Remains found in woods during search for missing 5-year-old, identity not determined: Police

iStock(DEMOPOLIS, Ala.) — Human remains have been found in Alabama during the search for missing 5-year-old Taylor Williams, police said Tuesday.

The identity of the remains have not been determined, said police in Demopolis, Alabama.

Authorities had announced Monday that the search for Taylor, a resident of Jacksonville, Florida, was expanding to Alabama. The human remains were discovered in a wooded area between the cities of Linden and Demopolis, police said.

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, which was leading the investigation into the missing girl, “will await confirmation as forensics tests are completed,” Demopolis police said in a statement.

“Operational efforts will now shift to secure and process the evidence at the scene,” police added.

The search for the 5-year-old girl began on Wednesday.

She was allegedly last seen in her home in Jacksonville around midnight on Wednesday when her mother put her to bed. The mother, Brianna Williams, said when she woke up around 7 a.m. she noticed the back door to the home was unlocked and Taylor wasn’t in her room, according to authorities.

Brianna Williams was named a person of interest in the case on Monday. Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams said Brianna Williams is not cooperating with investigators and has not spoken to authorities since Wednesday, the day Taylor was reported missing.

Brianna Williams was the last person to see the little girl, the sheriff said. It is not clear when someone besides Brianna Williams saw the 5-year-old, the sheriff said.

The sheriff said Monday, “We absolutely hope to find her alive.”

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