Mother Charged After Human Remains Found In Search For Missing 5-Year-Old Florida Girl
DEMOPOLIS, AL (CBSMiami/CNN) - The mother of missing 5-year-old Taylor Rose Williams from Jacksonville has been arrested and charged with child neglect and giving false information to investigators.
The announcement came hours after authorities said human remains were found in Alabama.
The mother is at a hospital, where she was being treated for an apparent overdose, Williams said.
Taylor was reported missing last week.
"The multi-agency investigative team involved in the search for missing Taylor Rose Williams confirmed that search teams uncovered human remains in a wooded area between the cities of Linden and Demopolis, Alabama," the police department said in a Facebook post. "Victim identification is pending."
The post said authorities were awaiting the completion of forensic tests. "Operational efforts will now shift to secure and process the evidence at the scene," police said.
The search for Taylor had expanded beyond Florida into Alabama this week.
Taylor has been missing since November 6, when an Amber Alert was issued.
Law enforcement officials were asking anyone who saw Taylor or her mother between Jacksonville and Alabama to come forward, said Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams.
Taylor's mother, Brianna Williams, is not missing, but she is not cooperating with authorities, Sheriff Williams said.
"She has not spoken to us since Wednesday and she was the last person to see Taylor," the sheriff said. "She is a person of interest in this case and we still need her cooperation in our efforts."
In contrast, Taylor's extended family has been talking to authorities and has been "very cooperative," the sheriff said.
Brianna Williams continues to reside and work at the naval station in Jacksonville, Williams said.
Search efforts had been focused on the area around Demopolis and Linden in western Alabama near the Mississippi border, the sheriff said.
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