Brianna Williams Pleads Guilty to Murder in Killing of 5-Year-Old Daughter

State Attorney Melissa Nelson announces that Brianna Williams has pleaded guilty to Second-Degree Murder in the 2019 killing of her 5-year-old daughter, Taylor Williams. Pursuant to the plea agreement, Williams now faces up to life in Florida State Prison with a minimum guideline sentence of more than 20 years. The Honorable Kevin Blazs will sentence Williams at a future hearing.

On Nov. 6, 2019, Williams called the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office to report her daughter, Taylor, missing and the back door of her Brentwood home unlocked. A massive search effort and investigation ensued, during which Williams became uncooperative with law enforcement and lied about several key timeline facts about Taylor. The investigation showed Williams — days prior to Taylor’s disappearance — traveled to a remote area of Alabama where she briefly stayed before immediately returning to Jacksonville. The Demopolis Police Department (Alabama) announced Nov. 12, 2019, that human remains were found in the area where Williams traveled and stopped. Forensic analysis confirmed the remains belonged to Taylor.

The case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, FBI Jacksonville, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, NCIS, Demopolis Police Department and State Bureau of Investigation (Alabama), with assistance from the Department of Health Vital Statistics, and Florida Gulf Coast University. The case has been prosecuted by Assistant State Attorney Lauren Anderson.