Missing children found alive on Jacksonville’s Westside

Two Westside Jacksonville children missing since Sunday have been found alive in the woods just about 1,300 feet north of their home, according to Sheriff Mike Williams.

As more than 100 police officers, firefighters and staff from other agencies continued to look for 6-year-old Braxton Williams and 5-year-old sister Bri'ya on Tuesday, they were found in dense woods north of the mobile home community where they lived in the 10200 block of West Beaver Street.

Found about 3:30 p.m. in a “very dense, swampy” area with water a few feet deep in some spots, the siblings ended up in an old pump house after apparently just wandering off from their parents’ home, the sheriff said.

“That was the best case scenario for us, and it was the one we put the most time and effort into,” Williams said. “But as we got a couple of days into the operation, you have to give time and attention to other scenarios. ... Other leads we had gotten, we began to really dig and explore harder.”

Police officers and a fire department urban search and rescue team found the children after hearing a voice while hunting in the woods and looking further. The children were “happy and talkative” after three days in the woods, Fire Chief Keith Powers said.

“The rescuers gave them a bottle of water and some candy,” Powers said. “They were chewing on candy and said, ’We are hungry and we want a cheese pizza.’ So officers and some of our personnel chipped in and got some pizzas and had them delivered .”

The two children were last seen shortly after noon Sunday playing in front of their home in the Paradise Village mobile home park.

After searching themselves, their parents called in a missing persons report to police about an hour later, the Sheriff's Office said.

Police officers and firefighters searched Sunday night and upward of 150 personnel were on the scene by Monday, police said.

Joined by search dogs from other agencies as well as officers from Florida Fish and Wildlife, investigators used drones, helicopters and other gear to search.

By Tuesday, they had checked 430 homes in the area, combing over about 130 acres, including 20 bodies of water, police said.

A cousin of the two children told Times-Union news partner First Coast News that the family felt “nothing but happiness” at news they had been found, adding they can spend more time with them and “just really rejoice with them.”

Mayor Lenny Curry tweeted his relief at their discovery Tuesday afternoon.

“Overjoyed to hear that Braxton & Bri’ya have been found & are safe,” he wrote. “This is a Christmas miracle. I’m thankful for the tireless efforts of first responders and compassionate members of our city.”

The children were immediately taken to UF Health Jacksonville for a checkup, then reunited with their family, police said.

As to how they got away from their home and into the woods, Williams said their investigators will find that out as they speak to them. So far, no one knows how long they had been in the old pump house, the sheriff said.

Along with first responders, community members also began searching for the children.

City Councilman Randy White thanked people in the community who helped searchers.

“The community and other districts came in so there was plenty of help,“ said White, a former fire chief himself.

Williams said he did not expect any charges to be filed against the family, saying the parents had been cooperative in the investigation.

Dan Scanlan: (904) 359-4549