JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) - The mother of a 5-year-old girl found dead in Alabama last year pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to child abuse and other charges in the case.
Breanna Williams, 27, was arraigned via videoconference before a judge in Duval County, Florida, on charges of child neglect, aggravated child abuse, providing false information to police and tampering with evidence, news outlets reported.
She initially told police that her daughter, Taylor Rose Williams, went missing the night of Nov. 6 from their Jacksonville home, but the woman stopped cooperating with detectives after being questioned about inconsistencies in her account, investigators said.
The search for the child took officials to Demopolis, Alabama, where Brianna Williams grew up, and remains later identified as Taylor's were found in a wooded area near the city on Nov. 12, 2019.
Police documents previously revealed the girl last attended day care in April 2019, months before she was reported missing, and the child's grandparents said they had not seen her in more than a year.
Authorities have not said how the girl died. Brianna Williams has not been charged with the girl's death.