Brianna Williams has pleaded guilty to her 5-year-old daughter’s brutal death. In 2019, the Florida mother sobbed uncontrollably when she reported the child missing.
On Thursday, the former Naval Petty Officer 1st Class pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of her daughter, Taylor Rose Williams.
The mother had initially been charged with aggravated child abuse and two counts of child neglect, as well as lying to police and tampering with evidence, PEOPLE reported.
Authorities allege Williams “tortured, maliciously punished or caged” Taylor in the six months before she was reported missing, court records show.
“The apartment of Brianna Williams was thoroughly searched, photographed and evidence was collected,” District Attorney Lauren Anderson said in court Thursday. “Obvious signs of neglect and abuse were observed including soiled children’s clothing, soiled carpeting, blood and along with partially empty soup and fruit cans that had a tiny hole cut in them.”
Williams is also accused of searching the internet for information about starvation and malnourishment, prosecutors told the court Thursday.
Williams reported her daughter missing from their apartment in Jacksonville on Nov. 6, 2019. Authorities launched a massive search for the child.
“As our community has shown over the past few days, there’s a lot of love for Taylor here. Even those who have never even met her — and we want you to know that we will do anything we can to bring her home,” former FBI Jacksonville Assistant Director Rachel Rojas s stated.
Police released body camera footage showing a highly distraught Williams crying and shaking as she told an officer that Taylor was nowhere to be found.
However, on Thursday, Williams appeared “emotionless” while in court, FirstCoastNews reported.
On Nov. 6, 2019, Williams told the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office that she woke up to her backdoor unlocked and her daughter missing.
A week later, Taylor’s decomposed body was found in a garbage bag in a rural area of Alabama.
Authorities said she had died months before her remains were found.
Williams faces a minimum of 20 years to life in prison.
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