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Missing Jacksonville Children Found Safe; Mayor Calls It ‘Christmas Miracle’

News4Jax

Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry confirmed Tuesday afternoon that 6-year-old Braxton Williams and his 5-year-old sister, Bri'ya, have been found safe.

In a tweet, the mayor wrote, “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.”

WJCT News partner News4Jax quoted the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department as saying the children are in “good condition.”

Sources told News4Jax the siblings were found in the woods near their Whitehouse mobile home community on Jacksonville’s Westside.

They were first reported missing Sunday around 1:30 p.m., with an Amber Alert issued later that afternoon at 5:15.

Sheriff Mike Williams is expected to speak about what led to the discovery of the children Tuesday evening at 5:30.

Updated coverage is being filed to this News4Jax.com webpage.

Bill Bortzfield can be reached at bbortzfield@wjct.org, 904-358-6349 or on Twitter at @BortzInJax.

Bill joined WJCT News in September of 2017 from The Florida Times-Union, where he served in a variety of multimedia journalism positions.