BREAKING NEWS: Dead body found in Alabama during search for missing Florida 5-year-old

Published 1:50 pm Tuesday, November 12, 2019

The Demopolis Police Department has confirmed the recovery of an unidentified body during a search for a missing 5-year-old.

According to a released statement, the search for Taylor Rose Williams of Jacksonville, Florida, uncovered human remains in a wooded area between Linden and Demopolis. The identification of the body is still pending.

The Jacksonville (Florida) Sheriff’s Office is awaiting confirmation of the identification of the body from forensic testing as operational efforts are shifting to secure and process evidence at the scene.

Jacksonville, Florida officials are asking anyone who may have seen Brianna and Taylor Williams together between Florida and Alabama in the past two weeks to call 904-630-0500. They believe Brianna Williams would have been driving this Honda Accord.

Marengo County became the focal point in the search for missing Taylor Williams over the weekend. Taylor was reported missing from her home in Jacksonville on Wednesday, Nov. 6. Her mother, Brianna Williams, told officials that when she woke up Wednesday that her daughter, Taylor, was missing.

On Sunday, officials with the Demopolis Police Department announced they were assisting out-of-state agencies, as well as the FBI and SBI, in the search for a missing person. The DPD did not specifically state at that time that the search was tied to Taylor Williams; however, on Monday, Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams said his department had “deployed assets” to Alabama and thanked the Demopolis Police Department and Marengo County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance in the case.

Sheriff Williams is asking anyone who may have seen Taylor and her mother, Brianna Williams, together between Jacksonville and Alabama in the past two weeks to contact the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. Authorities believe the mother would have been traveling in a black Honda Accord with tinted windows and black rims.

There is a reward offered to anyone with information regarding Taylor’s location.

Sheriff Williams said on Monday that the mother is no longer cooperating in the case and is a “person of interest.” He said Brianna Williams has not spoken to investigators since Wednesday. “We know that Brianna Williams was the last person to see Taylor, and we need her to cooperate,” Sheriff Williams said during a press conference Monday.

Brianna Williams is stationed with the Navy in Jacksonville and has family in Alabama.

Search efforts in Marengo County included skilled teams from the Demopolis Police Department, Demopolis Fire Department, Linden Police Department, Marengo County Sheriff’s Office, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency State Bureau of Investigation, 17th Circuit Drug Task Force, 17th Circuit District Attorney’s Office, , Alabama Attorney General’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation-Mobile, Birmingham and Jacksonville offices, as well as multiple units from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, Jacksonville Fire and Rescue as well as the Florida State Attorney’s Office.