Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of abuse and murder. Reader discretion is advised.
Brianna Williams reported her five-year-old daughter, Taylor Williams, on November 6, 2019. However, the police claimed she stopped working with them and cooperating with the investigation right after filing the report. During the search for the girl, authorities found human remains in the woods of Alabama on November 12. Weeks later, they confirmed that the remains were of the 5-year-old, People Magazine reported.
The mother claimed that she woke up on the morning of November 6 and could not find Taylor Williams in her room. The back door of the house, she claimed, was unlocked. Soon after the disappearance, Brianna was charged with child neglect and giving false information to authorities working on the case. She had been arrested but was not charged for her daughter’s death.
Police reports revealed that Brianna Williams took an Arm & Hammer laundry detergent in an attempt to suicide right before her arrest. She was then admitted to the hospital. Authorities also reportedly found a closet in her home that had traces of bodily waste and human decomposition. They deduced that Brianna kept Taylor Williams in that closet when the former was not home. Blood stains on the walls and carpets of the Southside apartment had Taylor’s DNA on them, as per a report by The Florida Times-Union.
Among the false information Brianna Williams gave to authorities were details of the child’s daycare and other statements. She claimed she drove to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to her parents’ place to pick up Taylor sometime in October 2019. However, Taylor Williams’ grandparents said they had only seen the child about a year ago. According to CNN, Taylor had not attended her daycare since April.
What was Taylor Williams’ cause of death?
An autopsy conducted after Taylor Williams’ remains had been identified left the cause of the victim’s death inconclusive. First Coast News reported that the autopsy pushed for suspicions of homicide. However, no definite evidence of violence was found on the victim’s bones. Linear enamel hypoplasia on the skull and teeth of the victim pointed toward possible neglect or grave illness but not anything conclusive.
According to News 4 Jax, the victim’s autopsy revealed signs of malnourishment, trauma, and disease. Moreover, a search through Brianna’s computer showed that she had been searching for information about malnutrition and refeeding syndrome. Authorities accused Brianna of torturing, maliciously punishing, and caging her daughter between April 2019, when Taylor was last seen, and the time she went missing. A thorough investigation also revealed traces of fecal matter, soiled clothes, and soup cans in Brianna Williams’ Honda Accord, as found in her closet.
Brianna Williams, a former Navy chief petty officer, was then accused of neglecting her child Taylor to the point of starvation. She pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and signed the guilty plea on February 17, 2022. She was 30 years old when she was sentenced to prison. Brianna Williams is currently serving time at the Lowell Correctional Institution in Florida, according to state records. By the time of the sentencing, she had already served 1043 days in custody. According to People Magazine, this was taken into account during the sentencing.
“Mom Realizes Police Discovered Her Horrifying Secret” is a true-crime documentary on the Explore With Us, a prominent YouTube channel. The documentary follows the crimes of Brianna Williams that led to the death of Taylor Williams.