JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Brianna Williams, the woman who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in March in the death of her 5-year-old daughter Taylor in 2019, was sentenced to life in prison on Tuesday.
Action News Jax first told you about Williams in 2019 when her daughter Taylor Williams was reported missing. The child’s body was later found in Demopolis, Alabama, where Williams is from.
Before pleading guilty to second-degree murder, Williams was charged with aggravated child molestation, lying to police and tampering with related evidence. Court documents filed by prosecutors accused the mother of torturing, maliciously punishing, or imprisoning her daughter between April and November 2019.
Williams was a naval corporal, first class, at Naval Air Station Jacksonville’s Tactical Operations Center.
[10 things to know: What happened to 5-year-old Taylor Williams?]
On November 6, 2019, Williams called the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office to report her daughter missing and the back door of her Brentwood home unlocked. A massive search effort and investigation ensued, during which Williams became uncooperative. Police said Williams lied to police about several key facts about her daughter’s disappearance.
Eight agencies were involved in the initial search and investigation of the missing child, including the Jacksonville FBI.
Timeline of events in the disappearance, death of Jacksonville girl Taylor Williams
“As our community has shown over the past few days, there is a lot of love for Taylor here. Even those they’ve never met — and we want you to know that we’ll do everything we can to bring them home,” said the FBI’s Rachel Rojas at the time.
Investigators discovered that Williams – days before Taylor’s disappearance – traveled to a remote area of Alabama, where she stayed briefly before immediately returning to Jacksonville. A search of Williams’ phone records revealed that she made three separate trips to and from Alabama on October 31, November 1, and November 2.
During the initial investigation, a neighbor who lived near Taylor and Brianna Williams in a Southside apartment complex told detectives he saw the little girl alone and wandered around the complex several times. in one warranty, he claimed he first noticed Taylor alone on April 17, 2019. He said he took the child back to her apartment and told her to lock the door. He described the interior of the apartment as crammed with garbage bags and boxes stacked on top of each other.
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The same neighbor said he continues to see Taylor alone at home at least every other day and explained that Taylor would wave at him from her apartment. He said she always wears the same pajamas and holds the same doll. He said William’s car was never in the apartment parking lot during those times.
Taylor had also previously attended Kinder Garden, a daycare center in Jacksonville. Detectives said records show Taylor’s last time at the facility was on April 10, 2019. Both Taylor’s maternal and paternal grandparents said they hadn’t seen Taylor in over a year.
The Demopolis Police Department in Alabama announced on November 12, 2019 that human remains had been found in the area where Williams was traveling and stopping. Forensic analysis later confirmed the remains belonged to Taylor. Sources said the remains were found in garbage bags.
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Forensic analysis confirmed the remains belonged to Taylor. The coroner found there were signs of neglect or serious illness, but a definitive cause of death could not be determined. The five-year-old is believed to have died several weeks to several months before he was found.
Williams was taken to UF Health in serious condition an obvious overdose on the The remains were found the same day. Police said she was found unresponsive at Naval Air Station Jacksonville.
She was later arrested and sent to the Duval County Jail.
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