Brothers are charged with the murder of a Florida girl, 16, in 2006 'because they mistakenly thought she was pregnant' after new phone tracking technology led to their arrests

Three brothers have been arrested and charged in connection with the 2006 murder of a Florida teenager they mistakenly believed was pregnant, police said on Wednesday.

Fourteen years ago, Amber Woods, 16, was fatally shot in the back and her body was left at the side of a rural road in Manatee County in Florida. 

The case went cold with no suspects charged over the attack. 

But now, Ralph Williams, 36, and Tyjuan Williams, 32, have been charged with second-degree murder while their half brother Jamaine Brown, 37, is charged with kidnapping and being an accessory to murder, police said.  

The two Williams brothers were already in custody for unrelated charges at the time of their arrest on December 15.  

Ralph Williams, 36, who was dating Amber at the time of her murder, has been charged with second-degree murder alongside his brother Tyjuan Williams

Fourteen years ago, Amber Woods, 16, was fatally shot in the back and her body was left at the side of a rural road in Manatee County in Florida. Pictured: Tyjuan Williams, 32, who has been charged with second-degree murder

Amber's body was found by a passerby in a remote section of State Road 62 in Hardee County in February 2006, Manatee County Sheriff Rick Wells said at a press conference on Monday.  

Wells described the suspects as 'cold, callous, just the worst in our society', reports the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

The arrests come after crime analyst Elicia Main, from the Manatee Homicide Investigation Unit, used previously unavailable cellular tracking technology to understand what happened during the night of Amber's murder.  

The teenager was last seen alive by her aunt at her home in Hardee County at around 12.30am on 11 February 2006 before she was kidnapped. 

Amber's body was found seven hours later at 7:30 am by a passerby who was driving along the State Road 62. The driver saw her body about 20 feet from the road.

An autopsy report said she had died from a single gunshot wound to her back. 

Amber's body was found by a passerby in a remote section of State Road 62 in Hardee County in February 2006, Manatee County Sheriff Rick Wells said at a press conference on Monday. Pictured: Amber Wood, who was murdered when she was 16 years old

Ralph Williams, who was dating Amber at the time, wanted to end their relationship because he thought she was pregnant with his baby, police said. But the autopsy revealed she was not pregnant. 

Williams, then 21, was reportedly worried about facing criminal charges because she was a minor, according to a text message seen by officers.  

Wells said Williams then conspired with his brothers to kidnap the teenager and kill her in a remote location.  

The new cellular tracking software used by the Manatee Homicide Investigation Unit placed Ralph William's cellphone close to where Amber's body was found, giving officers a new lead. 

Main, who analysed the phone data, said: 'What it showed us was the phones belonging to the suspects were in the vicinity of the crime.

'They lied about their whereabouts, and we were able to prove that they were lying about their whereabouts,' Wells said. 'There’s a lot more than a ping on a phone.'

Pictured: Jamaine Brown, 37, the half brother of Ralph and Tyjuan Williams, who is charged with kidnapping and being an accessory to murder, police said.

The investigation developed further when a witness Amber's kidnapping said she saw Brown arguing with the teenager outside her home and telling her to get into the car, according to an arrest warrant affidavit, reports the Bradenton Herald. 

The suspect was then arrested on May 20 and told officers the two Williams brothers had driven Amber to the quiet spot and Tyjuan had shot the teenager in the back, reports the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

The pair reportedly dragged her body to the side of the road and drove off.    

'These are cold-hearted individuals,' Wells said on Wednesday. 'That's all you can say. 

'This girl had her whole life in front of her, and they treated her like she was nothing. That says it all.' 

The victim's sister-in-law, Chrystal Moses, said: 'Her life ended and they continued to be able to walk the streets and live their lives.

'Well, now we know that we can walk in peace knowing that they won't have that right just like she didn't. I think we get justice from that.' 

She continued: 'She was amazing. She was so full of life. 

'She was a great aunt; she was a great child. She was admirable. She had a beautiful smile. She was a good person. Loved her family.

'There’s a lot. They took something that can never be replaced, ever.'