A newly-released forensic report in the case against a Florida woman accused of abusing her daughter sheds new details on how little Taylor Williams may have died.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Brianna Williams, who served as a Petty Officer 1st Class at NAS Jacksonville, told police last year that she last saw her daughter, Taylor, 4, in her bedroom at around midnight on November 6, 2019, 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.
Around a week later, search crews found Taylor’s remains in a wooded area near Demopolis, Alabama, where Williams is from. Williams was subsequently arrested on aggravated child abuse, child neglect and tampering with evidence charges, but pleaded not guilty.
In March, prosecutors alleged that Williams maliciously tortured, punished, or caged Taylor between the last time the little girl was seen alive seen in April and November 6, when Williams reported the child missing.
Prosecutors claimed that Williams dumped Taylor’s body in the woods before she moved from a Southside apartment in Jacksonville to the Brentwood home.
Sex toys, fecal matter, dead maggots, and soiled children’s clothing were also found inside her car.
On Tuesday, court documents obtained by Action News Jax revealed that blood DNA found inside Williams’ apartment matched the “victim” in the case. Comparison DNA was extracted from the victim’s rib bone. Results indicated that by “overwhelming odds,” the DNA in the apartment matched to DNA from the rib bone.
The latest court documents also revealed information from a witness who said they exchanged text messages with Williams. The witness reportedly claimed that Williams said her daughter had “turned into a nightmare” and would sneak food and hide it under her bed.
The witness, according to the report, told investigators that Williams would stay out all night, or sometimes have men over “so she could be wild and dangerous.” When asked what the witness thought happened to Taylor, the witness said the little girl was likely caged and starved.
“Starved her, locking her in the room. Not feeding her. Starved her to death.”
Shortly before her arrest, Williams tried to take her own life by swallowing Unisom, Dramamine, and laundry detergent. After recovering in the hospital, police took her into custody.
So far, Williams has not been charged in connection with the death of Taylor. Experts say the latest forensic report, however, could bring about additional charges if the blood evidence can determine exactly how Taylor died.
Williams remains behind bars without bail. Check back for updates.
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[Feature Photo: Taylor Williams/Police Handout]
