Mother of missing Florida girl named person of interest in her disappearance

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The mother of a missing 5-year-old Jacksonville girl was named a person of interest in her disappearance, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said Monday afternoon.

Deputies said Brianna S. Williams stopped cooperating with them on the disappearance of Taylor Rose Williams on Wednesday, when an Amber Alert was issued for the girl.

Williams told detectives that she put Taylor to bed around midnight Wednesday at their Ivy Street home and that when she woke up at about 7 a.m., she did not see Taylor and the back door was open.

Investigators said they have been searching the area around the home and Jacksonville's Paradise Island apartments, where Taylor used to live with her family.

Officials said Monday that they have deployed investigators to Demopolis, Alabama, to search for the girl.

They said the city is about 16 miles north of where Williams previously lived and where her relatives still live.

Taylor was last seen wearing a purple shirt and pink pajama pants. She is 3 feet tall and weighs 50 pounds.

Anyone who has seen Williams or Taylor in Florida or Alabama in the last two weeks is asked to call the Sheriff's Office at 904-630-0500.

Detectives said Williams is believed to have been traveling in a black 2017 Honda Accord with tinted windows and rims during that time.

A $4,000 reward has been offered for information on Taylor's whereabouts.

Check back and watch Channel 9 Eyewitness News for live updates on this developing story.

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Cox Media Group