Disappearance of Jerry Michael Williams

Jerry Michael Williams
Photo of Williams circulated since his disappearance
Born	(1969-10-16)October 16, 1969 Tallahassee, Florida, US
Disappeared	December 16, 2000 (aged 31) Tallahassee
Status	Missing for 16 years, 5 months and 8 days
Nationality	American
Other names	Michael, Mike Williams
Known for	Disappearance

Coordinates: 30°29′09″N 84°11′38″W / 30.48585°N 84.19386°W / 30.48585; -84.19386

Jerry Michael Williams (born October 16, 1969), known as Michael or Mike Williams to his friends and family, has not been seen since December 16, 2000 when it was said he left his home in Tallahassee, Florida, United States, to go duck hunting. After investigations, he was presumed to have drowned, but, in the years since then, later investigators have come to suspect he was the victim of foul play, possibly at another location.

After Williams' boat was found abandoned on Lake Seminole, a large reservoir straddling the Florida–Georgia state line, the initial theory was that he had fallen out of it after a collision. However, a lengthy and exhaustive search of the lake bed in the area failed to find his body: at that time, the only occasion that had occurred with a drowning death in the lake. It was eventually concluded that his body was eaten by alligators, and after his waders were found in the lake six months later, he was declared legally dead following a court petition by his widow, who later married a mutual friend who had helped her take out a large life insurance policy on her first husband shortly before his disappearance.

Some investigators felt aspects of the case were not consistent with that theory, and after pressure from Williams' mother Cheryl the case was reopened in 2004 by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). By then, officers had learned that alligators do not, in fact, eat during the winter months as the water is too cold, and it was concluded that foul play might have occurred. But it did not produce any new evidence as the potential crime scene had not been secured during the search for Williams.