Remains confirmed as Taylor Rose Williams
Jacksonville, FL. — Two weeks since the discovery of a child’s remains in Alabama, they have been officially confirmed to be that of missing 5-year-old Taylor Rose Williams of Jacksonville.
But as to the cause of death or any other details, Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Chief T. K. Waters said no more during a terse two-minute news conference today after confirming DNA analysis is a match.
“This confirmation adds yet another layer to the vast scale of this investigation that has been underway since Taylor was reported missing Nov. 6,” Waters said. ”… This is still an active investigation.”
Waters said Taylor’s 27-year-old mother, who was released from the hospital last week after trying to kill herself and being charged in the case, still is not cooperating. As of the 2 p.m. news conference, Brianna Shontae Williams had not been told that the remains were confirmed as her daughter’s, although she would be “very soon,” Waters said.
Williams remains jailed on $1.1 million bail, charged with two counts of child neglect and one count of giving false information to police, jail records state. But since this is still an active investigation, the State Attorney’s Office said there are no updates on any added charges against her “at this time.”
Williams reported Taylor missing Nov. 6, saying she was gone when she awoke in the morning. But several people, including family, told investigators they hadn’t seen the child for quite some time, the Sheriff’s Office said. Williams initially cooperated with the investigation until she was questioned about inconsistencies in her story. She also hadn’t communicated with family for months.
An arrest warrant said a neighbor told investigators he often saw the girl left alone and sometimes wandering outside unattended. Records show the last day Taylor attended day care at the base was April 29.
Police had searched both Williams’ new and old homes on Ivy Street and at the Paradise Island Apartments. They also towed a car from Ivy Street home and eventually were led to Alabama where Williams grew up. They found the remains Nov. 12 off a dirt road about 4 miles northwest of Linden High School, where the mother was a valedictorian and marching band member as a teen.
Taylor’s approximate time of death has not been revealed, nor would Waters say what led investigators to the burial site between Demopolis and Linden.
“It was a very intense, very long and very detailed investigation and those things we will keep until we go through the process,” Waters said.
Williams is a petty officer at Naval Air Station Jacksonville. Taylor’s father lives in Alabama. With confirmation of the identity of the remains, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement has canceled its Amber Alert, Waters said.
Original story by Dan Scanlan can be read here.