Missing Jacksonville siblings found safe after two-day search
One minute the children were playing in their front yard, and the next minute they were gone.
But this time there is a happy ending.
After a desperate two-day search, Braxton Williams, 6, and Bri'ya Williams, 5, were found safe Tuesday inside a rundown pump shed in a wooded area near their Jacksonville home.
The children vanished Sunday, prompting a nationwide Amber Alert.
⚠️AMBER ALERT⚠️
— Jax Sheriff's Office (@JSOPIO) December 15, 2019
Braxton and Bri’ya Williams were last seen in the area of 10200 Beaver Street in Jacksonville, FL.
Please continue to share their photos and call 904-630-0500 with any information. pic.twitter.com/R9xjevPRAw
Law enforcement authorities used K-9s, dive teams and drones to scour the area for two days.
“This is a Christmas miracle," Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry exclaimed on Twitter.
Overjoyed to hear that Braxton & Bri’ya have been found & are safe. This is a Christmas miracle. I’m thankful for the tireless efforts of first responders & compassionate members of our city. My prayers continue for this family & I’m so grateful for this positive outcome.
— Lenny Curry (@lennycurry) December 17, 2019
An early tip had police on the trail of a vehicle that had been playing loud children's music in the area where the children went missing, according to reports.
That lead turned up empty, and police later determined the children wandered away on their own and found their way to the small, dilapidated outhouse.
Upon finding the siblings Tuesday, search crews gave them water and candy, then took up a collection to order a pizza for them.
Police said they don't know if the children were in the shed the whole time they were missing but that they were not trapped inside.
Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams described the kids as happy and talkative, and they appeared to be in good condition after they were found. Both were taken for evaluation at a nearby hospital as a precaution.
The sheriff tweeted a photo of the children with members of Jacksonville’s Fire and Rescue Department.
Today was a good day! @JFRDJAX pic.twitter.com/YvsAaiwnKf
— Mike Williams (@jsosheriff) December 18, 2019
“They’re alive and they’re well, and it’s amazing!" Chastity McCrary, a relative of the children, told ABC News outside UF Hospital on Tuesday afternoon.
The parents were fully cooperative with the investigation and no charges are expected to be filed, police said.
