doll while walking up and down the breezeway stairs at the apartment.
“Hey sweetie, what are you doing?” the neighbor said.
“Looking for my momma,” Taylor replied.
The neighbor said he walked Taylor back to her apartment and noticed it was filthy, with boxes stacked up and bags of trash inside.
Read the full affidavit below.
Taylor Williams: Brianna Wi… by Leigh Egan on Scribd
Waters said Williams is still not cooperating. Check back for updates.
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