September 30, 2024 • 9 mins
The Brianna Williams case revolves around the tragic death of her 5-year-old daughter, Taylor Rose Williams, in 2019. Brianna, a former Naval officer, initially reported Taylor missing from their Jacksonville, Florida, home, leading to a massive search effort. However, as the investigation unfolded, authorities discovered inconsistencies in Williams' account. Days before Taylor’s disappearance, Williams had traveled to a remote area in Alabama, where her daughter's decomposed remains were eventually found buried in a shallow grave.
Williams was charged with second-degree murder after evidence revealed that Taylor had been subjected to severe neglect and abuse. Court documents indicated that Williams had tortured and malnourished Taylor in the months leading up to her death. Despite her emotional appearance when reporting Taylor missing, she became uncooperative with investigators and was found guilty of lying about key details. Williams has pleaded guilty and faces a sentence ranging from 20 years to life in prison
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
How does a seemingly normal morning turn into a parent's worst nightmare?
(00:04):
Like, that's the kind of stuff that just keeps you up at night, you know?
Today, we're going to dive into a case that really exemplifies that.
We're looking to the disappearance of five-year-old Taylor Williams.
And this case is one where every new detail uncovered just makes the truth even more disturbing.
Right. And from an investigative standpoint, what's really interesting about this case is how those early details, the ones that might seem small at first,
(00:27):
those become the breadcrumbs that lead to the truth.
Okay, so set the scene for us. It's November 6th, 2019, in a quiet neighborhood in Jacksonville, Florida.
Everything seems normal right now. Then suddenly there's this frantic 911 call.
Yeah, and the caller is Breonna Williams, Taylor's mother. And right away, there's something about how she's acting that's just off.
(00:47):
Investigators, especially the experienced ones, they'll tell you those first few moments, that initial report when they're calling 911.
That can tell you a lot.
I bet, right. You would think a parent's first instinct is to tell the operator every single detail, everything they can possibly remember.
But with Breonna's call, that wasn't really the case.
No, not at all. Breonna, she couldn't even remember what Taylor was wearing.
(01:09):
She's giving this vague description, like a purple shirt and I think pink pajamas, which is just not typical, especially for a parent who just realized their kid is gone.
It's like a huge red flag when they can't give specifics.
That's really unsettling. So the police, they get to the house to start the search, and it's not what they expect at all.
Right. It's described as being too normal. What does that even mean in this kind of situation?
(01:30):
Yeah, it means that what they're seeing doesn't match up with what you'd expect when someone's frantically searching for their missing child.
So yeah, the back door was unlocked and yeah, there are some things missing from Taylor's room.
But then the car trunk, it was strangely organized. These little things that don't quite add up, those can be signs of a staged scene.
So they're looking for anything that might tell them what happened to Taylor, like any little clue.
(01:54):
Can you tell me about Mr. Bear and why that detail was important?
Yeah, so Mr. Bear was the stuffed animal that Taylor loved. I mean, she was attached to this thing.
Brianna had told the police that Taylor wouldn't go anywhere without it.
But then later on, they found Mr. Bear in Brianna's apartment and get this, among piles of garbage.
Hold on, wait. So she reported her daughter missing, saying that Taylor needed this stuffed animal to sleep, but it's just tossed in the trash.
(02:21):
Exactly. And this detail, on top of everything else, starts to paint this really disturbing picture of what Taylor's life might have really been like.
It suggests that there was neglect and it goes way beyond just a simple missing child case.
Yeah, it seems like right from the start, there are all these little things that are just off, like red flags popping up everywhere.
So we have this unsettling feeling like something just isn't adding up. Where did the investigation go from there?
(02:46):
Well, as they dug deeper, those inconsistencies we talked about, those cracks in Brianna's story, they just became impossible to ignore.
You know, the timelines, they were all over the place. And then the details about where Taylor had been, they were contradicting each other left and right.
It's like with every new piece of information, the story fell apart even more.
Exactly. And you know, investigators, they use those inconsistencies to build their case.
(03:10):
They'll often bring the suspect in for questioning, hoping to clear things up. But a lot of times, it does the opposite. It just exposes more and more lies.
So what happened when they brought Brianna in? Did she stick to her story or did things start to unravel even more?
You know, it's strange. Despite how serious everything was, Brianna seemed really indifferent during questioning, which is, I mean, it's kind of eerie to think about, but it's not all that uncommon in these types of cases.
(03:36):
It's like a psychological defense mechanism, a way for the mind to disconnect from something truly awful.
It's like she's trying to distance herself from what happened almost.
Yeah.
Were there any inconsistencies that really stood out to investigators?
Yeah. One of the biggest ones was Brianna claiming her mother hadn't seen Taylor since January.
But this directly contradicted her earlier statements about Taylor staying with her grandmother in Alabama for Halloween.
(04:01):
Wait, so which was it? Had Taylor's grandmother seen her or not?
Well, when investigators talked to Brianna's mother, Carissa, she was certain about one thing. She hadn't laid eyes on Taylor in two years.
This was huge and it completely changed the direction of the investigation. It wasn't just a missing child case anymore. This pointed to something much darker.
(04:22):
Wow. So they were dealing with a web of lies. Did they ever figure out why Brianna would lie about her mother taking care of Taylor?
It's tough to say for sure, but to keep up a lie that big, especially about your own child, that suggests some deep psychological issues.
Maybe it was her way of deflecting suspicion or trying to seem like everything was fine when it wasn't.
(04:43):
It's heartbreaking to think she would make up a story like that while her child was missing. And then it gets even worse, right?
What are those texts they found on her phone?
Yeah, the text messages. The police found messages where Brianna was actually complaining about Taylor's behavior, even going as far as calling her a nightmare.
These messages painted a very negative picture of her daughter, which was the complete opposite of how she presented herself as a loving mother.
(05:06):
It's like she was building a case against her own daughter. Do you think she was trying to justify what she did before anyone even knew?
It's a disturbing thought, right? It's possible those messages were her way of trying to make it seem like Taylor's disappearance was understandable, maybe even deserved.
So they're putting together this unsettling psychological profile of Brianna. But where was Taylor? What really happened to her?
(05:29):
So we're left with this web of lies, manipulation and those chilling text messages. But the biggest question remains, where was Taylor? What had actually happened to her?
That's the question that everyone was desperate to answer. And the answer, unfortunately, came in the most tragic way imaginable.
Remember how Brianna was renting those two places? Well, the investigation took them back to the apartment and what they found inside was just horrifying.
(05:55):
OK, so what did they discover at the apartment? It was like something out of a nightmare.
I mean, the apartment was just unbelievably filthy, trash everywhere, dirty clothes piled up. And you're not going to believe this, but the children's toys were covered in what looked like feces.
It was a complete 180 from the image Brianna tried to portray to everyone else. That's just heartbreaking.
(06:15):
Poor Taylor. This must have confirmed their suspicions about the neglect, but did they find anything that actually pointed to where Taylor might be?
They did. And this is where the case takes an even darker turn. Inside the closet in the master bedroom, investigators found these strange stains on the walls and the carpet.
They decided to use luminol, which is a chemical that reacts with even the smallest traces of blood, even if someone's tried to clean it up.
(06:39):
And did it react to those stains?
It did. The stains lit up, showing them that there was definitely blood there. And to be extra sure, they brought in cadaver dogs, you know, the ones specially trained to pick up the scent of human decomposition.
And those dogs, they reacted strongly to that closet, especially the carpet.
Oh, my gosh. So not only was there evidence of blood in that closet, but the dogs indicated that someone had likely died there. That's just horrific.
(07:04):
Did the investigation review any more details about what happened to Taylor in that apartment, or was that still a mystery?
Sadly, Taylor's remains were eventually found in Alabama in a wooded area not too far from where Brianna's mother was buried.
The remains were so decomposed that they couldn't determine an exact cause of death.
However, there were signs of severe malnourishment, meaning she had suffered from neglect for a long time.
(07:28):
This is just so incredibly sad. After all of the lies, the manipulation, the cover up, they finally found Taylor.
Did Brianna ever try to explain herself? Did she cooperate with authorities at all once Taylor was found?
Even with all the evidence stacked against her, Brianna didn't say a word.
And while that's incredibly frustrating for investigators, it's not unusual in cases like this.
(07:50):
It's like a way for someone to try and hold on to some kind of control when they're facing immense guilt and shame.
So in the end, what happened? What was the outcome of the case?
Brianna was charged with murder. In 2022, she pled guilty to second degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison.
Life in prison. What a tragic ending to this horrifying story.
(08:10):
A young life was cut way too short and a mother is now facing the consequences of her unthinkable actions.
It's hard to even graph the darkness that can drive someone to do something like this.
It's a chilling reminder that things aren't always as they appear.
Sometimes the most horrific crimes are committed by those closest to the victim.
Taylor's story is a tragedy that should never be forgotten.
It reminds us to be vigilant, to pay attention, and to speak up for those who can't speak for themselves.
(08:35):
I'm Taylor. Did Brianna ever try to explain herself?
Did she cooperate with authorities at all once Taylor was found?
Even with all the evidence stacked against her, Brianna didn't say a word.
And while that's incredibly frustrating for investigators, it's not unusual in cases like this.
It's like a way for someone to try and hold on to some kind of control when they're facing immense guilt and shame.
(08:57):
So in the end, what happened? What was the outcome of the case?
Brianna was charged with murder. In 2022, she pled guilty to second degree murder.
And was sentenced to life in prison.
Life in prison. What a tragic ending to this horrifying story.
A young life was cut way too short, and a mother is now facing the consequences of her unthinkable actions.
(09:18):
It's hard to even graph the darkness that can drive someone to do something like this.
It's a chilling reminder that things aren't always as they appear.
Sometimes the most horrific crimes are committed by those closest to the victim.
Taylor's story is a tragedy that should never be forgotten.
It reminds us to be vigilant, to pay attention, and to speak up for those who can't speak for themselves.
How does a seemingly normal morning turn into a parent's worst nightmare?
(00:04):
Like, that's the kind of stuff that just keeps you up at night, you know?
Today, we're going to dive into a case that really exemplifies that.
We're looking to the disappearance of five-year-old Taylor Williams.
And this case is one where every new detail uncovered just makes the truth even more disturbing.
Right. And from an investigative standpoint, what's really interesting about this case is how those early details, the ones that might seem small at first,
(00:27):
those become the breadcrumbs that lead to the truth.
Okay, so set the scene for us. It's November 6th, 2019, in a quiet neighborhood in Jacksonville, Florida.
Everything seems normal right now. Then suddenly there's this frantic 911 call.
Yeah, and the caller is Breonna Williams, Taylor's mother. And right away, there's something about how she's acting that's just off.
(00:47):
Investigators, especially the experienced ones, they'll tell you those first few moments, that initial report when they're calling 911.
That can tell you a lot.
I bet, right. You would think a parent's first instinct is to tell the operator every single detail, everything they can possibly remember.
But with Breonna's call, that wasn't really the case.
No, not at all. Breonna, she couldn't even remember what Taylor was wearing.
(01:09):
She's giving this vague description, like a purple shirt and I think pink pajamas, which is just not typical, especially for a parent who just realized their kid is gone.
It's like a huge red flag when they can't give specifics.
That's really unsettling. So the police, they get to the house to start the search, and it's not what they expect at all.
Right. It's described as being too normal. What does that even mean in this kind of situation?
(01:30):
Yeah, it means that what they're seeing doesn't match up with what you'd expect when someone's frantically searching for their missing child.
So yeah, the back door was unlocked and yeah, there are some things missing from Taylor's room.
But then the car trunk, it was strangely organized. These little things that don't quite add up, those can be signs of a staged scene.
So they're looking for anything that might tell them what happened to Taylor, like any little clue.
(01:54):
Can you tell me about Mr. Bear and why that detail was important?
Yeah, so Mr. Bear was the stuffed animal that Taylor loved. I mean, she was attached to this thing.
Brianna had told the police that Taylor wouldn't go anywhere without it.
But then later on, they found Mr. Bear in Brianna's apartment and get this, among piles of garbage.
Hold on, wait. So she reported her daughter missing, saying that Taylor needed this stuffed animal to sleep, but it's just tossed in the trash.
(02:21):
Exactly. And this detail, on top of everything else, starts to paint this really disturbing picture of what Taylor's life might have really been like.
It suggests that there was neglect and it goes way beyond just a simple missing child case.
Yeah, it seems like right from the start, there are all these little things that are just off, like red flags popping up everywhere.
So we have this unsettling feeling like something just isn't adding up. Where did the investigation go from there?
(02:46):
Well, as they dug deeper, those inconsistencies we talked about, those cracks in Brianna's story, they just became impossible to ignore.
You know, the timelines, they were all over the place. And then the details about where Taylor had been, they were contradicting each other left and right.
It's like with every new piece of information, the story fell apart even more.
Exactly. And you know, investigators, they use those inconsistencies to build their case.
(03:10):
They'll often bring the suspect in for questioning, hoping to clear things up. But a lot of times, it does the opposite. It just exposes more and more lies.
So what happened when they brought Brianna in? Did she stick to her story or did things start to unravel even more?
You know, it's strange. Despite how serious everything was, Brianna seemed really indifferent during questioning, which is, I mean, it's kind of eerie to think about, but it's not all that uncommon in these types of cases.
(03:36):
It's like a psychological defense mechanism, a way for the mind to disconnect from something truly awful.
It's like she's trying to distance herself from what happened almost.
Yeah.
Were there any inconsistencies that really stood out to investigators?
Yeah. One of the biggest ones was Brianna claiming her mother hadn't seen Taylor since January.
But this directly contradicted her earlier statements about Taylor staying with her grandmother in Alabama for Halloween.
(04:01):
Wait, so which was it? Had Taylor's grandmother seen her or not?
Well, when investigators talked to Brianna's mother, Carissa, she was certain about one thing. She hadn't laid eyes on Taylor in two years.
This was huge and it completely changed the direction of the investigation. It wasn't just a missing child case anymore. This pointed to something much darker.
(04:22):
Wow. So they were dealing with a web of lies. Did they ever figure out why Brianna would lie about her mother taking care of Taylor?
It's tough to say for sure, but to keep up a lie that big, especially about your own child, that suggests some deep psychological issues.
Maybe it was her way of deflecting suspicion or trying to seem like everything was fine when it wasn't.
(04:43):
It's heartbreaking to think she would make up a story like that while her child was missing. And then it gets even worse, right?
What are those texts they found on her phone?
Yeah, the text messages. The police found messages where Brianna was actually complaining about Taylor's behavior, even going as far as calling her a nightmare.
These messages painted a very negative picture of her daughter, which was the complete opposite of how she presented herself as a loving mother.
(05:06):
It's like she was building a case against her own daughter. Do you think she was trying to justify what she did before anyone even knew?
It's a disturbing thought, right? It's possible those messages were her way of trying to make it seem like Taylor's disappearance was understandable, maybe even deserved.
So they're putting together this unsettling psychological profile of Brianna. But where was Taylor? What really happened to her?
(05:29):
So we're left with this web of lies, manipulation and those chilling text messages. But the biggest question remains, where was Taylor? What had actually happened to her?
That's the question that everyone was desperate to answer. And the answer, unfortunately, came in the most tragic way imaginable.
Remember how Brianna was renting those two places? Well, the investigation took them back to the apartment and what they found inside was just horrifying.
(05:55):
OK, so what did they discover at the apartment? It was like something out of a nightmare.
I mean, the apartment was just unbelievably filthy, trash everywhere, dirty clothes piled up. And you're not going to believe this, but the children's toys were covered in what looked like feces.
It was a complete 180 from the image Brianna tried to portray to everyone else. That's just heartbreaking.
(06:15):
Poor Taylor. This must have confirmed their suspicions about the neglect, but did they find anything that actually pointed to where Taylor might be?
They did. And this is where the case takes an even darker turn. Inside the closet in the master bedroom, investigators found these strange stains on the walls and the carpet.
They decided to use luminol, which is a chemical that reacts with even the smallest traces of blood, even if someone's tried to clean it up.
(06:39):
And did it react to those stains?
It did. The stains lit up, showing them that there was definitely blood there. And to be extra sure, they brought in cadaver dogs, you know, the ones specially trained to pick up the scent of human decomposition.
And those dogs, they reacted strongly to that closet, especially the carpet.
Oh, my gosh. So not only was there evidence of blood in that closet, but the dogs indicated that someone had likely died there. That's just horrific.
(07:04):
Did the investigation review any more details about what happened to Taylor in that apartment, or was that still a mystery?
Sadly, Taylor's remains were eventually found in Alabama in a wooded area not too far from where Brianna's mother was buried.
The remains were so decomposed that they couldn't determine an exact cause of death.
However, there were signs of severe malnourishment, meaning she had suffered from neglect for a long time.
(07:28):
This is just so incredibly sad. After all of the lies, the manipulation, the cover up, they finally found Taylor.
Did Brianna ever try to explain herself? Did she cooperate with authorities at all once Taylor was found?
Even with all the evidence stacked against her, Brianna didn't say a word.
And while that's incredibly frustrating for investigators, it's not unusual in cases like this.
(07:50):
It's like a way for someone to try and hold on to some kind of control when they're facing immense guilt and shame.
So in the end, what happened? What was the outcome of the case?
Brianna was charged with murder. In 2022, she pled guilty to second degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison.
Life in prison. What a tragic ending to this horrifying story.
(08:10):
A young life was cut way too short and a mother is now facing the consequences of her unthinkable actions.
It's hard to even graph the darkness that can drive someone to do something like this.
It's a chilling reminder that things aren't always as they appear.
Sometimes the most horrific crimes are committed by those closest to the victim.
Taylor's story is a tragedy that should never be forgotten.
It reminds us to be vigilant, to pay attention, and to speak up for those who can't speak for themselves.
(08:35):
I'm Taylor. Did Brianna ever try to explain herself?
Did she cooperate with authorities at all once Taylor was found?
Even with all the evidence stacked against her, Brianna didn't say a word.
And while that's incredibly frustrating for investigators, it's not unusual in cases like this.
It's like a way for someone to try and hold on to some kind of control when they're facing immense guilt and shame.
(08:57):
So in the end, what happened? What was the outcome of the case?
Brianna was charged with murder. In 2022, she pled guilty to second degree murder.
And was sentenced to life in prison.
Life in prison. What a tragic ending to this horrifying story.
A young life was cut way too short, and a mother is now facing the consequences of her unthinkable actions.
(09:18):
It's hard to even graph the darkness that can drive someone to do something like this.
It's a chilling reminder that things aren't always as they appear.
Sometimes the most horrific crimes are committed by those closest to the victim.
Taylor's story is a tragedy that should never be forgotten.
It reminds us to be vigilant, to pay attention, and to speak up for those who can't speak for themselves.
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