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Mom Of Florida Girl Allegedly Tortured Her In Weeks Leading To Her Disappearance
Brianna Williams, the mother of Taylor Rose, has not been directly charged in her daughter's death.
The mother of Taylor Rose Williams, who disappeared and was later found dead and buried in Alabama, is accused of abusing and torturing the 5-year-old Florida girl in the weeks leading up to her death, new court documents allege.
Brianna Williams faces additional charges of aggravated child abuse and tampering with evidence as the investigation continues into the Nov. 12 death of Taylor Rose, The Florida Times-Union reported. The newly filed charges allege the mother “did willfully torture, maliciously punish, or willfully cage” Rose and also alleges Williams did “transport human remains" to hinder an investigation, the court documents stated.
The woman remains held on $1.1 million bail following the new charges, on top of two child neglect charges and a single charge of giving false information to police that were filed when she was arrested in November, the State Attorney’s Office told the Times-Union.
The charges followed new details being released in the case: A police search warrant of Williams' apartment reported the place was found in disarray with “a strong odor of feces and urine" and that Williams' car had a strong odor of "decomposition," the Times-Union previously reported.
Investigators also found what they believe was soiled children’s underwear and cans of soup that appeared to have a small opening to drink from, First Coast News reported.
Williams, 27, initially reported her daughter's disappearance on Nov. 6, saying the girl vanished from her bedroom in Jacksonville overnight. She stopped cooperating with authorities a few days later after they allegedly discovered inconsistencies in her story, they said.
She was soon named a person of interest before being charged as a suspect.
Williams, a petty officer first class at the Tactical Operations Center at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, later overdosed and was hospitalized in serious condition amid the charges being announced against her. The overdose was an apparent suicide attempt, according to local news station News4Jax.
Williams' lawyers requested more time to review the evidence filed against their client, according to News4Jax. She has previously pleaded not guilty to lying to police and child neglect.
She is due back in court later this month.
