JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — *WARNING: Some details in this story may be disturbing to readers.
The mother of a dead 5-year-old child heads back to court Thursday.
Brianna Williams, a former Navy Petty Officer First Class at NAS Jax, has been in jail since November 2019, charged with aggravated child abuse, lying to police and tampering with evidence in the death of her daughter, Taylor Rose Williams.
Prosecutors contend that Williams tortured, maliciously punished or caged Taylor between the last time the girl was seen alive in April 2019 and when Brianna Williams reported her daughter missing in November of that year.
At this time, there are multiple hearings scheduled in the same courtroom where Brianna Williams is expected to appear.
There is no specific time set for her appearance.
Police documents in the case against Brianna Williams paint a dark picture of her daughter’s brief life.
Reports show investigators discovered a closet in Williams’ Southside apartment reeking of bodily waste and human decomposition, as well as bloodstains on the carpet and walls that tested positive for Taylor Williams’ DNA.
Investigators believe Williams, a former Navy Petty Officer First Class at NAS Jax, kept her 5-year-old daughter in that closet when she was not at home.
Williams is charged with aggravated child abuse, lying to police and tampering with evidence.
Officials contend she tortured, maliciously punished or caged Taylor sometime between the last time the girl was seen alive in April 2019 and when Williams reported the girl missing last November.
The girl’s remains were found days later outside the small Alabama town where Williams grew up.
Williams has pleaded not guilty.
