Volunteers searching for missing Jacksonville girl Taylor Williams say they won't give up

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department and several other agencies and volunteers searched various areas looking for 5-year-old Taylor Williams.

An Amber Alert was issued for Taylor on Wednesday morning. The search lasted for more than 30 hours and little Taylor still was not found.

In a news conference Thursday, Sheriff Mike Williams said Taylor’s mother stopped cooperating with them. They also said it was unclear when the last time anyone saw that child besides her mother.

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There were several volunteers who were searching Brentwood and the Southside crime scene locations Thursday. Some people even took off work to help.

Michelea Jobiewe was one of them she and other volunteers were going in dangerous areas in efforts to find little Taylor.

“It’s just on my heart like I haven’t been able to really sleep and rest it’s just on my heart. We have been walking and looking through abandon houses, if the door is open will kind of look through there. We’re going around the back of houses looking at anything that’s empty or vacant,” Jobiewe said.

Latasha Hobbs is another mother who stepped in to help after hearing 5-year-old Taylor had practically vanished. She said it was essential that she did because she knows the feeling of missing a child after losing her son to gun violence.

“I want the community to know that I care and I know what it feels like to not have your child,” Hobbs said.

Action News Jax joined their search efforts by walking through the alleys and streets and even going inside some of those abandoned houses in Brentwood.

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“You know it’s a little scary, but it’s OK. We are just trying to find the baby and pray that she’s OK,” Jobiewe said.

Nothing significant was found in their search efforts, however many of the volunteers said they don’t want to give up until they find out what happened to little Taylor.

“It could be anybody it could be anybody’s child, anybody’s grandchild, you know and that’s why I can’t sit still,” Jobiewe said.

“Let us find her. She’s only 5, she’s a beautiful five-year-old little girl she needs to come home, we need to find her, Hobbs said.

JSO announced in a press conference Thursday that their search efforts will be scaled back. Sheriff Mike Williams also mentioned that little Taylor could have been missing for much longer that was initially reported.

Cox Media Group