Jerry Michael Williams — Credit: [1] · Copyrighted — editorial use, owner-approved 2026-07-11
Overview
Jerry Michael "Mike" Williams, a 31-year-old Tallahassee property appraiser, disappeared on December 16, 2000, during what was reported as a solo duck-hunting trip on Lake Seminole, a reservoir on the Georgia–Florida border. His truck and empty boat were found near a remote boat launch; a search failed to recover his body, an outcome authorities said was unprecedented for drowning cases on the lake. Investigators initially theorized he had drowned after his waders filled with water and that alligators had consumed his remains. Six months later, waders and a jacket containing his hunting license were recovered from the lake, and a Leon County judge declared him legally dead at the request of his wife, Denise Williams, allowing her to collect on life insurance policies.
Doubts and reinvestigation
Williams's mother, Cheryl Williams, never accepted the drowning explanation and spent years lobbying authorities, taking out newspaper ads, and writing letters to Florida's governor. In 2004, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) reopened the case after concluding that alligators typically do not feed in cold winter water temperatures, undermining the original theory. Investigators also noted inconsistencies, including the boat's full gas tank with its engine off and questions about why Williams would have been wearing his waders while driving the boat. However, the original search had not preserved a crime scene, and the case stalled for lack of evidence. A subsequent 2008 insurance-fraud investigation by Florida's Division of Insurance Fraud also closed without charges. The case received national attention through a 2011 Investigation Discovery episode of "Disappeared."
Break in the case
In August 2016, Brian Winchester — Williams's longtime friend, an insurance associate who had sold him policies, and later Denise's second husband — was accused of holding her at gunpoint in an incident tied to their pending divorce. He was convicted of kidnapping and related charges and sentenced to 20 years in prison in December 2017. The day after his sentencing, the FDLE announced that Williams's remains had been located near a dead-end road in Leon County, and that he had been the victim of a homicide. FDLE later disclosed the remains were found on October 18, 2017, after county crews dug at a site for several days; DNA testing matched the remains to Williams's mother.
Charges and trial
In May 2018, Denise Williams was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, and accessory after the fact. At her December 2018 trial, Winchester testified as the prosecution's key witness, stating that he and Denise had conspired to kill Williams so they could marry, and that after an initial plan to stage a boating accident failed, he shot Williams in the face with a shotgun. The jury convicted Denise Williams on all counts, and she was sentenced to life in prison in February 2019. In November 2020, a Florida appellate court overturned her murder conviction, finding no evidence she directly participated in the killing, but upheld her conspiracy to commit murder conviction and its accompanying 30-year sentence. The Florida Attorney General's appeal of that reversal was declined by the state Supreme Court in 2021. As of the source reporting, Denise Williams remained imprisoned, and Brian Winchester remained imprisoned on the kidnapping conviction.
Tallahassee area / Lake Seminole, Florida–Georgia border
Case status
solved
Case timeline
1969-10-16
Jerry Michael "Mike" Williams is born.
1994
Mike Williams marries Denise Merrell.
1999
Mike and Denise Williams's only child, a daughter, is born.
2000
Mike Williams's father dies; midway through the year, the couple purchases a $1 million life insurance policy on Mike through Brian Winchester.
2000-12-16
Mike Williams disappears during a reported solo duck-hunting trip on Lake Seminole; his truck and later his empty boat are found near a remote boat launch.
2001-02
The official search is called off; the final report states no definitive evidence of a boating accident or fatality had been produced.
2001-06
Waders, a jacket with Williams's hunting license, and a flashlight are recovered from the lake.
2001
A Leon County judge grants Denise Williams's petition to have Mike Williams declared legally dead; she later receives $1.5 million in life insurance payouts.
2004
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) reopens the case after lobbying from Cheryl Williams, and investigators learn alligators typically do not feed in winter.
2006
The FDLE closes its reopened investigation without new leads.
2007-10
A .22-caliber Ruger pistol belonging to Mike Williams's late father becomes a new lead; ATF agents interview Denise and Brian Winchester, and the gun is turned over to FDLE for testing.
2008
Florida's Division of Insurance Fraud, with FDLE, investigates the case as possible insurance fraud; the investigation closes without charges by year's end.
2011
Investigation Discovery airs a segment on the case; Carrie Cox publishes the book Alligator Alibi.
2012
Denise and Brian Winchester separate; the Investigation Discovery series Disappeared airs an episode on the case.
2015
Denise Williams files for divorce from Brian Winchester.
2016-08-05
Brian Winchester is arrested after allegedly holding Denise at gunpoint in a kidnapping incident tied to their divorce.
2017-12
Brian Winchester is convicted of kidnapping and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
2017-10-18
FDLE recovers Mike Williams's remains near Gardner Road in northern Leon County; the day after Winchester's sentencing, FDLE announces the remains had been found and that Williams was a homicide victim.
2018-05-08
Denise Williams is arrested and indicted on charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, and accessory after the fact.
2018-12
Denise Williams is convicted on all charges following a trial in which Brian Winchester testifies he shot Williams at her direction.
2019-02
Denise Williams is sentenced to life in prison.
2020-11
A Florida appellate court overturns Denise Williams's murder conviction but upholds her conspiracy to commit murder conviction and 30-year sentence.
2021-04
Florida's Attorney General appeals the reversal to the Florida Supreme Court, which declines to hear the appeal.
Best coverage
Titles and descriptions are the creators’ own and may not reflect current legal status; see the dossier above for sourced case facts.
VIDEO
Dateline NBC / 1 min
Dateline Episode Trailer: Secrets of Lake Seminole
VIDEO
Kendall Rae / 1 min
The Disappearance of Mike Williams
VIDEO
Annie Elise / 1 min
Man Confesses To Murder of Best Friend
People
Jerry Michael "Mike" Williams
VICTIM
31-year-old property appraiser who disappeared during a duck-hunting trip on Lake Seminole in 2000 and was later determined to have been murdered; remains recovered in 2017.
Denise Williams
CONVICTED
Wife of Mike Williams; convicted in December 2018 of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, and accessory after the fact; murder conviction later overturned on appeal in 2020, but conspiracy to commit murder conviction and 30-year sentence upheld.
Brian Winchester
CONVICTED
Longtime friend of Mike Williams and later Denise's second husband; convicted of kidnapping, domestic assault, and armed burglary in December 2017 and sentenced to 20 years in prison; testified at Denise Williams's trial that he shot Mike Williams at her direction.
Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.
Jerry Michael "Mike" Williams, 31, vanished during a duck-hunting trip on Lake Seminole on December 16, 2000, and was long presumed drowned and consumed by alligators. His remains were found near Tallahassee in October 2017 and ruled a homicide. His wife, Denise Williams, and her longtime friend and later second husband, Brian Winchester, were ultimately tied to the killing; Winchester testified he shot Williams at Denise's direction, and Denise was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder.
Where did the murder happen?
Tallahassee area / Lake Seminole, Florida–Georgia border.
Who was convicted?
Denise Williams (Wife of Mike Williams; convicted in December 2018 of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, and accessory after the fact; murder conviction later overturned on appeal in 2020, but conspiracy to commit murder conviction and 30-year sentence upheld.) and Brian Winchester (Longtime friend of Mike Williams and later Denise's second husband; convicted of kidnapping, domestic assault, and armed burglary in December 2017 and sentenced to 20 years in prison; testified at Denise Williams's trial that he shot Mike Williams at her direction.).
