Brianna Williams
Brianna Williams is Taylor Williams’ mother. Williams is a Petty Officer 1st Class at NAS Jacksonville. JSO Sheriff Mike Williams declared her to be a person of interest in her daughter’s disappearance on November 11, five days after she told authorities her daughter was missing. Williams was arrested on November 12, and now faces felony charges of child neglect and providing false information to police.
Sheriff Williams said that Williams became a person of interest in the case when she stopped “cooperating” with authorities, following a conversation in which they pointed out apparent discrepancies in her account. He said, “Yesterday we were talking to her about some inconsistencies in her statement and that’s when she chose to stop cooperating with us.”
Sheriff Williams did confirm that Brianna’s extended family have been fully cooperating with authorities in the investigation.
On November 12, the Demopolis Police Department confirmed that the team involved in the search for Taylor had found human remains in a wooded area in Demopolis, Alabama, where Williams is from. A few hours later, Williams was arrested. Per NBC News, she was absentee booked after she went to the hospital for an apparent overdose. She is currently in serious condition.
Williams was the valedictorian of her high school class. Her full name is Brianna Shontae Williams. Here’s what you need to know:
1. Brianna Williams Enlisted in the Navy in 2012; She Has Received a Number of Awards & Decorations
According to Action News Jax, Williams enlisted in the Navy in 2012 and has been working in the Navy ever since. She was most recently promoted to being an information systems technician 1st Class E-6, per the news network.
Over the last seven years, Williams has received a number of awards and decorations, including:
- Enlisted Aviation Warfare Specialist
- Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist
- Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medal
- Navy “E” Ribbon
- Good Conduct Medal
- National Defense Service Medal
- Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal
- Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
- Sea Service Deployment Ribbon
The day after she announced her daughter was missing, Williams returned to work at her naval base. A colleague told local news network FCN2Go that she appeared sad. They said, “she was sad, she was really sad, like someone had cried their last tear.”
2. Brianna Williams Was the Valedictorian & Homecoming Queen of Her High School Class
This is some video of Taylor Williams, obtained by @NewsShelby. Look at Taylor’s smile! Let’s bring her home!! She’s been missing since this morning. @FCN2go
Per The Demopolis Times, Williams was an honor student at Linden High School in Linden, Alabama, where she grew up. She received a scholarship to college. She was number one in her graduating class, held a 3.64 GPA, and scored a 24 on the ACT. She was also homecoming queen.
Williams was involved in a number of extracurriculars during her high school years, including: the FCCLA and the National Beta Club, the LHS Marching Patriot Band (as a flutist), and several volunteer positions for Red Cross, Marengo County’s Alabama Day, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and more.
Williams planned to attend Alabama A&M University and major in mechanical engineering; however, as mentioned above, she ended up enlisting in the Navy two years later.
3. Williams’ Sister Says Brianna Was Seeing a Man Over the Last Six Months, & That He Might Know Something About Taylor’s Disappearance
AMBER ALERT: Officials in Jacksonville are speaking about new information on the search for 5-year-old Taylor Williams: t.co/krpE5bkaHO
Williams first reported her daughter missing on November 6, telling authorities that she’d last seen her daughter the night before and that her daughter was missing in the morning. She also said the back door of their home was unlocked.
However, there have been differing accounts regarding Taylor’s disappearance. Taylor’s grandmother said she hadn’t seen Taylor in almost two years, since Williams left Alabama and moved to Florida. And Taylor’s father, Maurice Tate, told News 4 Jax that it’s been a “while” since he saw Taylor, though he didn’t specify how long that was.
Others have said they haven’t seen Taylor in weeks.
Williams’ sister spoke with First Coast News to clarify the family’s relationship with Williams. She said, “The only way we would hear from her is if we were reaching out to her. We were asking, ‘How y’all doing? How is Taylor? Send me pictures… I never got it. It was always an excuse and now this. None of it is making sense.”
Williams’ sister added that Williams had been involved with a man for the last six months, and she thought he might know about Taylor’s disappearance. But she maintained that she does not believe her sister hurt her niece.
She said,
“I’ve been trying not to think the worst, but when you know that everything that’s being told is an absolute lie, you have no choice but to think the worst. I don’t believe in my heart that she has done anything to Taylor. I just feel like she knows what has happened to her and it’s almost like she’s willing to take the fall for it. Whatever it is.”
4. Authorities Are Looking into a Since-Deleted Craigslist Ad Williams Might Have Posted for Childcare the Day Before Taylor Allegedly Disappeared
If you have seen Taylor Williams with her mother, Brianna Williams, between Jacksonville, FL and Alabama in the past 2 weeks, please contact #JSO at 904-630-0500. #FindTaylorWilliams
Authorities have also been looking into a now-deleted Craigslist post that they think may have been posted by Williams. The post was seeking childcare for a five-year-old girl, and was posted the day before Williams said her daughter went missing. The post, which was since recovered by local news networks, reads,
I have a 5 year old and work on NAS Jax from 7:30am to 4pm. I apologize for the late notice; was bailed on. May become regular if she enjoys herself. She’s timid to may take a minute for her to open up and talk. She loves other children though: she’s an only child. We live on the north side.
To News 4 Jax, a woman named Tiffani Nicole said that she was hired by Williams to help her move a few days before Williams declared her daughter missing.
Nicole said, “It honestly looked like she had been recently evicted or something because it was not well lived-in if there was a child there. There was old food all over the floor, underneath the couches. There was trash everywhere.”
She added, “We never saw a child. We never heard a child. Nothing. I was assuming the kid was in day care, or the child was with a friend, so she can get her apartment cleaned out.”
5. Authorities Are Asking for the Public to Let Them Know if They’ve Seen Brianna & Taylor Together in the Last Six Months
MISSING CHILD: In a MAJOR twist in the search for 5-yr-old Taylor Williams, police say her mother Brianna has STOPPED COOPERATING, & that Taylor may have gone missing weeks, if not months ago. IF YOU’VE SEEN BRIANNA & TAYLOR TOGETHER IN THE PAST 6 MONTHS, contact JSO IMMEDIATELY.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in tracking down Taylor. Specifically, they’re asking for anyone who has seen Taylor and Williams together in the last six months to share this information. You can reach the office at (904)630-0500.
Sheriff Williams said that Brianna and Taylor would’ve likely been driving in her car, a black 2017 Honda Accord with tinted windows. You can see a photo of that car above.
During his press conference, Sheriff Williams repeatedly stated how important it was that Williams cooperate with authorities. He said, “We do not believe that her daughter walked away … we need her [Brianna Williams] to cooperate…We just need cooperation from the family, the community [and] the mother.”