GUILTY FL - Jerry 'Mike' Williams, 31, Tallahassee, 16 Dec 2000 *Wife Arrested in 2017*

Rle7

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Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance

Missing Since: December 16, 2000 from Tallahassee, Florida
Classification: Endangered Missing Adult
Date Of Birth: October 16, 1969
Age: 31
Height: 70 inches
Weight: 170 lbs
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Blue
Race: White
Gender: Male
Distinguishing Characteristics: Chicken pox scar
on left cheek, previously wore braces
on teeth and corrective shoes. Clothing: Possibly wearing camouflage
hunting clothes. Jewelry: Possibly wearing a "St. Christopher"
medal on a gold chain, a watch, and a wedding band on
left ring finger. Case Number: 00-121624



Details of Disappearance
Unknown. Jerry, also known as Mike, was last seen leaving his residence in the vicinity of the 5000 block of Centennial Oak Cir. in Tallahassee, FL. He allegedly was going duck hunting at Lake Seminole. His boat and vehicle, described as a green and tan 1994 Ford Bronco, were later found at the lake as well.

Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Jackson County Sheriff's Office
(850) 482-9624


Source Information
NCMA

http://www.nampn.org/cases/williams_jerry_michael.html
 
As Mike Williams’ family and friends mark the seventh year of his disappearance, investigators say they’re closer than ever to a break in the case of the Tallahassee hunter once thought accidentally drowned and eaten by alligators.

“It’s got good momentum,” said lead investigator Derrick Wester, a detective with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.

In recent months the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has gotten involved, tracking down a missing gun that belonged to Williams and conducting dozens of interviews. Three missing-person billboards have gone up at high-profile locations around town.

Since the Tallahassee Democrat first wrote about the cold case last year, a popular forum on Tallahassee.com has generated new leads and lots of speculation — including online whispers this week of subpoenas being issued and the chance a grand jury might be called to issue criminal indictments.

Wester won’t comment on the significance of the gun, the possibility of subpoenas, a grand jury or any other details of the ongoing investigation. He continues to have “persons of interest” but has not named any suspects.

He will say, however, he’s encouraged by the progress in the case.

http://www.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071215/NEWS01/71215002
 
Be sure to read the comments section. If you haven't read the information about him, it's very suspicious. "Widow" and Jerry's best friend moved in together not long after the disappearance.

Insurance investigators take new look at Mike Williams case


The mysterious disappearance of Mike Williams seven years ago is getting fresh scrutiny as a possible case of insurance fraud.

http://www.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080226/NEWS01/802260338


ETA: I went back into the newspaper archives and found the Tallahassee Democrat Sunday edition article about the disappearance and subsequent activities of the family. VERY interesting reading.

Six years ago, this hunter disappeared
Did Mike Williams walk away, drown or get killed? Frustrated investigators can't say for sure


In a cove on the western shore of Lake Seminole, dead trees poke through still water. Locals say this place might have been an orchard before Spring Creek and the Chattahoochee and Flint rivers were dammed. Now they call it the Stump Field.
Mike Williams' death certificate says he died here Dec. 16, 2000. This is where the 31-year-old was thought to have struck a stump, pitched out of his boat during a solo duck-hunting trip and sunk like a stone in chest-high waders. When an unprecedented 44-day search didn't turn up his body, officials said alligators must have found the Tallahassee real-estate appraiser first. Six months later, Leon Circuit Judge John Crusoe accepted that story at the request of Williams' wife and declared her North Florida Christian High School sweetheart dead.

Today, cold-case investigators think Williams' death certificate has it wrong.

http://www.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061215/NEWS01/102190004/0/NEWS01
 
an interesting read for sleuthers:

Bumping this for Mike. I have followed his disappearance for 7 years. a missing person, whose wife & best friend are now married to each other. the friend happened to own an insurance agency & had written big policies on Mike's life which are finally being investigated as fraudulent, Mike's diligent mother, continues working to keep this in the forefront. these are prominent families with connections to the state attorney(IMO, a crook) a judge (IMO with questionable rulings), yadayadayada. without a doubt, mike was killed that morning as he left to go duck hunting & the cover-up story has finally been refuted... gators don't eat when the temperature is so low. it began in a rural county that was not capable of the investigation & has been bullied by the stronger agencies including a then deputy sheriff (IMO another corrupt official) who is now Sheriff of Leon County & up for re-election.............. that's just a tip of this case's iceberg.

http://www.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061215/NEWS01/102190004/0/NEWS01

http://www.jerrymichaelwilliams.com/index.html

http://www.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=PluckForum&plckForumPage=Forum&plckForumId=Cat%3ae82f5d39-1de2-4768-8885-11c710d422b9Forum%3ac7f4c346-2d25-4f8f-b65c-59886ae814b0&plckNumPerPage=200&plckCategoryCurrentPage=0
 
http://www.tallahassee.com/article/20081215/NEWS01/812150326

Eight years later, still no trace of missing hunter Mike Williams
By Jennifer Portman • DEMOCRAT SENIOR WRITER • December 15, 2008

Cheryl Williams won't do anything different Tuesday. She'll watch the babies at her home day care and wonder what happened to hers.

Eight years ago Tuesday her 31-year-old son, Mike, vanished.

And even though one investigator remains assigned to the cold case, and cadaver-sniffing dogs have been tromping in nearby woods, any hope that the Division of Insurance Fraud could break it open is gone.

"It makes me sick in my stomach," Cheryl Williams said. "I don't actually know a whole lot more today than I did eight years ago."

The Tallahassee real-estate appraiser was first thought to have drowned in Lake Seminole early one morning while on a solo duck-hunting trip. When his body failed to float as expected, fish-and-game officials said he must have been eaten by alligators.

Despite extensive searches, no trace of his body has ever been found. Law-enforcement officials today dismiss the alligator theory: It was far too cold for gators to be feeding and, if they had, there would have been remains.

They think Williams was the victim of foul play and have suspects in mind, but they won't name them.

"There are leads that are being developed," said FDLE spokesman Mike Morrison. "We are optimistic that we will bring this case to a close."

But the Division of Insurance Fraud, which took a fresh look at the case in February, has closed its Williams file.

"Our job was extremely difficult, and we were simply unable to develop enough evidence to proceed with the investigation," said Mark Schlein, senior attorney with the division.

Williams had life-insurance policies with two companies when he disappeared, and his wife, investigators said, collected at least $2 million.

Williams' best friend, insurance agent Brian Winchester, wrote him a $1 million policy about six months before he disappeared, investigators said. In 2005 Winchester married Denise Williams, whom he has known since preschool.

The two have declined to comment, saying in previous e-mails that they loved Williams and asking that their privacy be respected.

"At the very least, we wanted to bring some closure.... That is not the case," said a frustrated Schlein. "If there is new information that comes to light, a case can be reopened. We have suspicions, but what we need is evidence."

Morrison declined to elaborate on what leads FDLE is exploring, saying that the case is active and ongoing. Williams was included in this year's edition of the department's cold-case playing cards, which are distributed among convicts in an effort to generate tips.

Kentucky-based forensic psychological profiler Carrie Cox said she provided information to FDLE this fall that Williams' remains could be in a rural area of Wakulla County. She provided map coordinates that correlated to an area near a boat ramp.

While a search with cadaver dogs did not turn up any hard physical evidence, Cox said, "There was some validating stuff to say that we are moving in the right direction.... I think something is there."

Morrison confirmed that FDLE, which assumed the lead role in the case this year, has no physical evidence in its custody. Williams' disappearance was not considered suspicious at first and his boat, Ford Bronco and other items found at the lakeshore in Jackson County were returned to his former in-laws and friends.

Williams was declared dead at the request of his former wife six months after he disappeared.

It took Cheryl Williams three years to get the attention of law enforcement and persuaded them to look into the case, but its initial handling and lack of hard evidence has hamstrung investigators and left her with few answers.

"I still hold out hope that child is alive," she said, "but everyone thinks he's dead."
 
"Disappeared" on Investigation Dicovery TV will be about Mike Williams at 10, Monday night, November 28th.

I urge everyone to get involved in this very interesting case. The most detailed coverage has been in the Tallahassee Democrat which is now a paid site. After learning the basic facts of this missing case, you'll be tempted to dish out $9 for 1 month or $2 for 24 hour access to read all about it.

Quotes from previous posts, BBM:

The Tallahassee real-estate appraiser was first thought to have drowned in Lake Seminole early one morning while on a solo duck-hunting trip. When his body failed to float as expected, fish-and-game officials said he must have been eaten by alligators. Despite extensive searches, no trace of his body has ever been found. Law-enforcement officials today dismiss the alligator theory: It was far too cold for gators to be feeding and, if they had, there would have been remains.

Williams had life-insurance policies with two companies when he disappeared, and his wife, investigators said, collected at least $2 million.

Williams' best friend, insurance agent Brian Winchester, wrote him a $1 million policy about six months before he disappeared, investigators said. In 2005 Winchester married Denise Williams.

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/w/williams_jerry.html
 
The story of his disappearance is also at this link (although I'm not sure if it's as in depth as the article on the Democrat's site):

An episode of the television show "Disappeared" will air tonight, Monday, Nov. 28, featuring the story of the duck hunter who vanished on Lake Seminole 11 years ago. The show airs on ID - the Investigation Discovery channel - at 9 p.m. CT.

http://www.thecountyrecord.net/arch...sappeared-to-Feature-Missing-Duck-Hunter.html

JMHO: This case SCREAMS of MURDER!

"When odd items like a pair of waders, a jacket and a hunting license with Mike's name on it, suddenly pop up on the lake six months after Mike disappears, insurance investigators begin to ask questions. Just a week after they are found, Mike's wife uses the discoveries, as evidence to back up her petition in probate court to have Mike declared legally dead. The judge grants her request, and Mike's widow receives all of Mike's assets and cashes in on life insurance worth at least one and a half million dollars. She later marries Mike's best friend, the insurance agent who sold Mike a million dollar policy just six months before he went missing."
 
I don't mean to prejudge people...but the circumstances of this really point to the wife and best friend IMO. I cannot believe that they haven't looked into them both in detail. I mean, were their houses searched for forensic evidence??? I mean, millions of dollars in insurance that the best friend just happened to write and then he just happens to disappear not long after and they just happen to fall in love and get married after his death...something really smells here. I can understand how the mom feels. I just don't understand law enforcement sometimes.
 
"Disappeared" sure made it look like the wife and best friend did it. Proving it will be nearly impossible in my opinion.
If they could find something to show the wife or his "best friend" purchased the items that were supposed to belong to him found in the lake shortly before they were found - that would help. But so much time has gone by...
 
I am writing a paper for my Criminal Investigation course on this case. I have a few questions so if anyone can help me out I would appreciate it very much. The first thing Id like to know is who exactly gave the description of what Mr Williams was wearing before he went missing.Whom did he tell that he was going duck hunting? Im assuming that all of the"last knowns" were given to police by his wife is that correct?

After reviewing the information I was able to locate it seems very clear that his wife and best friend had something to do with his disappearance. This case breaks my heart. What a terribly frustrating situation for Mr Williams mother to be in.I belive that this case will be solved some day, hopefully sooner rather than later.thanks for your help.
 
I am writing a paper for my Criminal Investigation course on this case. I have a few questions so if anyone can help me out I would appreciate it very much. The first thing Id like to know is who exactly gave the description of what Mr Williams was wearing before he went missing.Whom did he tell that he was going duck hunting? Im assuming that all of the"last knowns" were given to police by his wife is that correct?

After reviewing the information I was able to locate it seems very clear that his wife and best friend had something to do with his disappearance. This case breaks my heart. What a terribly frustrating situation for Mr Williams mother to be in.I belive that this case will be solved some day, hopefully sooner rather than later.thanks for your help.

https://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=16988&uid=2221288777#!/AlligatorAlibi
 
I am writing a paper for my Criminal Investigation course on this case. I have a few questions so if anyone can help me out I would appreciate it very much. The first thing Id like to know is who exactly gave the description of what Mr Williams was wearing before he went missing.Whom did he tell that he was going duck hunting? Im assuming that all of the"last knowns" were given to police by his wife is that correct?

After reviewing the information I was able to locate it seems very clear that his wife and best friend had something to do with his disappearance. This case breaks my heart. What a terribly frustrating situation for Mr Williams mother to be in.I belive that this case will be solved some day, hopefully sooner rather than later.thanks for your help.

:welcome4: Good luck writing your paper. Good questions.
 
When I watched the episode on this case, much was made of the assumption that alligators would not be eating humans at this time of year...yet at virtually the same time of year, within a month, Michelle Parker's disappearance is bringoug out the "alligator" theory once again...just curious to me.
 

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