Navy petty officer now considered person of interest in disappearance of her own daughter
Officials from the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office update the press on the search for missing 5-year-old.
Human remains were found in Alabama Tuesday in the search for a 5-year-old Florida girl who disappeared earlier this month, according to officials, who say the girl's mother, a Navy petty officer, is a person of interest in the case.
Taylor Williams was reported missing from her home in Jacksonville last Wednesday by her mother, Brianna Williams, who said she last saw the girl in her bed the night before. On Monday, Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams — of no relation to the family — announced that the search for the girl expanded into Alabama and that her mother was no longer cooperating with their investigation.
NAVY PETTY OFFICER IS PERSON OF INTEREST IN 5-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER'S DISAPPEARANCE, SHERIFF SAYS
Authorities said Tuesday that human remains were discovered in a wooded area near the cities of Demopolis and Linden in Alabama, the Demopolis Police Department wrote on Facebook. The remains are pending identification, officials said.
Taylor Williams, 5, was reported missing from her Jacksonville home last Wednesday. (Jacksonville Sheriff's Office)
Brianna Williams was assigned to the tactical operations center at Naval Air Station Jacksonville in April 2018, and was enlisted in the Navy seven years ago, military officials said. She was still reporting for duty as of Tuesday morning, WJXT reported.
NAVY PETTY OFFICER STOPS COOPERATING WITH COPS AFTER REPORTING DISAPPEARANCE OF DAUGHTER, 5: SHERIFF
The sheriff said Taylor Williams' father, who reportedly hadn't seen the child in two years, and her family have been cooperating. But Brianna Williams, they said, hasn't spoken to investigators since last week, when she allegedly stopped cooperating with detectives after they noted she had apparent inconsistencies in her story.
Law enforcement investigators search the small retention pond near the entrance of the Southside Villas apartment complex in Jacksonville on Nov. 6 for Taylor Williams. (Bob Self/The Florida Times-Union via AP)
Several different units, including search and rescue teams, police departments, sheriff's offices, and the FBI, have been working to locate the 5-year-old. Their search brought them to Demopolis, a city more than a seven-hour drive northwest.
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Authorities earlier said they received hundreds of tips related to Taylor's disappearance, but nothing that led them to the child. On Monday, Sheriff Williams said investigators "absolutely hope to find her alive."
Anyone with information on Taylor Williams' disappearance is urged to contact the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office at 904-630-0500 or JSOCrimeTips@jaxsheriff.org.
Fox News' Talia Kaplan and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
