All language subtitles for Disappeared.S04E10.WEBRip.x264-ION10

Narrator:
JERRY MICHAEL WILLIAMS

DISAPPEARED
ON SATURDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2000.

WHEN A PERSON DISAPPEARS
WITHOUT A TRACE,

OFTEN,
THE MOST CRITICAL INFORMATION

IS HIDDEN
IN THEIR ACTIONS AND WORDS

FROM THE DAYS
BEFORE THEY VANISHED.

MIKE WILLIAMS'
LAST-KNOWN WHEREABOUTS

MAY HOLD THE CLUES
TO WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM.

MIKE WILLIAMS WAS
A YOUNG BUSINESSMAN ON THE RISE

IN TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA.

HE WAS REALLY
COMING INTO HIS OWN.

THERE WAS ALMOST NOTHING
THAT HE COULDN'T DO.

Narrator: EARLY ONE MORNING,
HE VENTURES OUT TO LAKE SEMINOLE

TO GO DUCK HUNTING
AND NEVER RETURNS.

SUCH A TRAGEDY THAT SOMEBODY
LIKE THIS HAS JUST VANISHED.

WHERE IS MIKE?

Narrator: ALARMING STORIES
START TO SURFACE.

THEIR EVIDENCE INVESTIGATOR
TOLD ME,

"YOUR SON FELL OUT OF HIS BOAT

AND BUMPED HIS HEAD AND DROWNED,
AND ALLIGATORS ATE HIM."

Narrator:
BUT AS NEW EVIDENCE EMERGES,

SO DO SUSPICIONS OF FOUL PLAY.

THERE ARE PEOPLE
WHO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO MIKE,

OR AT LEAST KNOW
A LOT MORE ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED,

THAT HAVE NEVER COME FORWARD.

Wester:
IF YOU'VE EVER LIKED A MYSTERY,

YOU PICK UP THIS CASE
AND YOU READ IT,

AFTER THE SECOND PAGE,
YOU'RE HOOKED.

--Captions by VITAC--
www.vitac.com

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

Narrator: IT IS BEFORE DAWN
ON DECEMBER 16, 2000,

WHEN JERRY MICHAEL WILLIAMS,
KNOWN TO EVERYONE AS MIKE,

GEARS UP FOR AN EARLY MORNING
DUCK-HUNTING TRIP,

DOWNS THE LAST
OF HIS MORNING COFFEE,

AND HEADS OUT THE DOOR
OF HIS TALLAHASSEE HOME.

Cheryl:
HE WAS ALWAYS HAPPIEST OUTDOORS.

MICHAEL WAS A HUNTER FROM
THE TIME HE WAS 6 YEARS OLD.

HE WOULD BE OUT
WITH HIS LITTLE BOW AND ARROW,

SHOOTING AT TARGETS.

Narrator: MIKE'S DESTINATION
IS LAKE SEMINOLE, FLORIDA,

A FAVORITE SPOT WHERE HE HAS
FISHED AND HUNTED FOR 16 YEARS.

IT'S ABOUT 60 MILES AND A
TIME ZONE AWAY FROM TALLAHASSEE.

ON HIS WAY, MIKE STOPS OFF
AT WORK TO PICK UP HIS SHOTGUN.

THOUGH HE IS ONLY 31,
MIKE WILLIAMS

IS ALREADY A SUCCESSFUL
COMMERCIAL REAL-ESTATE APPRAISER

IN TALLAHASSEE,

AND BUSINESS IS BOOMING.

HIS EMPLOYER, CLAY KETCHAM,
THINKS HIGHLY OF HIM.

HE WAS REALLY
AT A POINT IN HIS CAREER

WHERE HE WAS
REALLY COMING INTO HIS OWN.

ONE THING MIKE WILLIAMS LOVED
WAS WORK.

HE REALLY ENJOYED IT,
REALLY GENUINELY DID,

AND HE WAS
A GREAT WORKER FOR US.

HE HAD GROWN TO WHERE HE WAS MY
PRIMARY REAL-ESTATE APPRAISER.

THERE WAS ALMOST NOTHING
THAT HE COULDN'T DO.

Narrator:
MIKE AND HIS WIFE, DENISE,

ARE THE PARENTS
OF AN 18-MONTH-OLD GIRL.

EVERYONE WHO KNOWS MIKE
ADMIRES HIS DEVOTION TO ANSLEE,

WHO IS THE APPLE OF HIS EYE.

HE WAS THRILLED
TO HAVE THE BABY.

THAT ANSLEE
WAS THE LOVE OF HIS LIFE.

IN SPITE OF HIS WORKLOAD,

MIKE WAS ALWAYS THERE
FOR ANSLEE.

WHATEVER ANSLEE NEEDED,
MIKE WAS THERE.

IF HE HAD TO GO HOME
AND COOK SUPPER FOR ANSLEE

AND THEN COME BACK TO WORK,
HE WOULD DO IT.

Narrator: MIKE TOOK ON A LION'S
SHARE OF THE RESPONSIBILITY

IN CARING FOR HIS CHILD.

HE'D TYPICALLY WORK
12-, 14-, 16-HOUR DAYS,

GOT THREE, FOUR,
FIVE HOURS SLEEP WHERE HE COULD,

TAKE THE BABY
TO THE OFFICE WITH HIM.

WORKING
AND TAKING CARE OF THE BABY

WAS HIS LIFE
FROM THAT DAY WHEN THEY HAD HER.

Narrator: ON THIS DAY,

MIKE LEAVES
HIS WIFE AND LITTLE GIRL AT HOME

FOR A SOLO HUNTING TRIP.

DAWN HAS BROKEN

BY THE TIME MIKE PULLS UP
TO A DIRT LANDING ON THE LAKE.

IT IS CHILLY
IN THE EARLY MORNING SILENCE.

THERE IS NO ONE ELSE AROUND
ON THE SHORE OR ON THE WATER

AS HE LAUNCHES HIS MOTORBOAT,
STOWS HIS RIFLE,

AND STARTS THE ENGINE.

MIKE REALLY ENJOYED
HUNTING ALONE.

ACCORDING TO HIS MOTHER, THIS
WAS A WAY OF OBTAINING SOLITUDE.

Narrator:
THE CRAFT MOVES ACROSS THE WATER

AND WEAVES AROUND
THE MANY TREE STUMPS

THAT CLUTTER
THIS PART OF THE LAKE,

WHICH WAS FORMED BY A DAM
IN THE 1950s.

BUT MIKE KNOWS ITS CONTOURS
LIKE THE BACK OF HIS HAND.

PERHAPS
HE HAS SOME LUCK THIS MORNING

AND BRINGS DOWN HIS PREY.

PERHAPS NOT.
NO ONE WILL EVER KNOW.

DECEMBER 16, 2000, IS THE DAY
MIKE WILLIAMS DISAPPEARS.

WHEN MIKE DOESN'T RETURN HOME
BY NOON,

HIS WIFE, DENISE, IS FRETFUL.

IT IS THEIR
SIXTH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY,

AND THEY HAVE PLANS TO GO ON
AN OVERNIGHT TRIP TO CELEBRATE.

SOMETIME AROUND
NOON OR 1:00 IN THE AFTERNOON,

DENISE BECAME VERY CONCERNED
THAT MIKE HAD NOT ARRIVED HOME.

SHE CALLED HER FATHER,
WARREN MERRELL,

TO LET HIM KNOW
THAT MIKE WAS NOT HOME YET.

MIKE HAD
FAVORITE PLACES HE WOULD GO

WHEN HE WOULD HUNT AND FISH,

SO WARREN
BASICALLY KNEW WHERE TO GO.

Narrator:
DENISE'S FATHER, WARREN MERRELL,

AND A FRIEND OF MIKE'S

DRIVE OUT TO LAKE SEMINOLE
TO LOOK FOR HIM.

THEY LOCATE
HIS TRUCK AND BOAT TRAILER

AT THE REMOTE LANDING
IN JACKSON COUNTY.

DeVaney: NO BOAT, NO MIKE,
BUT THERE IT WAS.

HE REALIZED SOMETHING WAS WRONG.

AT THAT POINT, HE CONTACTED
THE FLORIDA WILDLIFE COMMISSION.

Narrator: IN FLORIDA,

THE FLORIDA WILDLIFE COMMISSION,
OR FWC,

IS RESPONSIBLE FOR TRYING
TO FIND MISSING HUNTERS.

THE FIRST OFFICER ON THE SCENE
ARRIVES ABOUT 4:00 P.M.

I STARTED TO CALL IN OTHER
OFFICERS TO COME HELP US SEARCH.

Narrator: MIKE'S MOTHER, CHERYL,
IS OUT FOR A WALK

WHEN THE NEWS
COMES TO HER ELDEST SON, NICK,

THAT MIKE IS MISSING.

WHEN I GOT BACK HOME,
NICK WAS CRYING,

AND HE SAID,
"MAMA, THEY CAN'T FIND MIKE."

I SAID, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN,
THEY CAN'T FIND MIKE?"

"MAMA,
HE DIDN'T COME HOME AT NOON,

AND WARREN WENT OVER THERE,
AND THEY CAN'T FIND MIKE."

Narrator:
ON LAKE SEMINOLE,

A FULL-SCALE SEARCH CONTINUES
ON AND OFF INTO THE NIGHT,

INTERRUPTED BY A SEVERE STORM

WHICH BRINGS WITH IT
FREEZING TEMPERATURES.

EARLY IN THE MORNING
OF DECEMBER 17th,

MIKE'S BEST FRIEND,
BRIAN WINCHESTER, AND HIS FATHER

FIND MIKE'S BOAT
ALONG THE LAKE'S WESTERN SHORE,

JUST 75 YARDS FROM THE LANDING.

WHEN IT IS LIGHT,

FWC AGENT DAVE ARNETTE GOES OUT
WITH BRIAN TO LOOK AT THE BOAT

AND DO AN INVENTORY
OF THE CONTENTS.

I FOUND TWO LIFE JACKETS
LAYING UNDER A BAG OF DECOYS

IN THE FRONT OF THE BOAT
AND A SHOTGUN,

STILL IN A ZIPPERED CASE,

ALONG THE EDGE
OF THE DRIVER'S SEAT.

Narrator: THE BOAT
HAS A GO-DEVIL-TYPE MOTOR,

USEFUL IN SHALLOW, WEEDY LAKES.

HE CHECKS OUT THE GAS TANK.

Arnette: I TOOK THE TOP OFF
OF THE GAS TANK, AND WHEN I DID,

I IMMEDIATELY SAW THAT IT WAS
ABSOLUTELY FULL OF GAS,

THAT IT HAD NOT RAN VERY LONG.

SO, MY FEELING WAS

THAT HE HAD FELL OUT OF THE BOAT
NEAR THE LANDING.

Narrator:
RESPONDERS SEARCH THE AREA.

THE WATER IS ONLY
3 TO 5 FEET DEEP HERE

AND IS CHOKED WITH VEGETATION,
BUT THERE IS NO SIGN OF MIKE.

IF MICHAEL HAD FALLEN OUT THERE,
YOU WOULD HAVE FOUND HIS BODY.

Narrator: THE LOCATION
OF THE BOAT IS ALSO SURPRISING.

GIVEN THE HEAVY WESTERN WINDS
OF THE STORM THE NIGHT BEFORE,

THE BOAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN BLOWN
TO THE EASTERN SHORE,

NOT WASHED UP ON THE WEST BANK.

AFTER THE FIRST DAY PASSES
WITH NO SIGN OF MIKE,

IT IS ASSUMED THAT WILLIAMS IS
THE VICTIM OF A TRAGIC ACCIDENT.

Ketcham:
I FELT VERY SAD.

WE REALLY FELT LIKE
THAT MIKE HAD DROWNED

AND THAT HE WOULD BE FOUND
PROBABLY WITHIN A WEEK OR SO.

Narrator:
OVER THE COMING WEEKS,

OFFICERS SPEND 735 MAN-HOURS
OVER AN UNPRECEDENTED 56 DAYS,

SCOURING A 10-ACRE PATCH OF
LAKE SEMINOLE FOR MIKE WILLIAMS.

DeVaney:
MANY LAW-ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES

WERE INVOLVED
IN THIS INITIAL SEARCH,

BUT THE INITIAL SEARCH
WAS FOR A MISSING PERSON.

IT WAS FOR SOMEBODY WHO MAY HAVE
HAD AN ACCIDENT ON THE LAKE.

THIS PARTICULAR LAKE,

IT'S NOT THAT INFREQUENT
TO HAVE A DROWNING VICTIM.

Arnette: WE EXPECTED, YOU KNOW,
TO RECOVER THE BODY QUITE SOON.

WE JUST HAD PROBLEMS

UNDERSTANDING WHY WE WEREN'T
ABLE TO LOCATE THE SUBJECT.

Narrator: AS TIME GOES ON,
THE SEARCH PARTY QUESTIONS

WHY MIKE'S BODY
DOESN'T FLOAT TO THE SURFACE.

Wester:
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING,

MOST PEOPLE THAT DO GO MISSING
IN LAKE SEMINOLE

EVENTUALLY WILL SURFACE,
AND A BODY WILL BE FOUND.

I BELIEVE
THAT THERE IS SOME DATA

THAT SAYS
THAT JERRY MICHAEL WILLIAMS

WAS THE ONLY BODY THAT WAS NEVER
FOUND OUT OF LAKE SEMINOLE.

THERE WERE
THEORIES FLOATING AROUND

THAT MAYBE HE WASN'T HERE,

BUT WE CONTINUED WITH OUR SEARCH
AS IF HE WAS HERE

BECAUSE
WE HAD NO OTHER INDICATION

THAT HE WOULD NOT BE HERE.

HIS VESSEL WAS HERE.

HE WAS A DUCK HUNTER
ON THIS LAKE.

THERE WAS JUST NO TRACE OF MIKE.

IT WAS LIKE
HE DISAPPEARED INTO THIN AIR.

Narrator: SOON,
A TROUBLING THEORY DEVELOPS.

PEOPLE START SAYING THAT MIKE
MUST HAVE PITCHED OVERBOARD,

AND THE CHEST-HIGH WADERS
HE WORE FOR DUCK HUNTING

HAD SUCKED HIM
8 FEET TO THE BOTTOM.

THE ALLIGATORS
THAT INFEST THE LAKE,

SOME UP TO 10 FEET LONG,

MUST HAVE GOTTEN TO HIM
BEFORE THE SEARCHERS COULD.

Cheryl: THEIR
EVIDENCE INVESTIGATOR SAID,

"MS. WILLIAMS,
I'M SORRY TO HAVE TO TELL YOU,

"BUT YOUR SON
FELL OUT OF HIS BOAT

"AND BUMPED HIS HEAD
AND DROWNED,

AND ALLIGATORS ATE HIM."

Narrator:
IT IS NOT AN EXPLANATION

MIKE'S MOTHER CAN ACCEPT.

COMING UP, SUSPICIONS GROW

THAT THE DISAPPEARANCE
OF MIKE WILLIAMS IS NO ACCIDENT.

Cheryl: SO, WHAT ARE
MY OTHER ALTERNATIVES?

IF HE DIDN'T GET EATEN
BY ALLIGATORS, DID HE WALK OFF?

DID SOMEBODY HURT HIM?

Narrator: THE INTENSIVE HUNT
AT LAKE SEMINOLE, FLORIDA,

FOR MISSING TALLAHASSEE
BUSINESSMAN MIKE WILLIAMS

CONTINUES THROUGH
THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS OF 2000

INTO 2001.

Portman:
WHEN THEY WERE DOING THE SEARCH,

THEY'D TAKEN
THESE BIG PVC POLES,

AND THEY WERE STANDING IN BOATS,

AND THEY WERE LITERALLY
GOING DOWN LIKE EVERY 6 INCHES,

POKING, POKING, TRYING
TO FIND A BODY, SOMETHING.

Narrator: BY FEBRUARY,
TWO MONTHS AFTER HE DISAPPEARED,

THERE IS STILL NO SIGN
OF MIKE WILLIAMS.

BUT THE THEORY THAT HE MAY
HAVE BEEN EATEN BY ALLIGATORS

GAINS TRACTION.

THIS WAS, NO DOUBT, THE MOST
EXHAUSTIVE SEARCH IN THIS LAKE

SINCE THE LAKE
HAS BEEN IN EXISTENCE --

SINCE 1957.

SO, THERE HAD BEEN THEORIES
THAT STARTED

AS FAR AS
WHAT MAY HAVE HAPPENED TO MIKE.

WHY DID HE DISAPPEAR?

ONE OF THE EARLIEST THOUGHTS

WAS THAT MIKE
MAY HAVE BEEN ATTACKED

AND EATEN BY ALLIGATORS.

Portman: THERE WAS THIS --

THIS IDEA THAT WAS PUT FORWARD
THAT PEOPLE BELIEVED.

MIKE WILLIAMS,
THE MAN EATEN BY ALLIGATORS.

Narrator:
MIKE'S BOSS, CLAY KETCHAM,

HEARS THE THEORY

THAT MIKE MIGHT HAVE BEEN
EATEN BY ALLIGATORS

FROM MIKE'S BEST FRIEND,
BRIAN WINCHESTER.

AND HE SAID, "I HATE
TO EVEN MENTION THIS TO YOU,

"BUT THERE HAS BEEN
THE THOUGHT PROCESS

THAT AN ALLIGATOR HAS GOT HIM."

AND I JUST SAID, "OH, MY GOSH,"

AND JUST FELT SORT OF AN UNEASY,
SICK FEELING IN MY STOMACH.

THAT'S THE FIRST TIME
I HAD HEARD

OF THE
"ALLIGATOR ATE HIM" THEORY.

Narrator:
CHERYL WILLIAMS, MIKE'S MOTHER,

REFUSES TO BELIEVE

SUCH A TERRIBLE THING
COULD HAVE HAPPENED TO HER SON,

AND MIKE HAD ALWAYS TOLD HER

THAT ALLIGATORS DON'T FEED
WHEN IT'S COLD.

Cheryl: I SAID,
"BUT THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE.

ALLIGATORS
DON'T EAT IN COLD WATER."

SO, THEN I CALLED
FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY

AND TALKED TO
THEIR TOP ALLIGATOR EXPERT,

AND HE SAID,

"NO, YOUR SON COULD NOT
HAVE BEEN EATEN BY ALLIGATORS.

"PHYSIOLOGICALLY IMPOSSIBLE.

"WHILE IT'S A GOOD THEORY,

IT WON'T HOLD UP
IN YOUR SON'S DISAPPEARANCE."

Narrator:
THE EVENING MIKE DISAPPEARED,

A COLD FRONT
MOVED THROUGH THE AREA,

AND THE WEATHER FOR THE NEXT
COUPLE OF WEEKS WAS FREEZING.

IT GOT DOWN TO 19 DEGREES.
IT WAS VERY, VERY COLD.

THEY HAD, LIKE, BIG, GALLON --
55-GALLON DRUMS

THAT THEY WOULD KEEP ALIT
TO WARM THE SEARCHERS.

THERE ARE CERTAINLY
NO ALLIGATORS MOVING

IN THAT KIND OF WEATHER.

Wester: I'VE LIVED IN JACKSON
COUNTY MOST OF MY ADULT LIFE.

IN MY EXPERIENCE AS A CHILD,

PLAYING IN LAKE SEMINOLE,
SEEING ALLIGATORS,

I DON'T HAVE
ANY PERSONAL KNOWLEDGE

OF ANYONE EVER BEING ATTACKED
OR EATEN BY AN ALLIGATOR

IN JACKSON COUNTY.

Narrator:
THROUGHOUT THE LONG VIGIL,

FRIENDS AND RELATIVES
ALL PITCH IN TO HELP.

Ketcham: AT THE LAKE WERE MIKE'S
CLOSEST BUDDIES, I WOULD GUESS.

MIKE'S FATHER-IN-LAW,
MR. MERRELL, WAS THERE.

BRIAN WINCHESTER WAS THERE
AND HIS FATHER,

AND I WOULD KIND OF SURMISE

THAT MR. WINCHESTER
AND HIS SON, BRIAN,

WERE SORT OF
THE LEAD DOGS IN THIS.

MIKE'S VERY BEST FRIEND
WAS BRIAN WINCHESTER.

THEY OFTEN TRAVELED TOGETHER
TO HUNT DUCKS

IN LOUISIANA, TEXAS.

SO, THEY WERE JUST
VERY, VERY CLOSE.

Narrator:
MIKE'S BROTHER, NICK,

IS ALSO A CONSTANT PRESENCE
AT THE SCENE,

POKING THE LAKE BOTTOM,
LOOKING FOR ANY SIGN OF MIKE.

AS KIDS, THEY HAD BEEN CLOSE,

BUT IN RECENT YEARS
HAVE GROWN APART.

NICK FINDS HIMSELF
FILLED WITH REGRETS.

AT FIRST,
HE BELIEVES MIKE HAS DROWNED,

BUT HE BECOMES
INCREASINGLY SUSPICIOUS

ABOUT WHAT HAS HAPPENED
TO HIS LITTLE BROTHER.

Nick: WE'D PULL UP
STICKS AND FISHING REELS,

ALL KINDS OF DEBRIS,
YOU KNOW, PIECES OF BOATS,

JUST ANYTHING YOU CAN
THINK OF THAT MIGHT
HAVE FALLEN IN A LAKE,

BUT NEVER FOUND ANY TRACE
OF MIKE

OR ANY OF MIKE'S BELONGINGS.

Narrator: THEN, 10 DAYS
AFTER MIKE'S DISAPPEARANCE,

AN FWC OFFICER SEES
A HAT FLOATING IN SOME WEEDS

AT THE LAKE'S EDGE.

OFFICER PERRY AND MYSELF
WERE SEARCHING,

DOING A GRID PATTERN
ACROSS THE STUMPY AREA,

AND WE NOTICED
A CAMOUFLAGE HAT

FLOATING OFF TO THE EAST
WEED LINE OF THE SEARCH AREA.

WE COLLECTED THE HAT,

WHICH WAS
A CAMOUFLAGE DUCK HUNTER'S HAT.

Narrator:
TO THE FWC OFFICERS,

SOMETHING SEEMS ODD
ABOUT THE FIND.

THE HAT HADN'T BEEN THERE

WHEN THEY
PREVIOUSLY SEARCHED THE AREA.

Ranew: NINE DAYS PRIOR TO THAT,
THE HAT WAS NOT THERE.

THERE WAS NOTHING
THAT WE HAD FOUND

IN AN EXTENSIVE SEARCH
ACROSS THE AREA,

AND ON THE 10th MORNING
OF THE SEARCH,

WE FOUND THE HAT FLOATING THERE.

THE HAT WAS LIKE NEW.

IT HAD NO SLIMY RESIDUE ON IT

THAT THINGS IN LAKE SEMINOLE
NORMALLY HAS.

IT APPEARED TO HAVE BEEN
RECENTLY BOUGHT OR A NEW HAT.

Cheryl:
AND BRIAN, MIKE'S FRIEND,

SAYS, "WELL, IT LOOKS LIKE
A HAT THAT MICHAEL HAD."

BUT EVERYBODY AT THE SEARCH SITE

KNEW THAT THAT HAT HAD NOT
BEEN THERE FOR TWO WEEKS.

Portman:
THEY TESTED IT FOR DNA.

IT CAME BACK THAT MIKE'S HEAD
WAS NOT IN THIS HAT.

THEY COULD NOT FIND
ANY TRACES OF DNA IN THERE.

Narrator: MIKE'S FAMILY
CAN'T HELP BUT WONDER

IF THE HAT WAS PLACED THERE
INTENTIONALLY.

THEY JUST DON'T KNOW
WHO WOULD HAVE DONE SO OR WHY.

IN FEBRUARY,
MIKE'S WIFE, DENISE,

DECIDES TO HOLD A MEMORIAL
SERVICE FOR HER HUSBAND.

Cheryl: DENISE'S FATHER CAME
TO ME AND NICK, AND HE SAID,

"DENISE NEEDS TO GET ON
WITH HER LIFE.

WE NEED TO HAVE
A MEMORIAL SERVICE."

AND I SAID, "BUT WE DON'T KNOW
THAT MIKE'S DEAD."

"HE'S IN THE LAKE.
I TOLD YOU HE'S IN THE LAKE."

AND NICK SAID, "BUT
WE DON'T KNOW THAT HE'S DEAD.

BUT IF SHE WANTS TO HAVE IT,
OKAY."

Narrator: THE MEMORIAL
TAKES PLACE ON FEBRUARY 11th,

THE DAY AFTER
THE SEARCH OFFICIALLY ENDS.

I THOUGHT
DENISE WAS BROKENHEARTED.

ANYTIME I WAS AROUND HER,
SHE WASN'T TALKING VERY MUCH.

SHE SEEMED REALLY SAD.

SHE WASN'T HAVING
VERY MUCH TO DO WITH THE BABY.

SHE WAS SLEEPING A LOT.

Narrator:
FOR THE AUTHORITIES,

THE MIKE WILLIAMS CASE
IS CLOSED.

FWC's ACCIDENT REPORT
ENDS SIMPLY WITH THE NOTATION

THAT THE DUCK HUNTER
REMAINS MISSING.

ACCORDING TO CHERYL,
ABOUT A WEEK AFTER THE MEMORIAL,

MIKE'S FRIEND BRIAN WINCHESTER
MEETS WITH AN ATTORNEY

TO ASK ABOUT THE REQUIREMENTS
TO HAVE SOMEONE DECLARED DEAD

WITHOUT A BODY
OR DEATH CERTIFICATE.

AND WHILE DENISE WILLIAMS

SEEMS TO WANT TO PUT THE TRAGEDY
BEHIND HER,

HER MOTHER-IN-LAW IS NOT ABLE
TO LET THE MATTER REST

WITHOUT PROOF HER SON IS DEAD.

Cheryl: SO, WHAT ARE
MY OTHER ALTERNATIVES?

IF HE DIDN'T DROWN IN THE LAKE

AND HE DIDN'T
GET EATEN BY ALLIGATORS,

DID HE WALK OFF?

THAT WAS NOT SOMETHING
I WANTED TO THINK, EITHER,

BECAUSE HE LOVED THAT CHILD
SO MUCH, AND HE LOVED DENISE.

Narrator: SHE TRIES
TO CONVINCE THE AUTHORITIES

TO INVESTIGATE
HER SON'S DISAPPEARANCE

AS A CRIMINAL CASE,

BUT SHE IS UNSUCCESSFUL.

STILL, SHE FINDS IT HARD
TO BELIEVE THAT MIKE IS DEAD

AND HOLDS ONTO THE HOPE
HE IS ALIVE SOMEWHERE.

BUT IF HER BELOVED SON IS DEAD,
CHERYL IS CERTAIN

THAT MIKE DIDN'T MEET
WITH AN ACCIDENTAL DEATH

HUNTING ON LAKE SEMINOLE.

SHE BELIEVES HIS DISAPPEARANCE
IS DUE TO FOUL PLAY.

Cheryl:
I COULDN'T THINK OF ANYBODY

THAT WOULD WANT TO HURT MY SON.

SO, WHAT I DID
WAS I STARTED LISTENING,

AND I STARTED WRITING DOWN
EVERYTHING THAT EVERYBODY SAID,

AND ALL THESE DIFFERENT THINGS
JUST DIDN'T ADD UP.

Narrator: COMING UP,

MIKE'S MOTHER FINALLY GETS
A CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION GOING,

BUT IS IT TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE?

Portman: ABSENT MIKE'S BODY,
ABSENT ANY TRACE OF HIM,

WITHOUT ANY KIND OF
PHYSICAL EVIDENCE AT ALL,

IT IS INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT
TO CRACK THIS CASE.

Narrator:
MIKE WILLIAMS' DISAPPEARANCE

LEAVES A HOLE
IN HIS MOTHER, CHERYL'S, HEART.

HER HUSBAND, JERRY,

HAS RECENTLY DIED
AFTER A SHORT ILLNESS.

NOW SHE HAS ALSO LOST
HER YOUNGEST SON.

MIKE HAD RISEN TO AFFLUENCE,

MAKING $250,000 A YEAR
AS A REAL-ESTATE APPRAISER,

BUT HE HAD BEGUN HIS LIFE
IN MODEST CIRCUMSTANCES.

HIS FATHER
WAS A GREYHOUND BUS DRIVER,

AND HIS MOTHER
HAS ALWAYS MADE ENDS MEET

BY TAKING CARE OF OTHER PEOPLE'S
CHILDREN ALONG WITH HER OWN.

MIKE AND HIS BROTHER, NICK,
GREW UP IN A DOUBLE-WIDE TRAILER

SURROUNDED BY WOODS
IN THE COUNTRYSIDE.

A DEEPLY RELIGIOUS WOMAN,
CHERYL SCRIMPED AND SAVED

TO SEND HER SONS TO A PRIVATE
CHRISTIAN SCHOOL IN TALLAHASSEE.

Ketcham: THAT'S WHERE HE MET
A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT I WOULD SAY

ARE FROM A HIGHER
SOCIOECONOMIC BACKGROUND

LAWYERS
AND PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS,

THOSE TYPES OF THINGS.

I THINK THAT THAT WAS
PART OF WHY

MIKE WAS DRIVEN SO MUCH
TO EARN MONEY,

BUT ALSO TO BE RESPECTED AND
EARN THE RESPECT OF HIS PEERS.

Narrator: MIKE WAS POPULAR
AND ON THE FOOTBALL TEAM.

IN THE NINTH GRADE, HE MET
DENISE MERRELL, A NEW STUDENT.

THEY FELL IN LOVE.

SHE TOLD ME, SHE SAID,
"MS. WILLIAMS,

I SAW MIKE ON THE FIRST DAY,
AND I JUST -- I KNEW HE WAS IT."

I LOVED HER.

I THOUGHT
SHE WAS WONDERFUL FOR MIKE.

HER FAMILY WAS ONE OF THE
BEST FAMILIES IN TALLAHASSEE,

AND SHE WAS BEAUTIFUL.

I -- I WAS PROUD OF HER.

Narrator: AT SCHOOL,

MIKE ALSO MET DENISE'S CHILDHOOD
FRIEND BRIAN WINCHESTER,

AND ALL THREE
OFTEN HUNG AROUND TOGETHER.

THEY WERE ALL FRIENDS...

UNTIL THE DAY
MIKE WILLIAMS DISAPPEARED.

MIKE WAS PRESIDENT
OF THE SENIOR CLASS,

AND DENISE
WAS VOTED BEST DRESSED.

AFTER THEY GRADUATED
FROM COLLEGE,

MIKE AND DENISE GOT MARRIED.

BUT AFTER THE WEDDING, MIKE'S
MOTHER AND BROTHER, NICK, SAY

THEY DIDN'T SEE DENISE
VERY MUCH.

WHEN HE GOT MARRIED,
HE DIDN'T TALK TOO MUCH ABOUT --

ABOUT THE MARRIAGE, ABOUT
WHAT WAS GOING ON IN HIS LIFE.

MOM, DAD, AND ME DIDN'T
GET INVITED OVER TOO MUCH.

THEY PRETTY MUCH
KEPT TO THEMSELVES.

Narrator: WHEN MIKE
BROUGHT HIS DAUGHTER TO VISIT,

HE USUALLY CAME ALONE.

Nick:
I ALWAYS HAD THE FEELING

THAT DENISE JUST REALLY DIDN'T
LIKE ANY OF US THAT MUCH.

KIND OF LOOKED DOWN ON US.

DENISE JUST WENT OUT OF HER WAY
NOT TO VISIT THAT MUCH,

EVEN WHEN MIKE WAS THERE.

Narrator: STILL,
MIKE'S FAMILY NEVER THOUGHT

THERE WAS ANYTHING WRONG
IN THE MARRIAGE.

THE OFFICIAL SEARCH
FOR MIKE WILLIAMS

ENDS IN FEBRUARY 2001.

THEN IN JUNE,
SIX MONTHS AFTER HE DISAPPEARED,

A NEW PIECE OF EVIDENCE FLOATS
TO THE SURFACE OF LAKE SEMINOLE

AND RAISES QUESTIONS.

A FISHERMAN ON THE LAKE
FINDS A PAIR OF WADERS

DRIFTING IN A SPOT

HE HAS FISHED MANY TIMES
SINCE MIKE DISAPPEARED.

HE CALLS
THE FISH AND GAME SERVICE

TO COME AND EXAMINE THEM.

Ranew:
THE WADERS WERE NOT SLIMY.

AFTER SIX MONTHS,
THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN SLIMY.

THEY WERE CLEAN WADERS.
THEY WERE LIKE NEW.

THEY WERE COMPLETELY PRISTINE.

THERE WERE
NO ALLIGATOR TEETH MARKS.

NOW, THEY HAD ALWAYS
TOLD FAMILY AND FRIENDS

THAT "WHEN WE FIND THE WADERS,

WE WILL FIND MIKE.
MIKE WILL BE IN THEM."

WELL, WHEN THAT HAPPENED,
PEOPLE WHO HEARD ABOUT THAT,

THE MYSTERY REALLY INTENSIFIED.

Narrator:
THE WADERS ARE SHOWN

TO MIKE'S FRIEND
BRIAN WINCHESTER.

HE CAN'T
MAKE A POSITIVE IDENTIFICATION

BUT SAYS
THEY LOOK LIKE WADERS MIKE USED.

FORENSIC CHECKS
WERE DONE ON THE WADERS,

AND THERE WAS NO WAY TO ACTUALLY
LINK THESE WADERS TO MIKE.

Wester: THEY DETERMINED

THAT THERE WAS NO GENETIC
MATERIAL INSIDE THE WADERS,

AND THEY ACTUALLY

GAVE THE WADERS
TO THE FATHER-IN-LAW.

AFTER THEY FOUND THE WADERS,

THE FAMILY OR FRIEND
OF THE VICTIM

CONTACTED
A PRETTY RENOWNED LOCAL DIVER.

Narrator:
THE DIVER GOES INTO THE WATER

WHERE THE WADERS WERE FOUND,

AND MINUTES LATER, HE SURFACES
WITH A JACKET AND A FLASHLIGHT.

BOTH APPEAR TO BE
IN PRISTINE CONDITION,

NOT SLIMY AS THEY SHOULD BE

IF THEY HAD BEEN SITTING
ON THE BOTTOM OF THE LAKE

FOR SIX MONTHS.

IN THE POCKET
IS A HUNTING LICENSE

WITH MIKE WILLIAMS' NAME ON IT.

YOU COULD READ HIS DRIVER'S
LICENSE NUMBER, HIS ADDRESS,

AND YOU COULD EVEN STILL SEE
HIS SIGNATURE.

I MEAN, JUST AS PLAIN AS IF --
IF HE HAD WROTE IT YESTERDAY.

AND THE LIGHT
WAS A LITTLE, CHEAP LIGHT.

PROBABLY NOT WATERPROOF

AND PROBABLY NOT WATERPROOF
FOR SIX MONTHS.

BUT THEY RECOVERED IT,
CLICKED IT ON,

AND IT WAS STILL OPERATIONAL.

Narrator:
DESPITE THE SUSPICIOUS CONDITION

OF THESE NEW PIECES OF EVIDENCE,

THERE'S STILL
NO CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION

INTO MIKE'S DISAPPEARANCE

AND NO PUBLIC SCRUTINY.

NOT LONG
AFTER THE ITEMS ARE FOUND,

CHERYL WILLIAMS DISCOVERS THAT
HER DAUGHTER-IN-LAW, DENISE,

HAS APPLIED
TO A PROBATE COURT IN FLORIDA

TO HAVE MIKE DECLARED
LEGALLY DEAD.

DeVaney: FLORIDA LAW INDICATES
THAT SOMEBODY MUST BE MISSING

FOR A PERIOD OF SEVEN YEARS
BEFORE THEY'RE DECLARED DEAD.

HOWEVER, THAT CAN BE CHANGED

IF THERE ARE CIRCUMSTANCES
WHICH COME UP

WHICH MAY PROVE
THAT SOMEBODY MAY HAVE PERISHED

OF AN ACCIDENT, HOMICIDE,
OR WHATEVER.

THEN THAT CAN BE CHANGED
AND BROUGHT UP BEFORE THE COURT.

Narrator: THOUGH MIKE WILLIAMS
HAS BEEN MISSING

FOR JUST SIX MONTHS,

LITTLE MORE THAN A WEEK
AFTER THE WADERS, JACKET,

AND LICENSE
ARE FOUND IN LAKE SEMINOLE,

HIS WIDOW SUBMITS
THEIR DISCOVERY AS EVIDENCE

TO THE CIRCUIT COURT
IN TALLAHASSEE.

THE JUDGE GRANTS A PRESUMPTIVE
CERTIFICATE OF DEATH.

SHORTLY AFTERWARDS,
DENISE WILLIAMS

COLLECTS THE PROCEEDS
OF MIKE'S LIFE INSURANCE --

AT LEAST $1.5 MILLION.

WE WERE NOT TOLD
ONE THING ABOUT ANYTHING.

Portman:
THESE ITEMS WERE USED

AND MENTIONED
IN THE PROBATE HEARING

TO GET MIKE DECLARED DEAD,

PROMINENTLY SAYING,
"HERE, THESE WADERS WERE FOUND,

HERE, THIS JACKET WAS FOUND."

AND A HEARING
THAT CHERYL WILLIAMS

WAS NEVER MADE AWARE OF,

THAT HAPPENED
VERY QUIETLY AND VERY QUICKLY.

Narrator: CHERYL WILLIAMS

IS DEVASTATED BY THE NEWS
THAT MIKE IS DECLARED DEAD.

SHE IS MORE CONVINCED THAN EVER

THAT THERE IS
SOMETHING SHADY GOING ON,

AND SHE HAS NEW SUSPICIONS

ABOUT WHY DENISE WAS SO EAGER
TO HAVE A MEMORIAL SERVICE

SO SOON AFTER MIKE DISAPPEARED.

Cheryl:
ONE THING WE DID LEARN

WAS THAT IN ORDER
TO DECLARE SOMEBODY DEAD,

YOU HAVE TO HOLD
A PUBLIC SERVICE,

SAYING THAT THEY'RE DEAD.

Narrator: HER EFFORTS
TO INITIATE AN INVESTIGATION

DON'T SIT WELL
WITH DENISE WILLIAMS.

ACCORDING TO
CHERYL AND NICK WILLIAMS,

DENISE THREATENS
HER MOTHER-IN-LAW

THAT IF SHE PERSISTS,
SHE WILL BE SORRY.

Cheryl:
SHE AND HER DADDY TOLD US,

"IF YOU DO ANYTHING
TO GET A CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION,

YOU'RE GONNA LOSE ANSLEE."

I MEAN,
IT WASN'T JUST A VEILED THREAT.

IT WAS A STATEMENT --
"YOU'LL LOSE ANSLEE."

SHE SAID,
"I'VE GOT TO GO ON WITH MY LIFE.

"I DON'T WANT TO BE
BOTHERED WITH ANYTHING ELSE.

"I DON'T EVER WANT TO HEAR
MIKE'S NAME AGAIN,

"AND I DON'T WANT TO KNOW

ANYTHING
THAT HAS TO DO WITH HIM."

Narrator:
BUT THE THREAT OF LOSING CONTACT
WITH HER GRANDDAUGHTER

ONLY INTENSIFIES
CHERYL'S SEARCH FOR THE TRUTH.

PEOPLE HAVE SAID,
"YOU HAD A GRANDDAUGHTER.

"YOU SHOULD HAVE LET IT GO,

BECAUSE IT CAN'T DO ANYTHING
BUT HURT HER."

BUT I ALSO HAD A SON,

AND I DIDN'T HAVE
ANYBODY LOOKING FOR HIM BUT ME.

Narrator:
IT TAKES THREE AND A HALF YEARS,

BUT, FINALLY, IN 2004,
A FAMILY FRIEND HELPS CHERYL

GET HER SUSPICIONS
BEFORE AN INVESTIGATOR

AT THE FLORIDA
DEPARTMENT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT.

AN INVESTIGATION
IS FINALLY LAUNCHED

INTO THE DISAPPEARANCE
OF MIKE WILLIAMS.

SEVERAL DIFFERENT
LAW-ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES

LOOK INTO THE CASE,
AND IN THE END, THEY ALL AGREE.

DeVaney:
IS IT MORE THAN LIKELY

MIKE DID NOT DISAPPEAR
AT THE LAKE,

THAT SOMETHING HAPPENED TO MIKE

MAYBE BEFORE
HE WENT TO THE LAKE?

Narrator: THE INVESTIGATORS
FACE OVERWHELMING CHALLENGES.

AT NO TIME IN THE 56-DAY SEARCH
FOR MIKE WILLIAMS

WAS HIS
DISAPPEARANCE INVESTIGATED

AS A POSSIBLE CRIME.

DeVaney:
NOTHING WAS HANDLED IN THE WAY

THAT INVESTIGATORS
NORMALLY WOULD HANDLE,

LET'S SAY, A CRIME SCENE.

Narrator:
HIS HOME WAS NEVER SEARCHED.

NEITHER
WERE HIS BOAT AND TRAILER,

WHICH WERE DRIVEN OFF AND LEFT

AT BRIAN WINCHESTER'S
FATHER'S HOME FOR MONTHS.

THE SEARCHERS
TRAMPLED ALL OVER THE PLACES

WHERE HIS BOAT AND TRUCK
WERE FOUND,

OBLITERATING
ANY POSSIBLE EVIDENCE.

THE ITEMS TAKEN FROM THE LAKE
WERE NOT PRESERVED.

Portman:
THERE'S THIS LAXNESS ABOUT IT,

WHICH I THINK IS BORN OF NOT
REALLY A CONSPIRACY IN ANY WAY,

OF JUST PEOPLE
MAKING ASSUMPTIONS

THAT WHAT THEY HAD
WAS A BOATING ACCIDENT,

NEVER EVEN IMAGINING
FOR A SECOND

THAT THEY COULD HAVE
AN ACTUAL CRIME,

THAT THERE COULD BE
FOUL PLAY INVOLVED.

AND I THINK FROM THE OUTSET,

THAT HAS HINDERED
THIS INVESTIGATION,

BECAUSE WITHOUT SOME SORT OF
PHYSICAL EVIDENCE,

ABSENT MIKE'S BODY,
ABSENT ANY TRACE OF HIM,

IT IS INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT
TO CRACK THIS CASE.

Narrator: COMING UP, A REPORTER
SHINES NEW LIGHT ON THE CASE.

Portman: ALMOST EVERY PERSON
THAT I TALKED TO

SAID THEY THOUGHT IT WAS STRANGE
FROM THE VERY BEGINNING

AND LISTED REASONS WHY.

Narrator: GET MORE "DISAPPEARED"
ONLINE AT...

Narrator: AFTER AN
OFFICIAL INVESTIGATION BEGINS

INTO MIKE WILLIAMS'
DISAPPEARANCE,

AUTHORITIES ARE SOON CONVINCED

THAT IT IS A SUSPICIOUS
MISSING-PERSONS CASE.

LAKE SEMINOLE
IS IN JACKSON COUNTY, FLORIDA,

AND DERRICK WESTER,

AN INVESTIGATOR WITH THE JACKSON
COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT,

IS PULLED INTO THE CASE IN 2004.

IF YOU WERE EVER
AN INVESTIGATOR,

THEN YOU KNOW
WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT.

OR IF YOU'VE EVER,
LIKE, INVESTIGATED A MYSTERY,

YOU PICK UP THIS CASE
AND YOU READ IT,

AFTER THE SECOND PAGE,
YOU'RE HOOKED.

YOU KNOW, YOU'RE LIKE,

"OH, I CAN SOLVE THIS.
I CAN SOLVE THIS."

Narrator: WESTER
LEFT LAW ENFORCEMENT IN 2010,

BUT HE WORKED ON
THE MIKE WILLIAMS CASE

LONGER THAN
ANY OTHER INVESTIGATOR,

AND HE STILL FEELS
A RESPONSIBILITY

TO MIKE'S MOTHER, CHERYL.

YOU FEEL THAT -- THAT HURT
AND THAT LOSS THAT SHE'S GOT.

I THINK THAT MS. WILLIAMS
DESERVES TO KNOW.

I TOLD HER
I'D DO WHATEVER I COULD.

Narrator: HE SHARES
AN OPINION ABOUT THE CASE

WITH OTHER LAW ENFORCEMENT.

I THINK THAT HE WAS
THE VICTIM OF FOUL PLAY.

Narrator:
WESTER BELIEVES

THE TIMING
OF THE DISCOVERY OF THE WADERS

AND OTHER EVIDENCE
IN LAKE SEMINOLE

SO CLOSE TO THE HEARING
TO DETERMINE MIKE DEAD

IS SUSPICIOUSLY CONVENIENT.

Wester: IT WAS EITHER A GODSENT
OR MAN-SENT WOULD BE MY BEST...

EITHER SOMEBODY PUT IT THERE
OR GOD PUT IT THERE,

BECAUSE IT HADN'T BEEN THERE
FOR THE LAST SIX MONTHS.

Narrator: WHEN HE BEGINS
HIS INVESTIGATION IN 2004,

WESTER LEARNS THE
FLORIDA DIVISION OF INSURANCE

HAD CONDUCTED
A QUIET INVESTIGATION OF ITS OWN

BACK IN 2001.

THE AGENCY
THOUGHT IT WAS CURIOUS

THAT MIKE'S WIDOW, DENISE,

HAD FILED A CLAIM ON ONE OF
HIS LIFE-INSURANCE POLICIES

JUST 20 DAYS
AFTER HE WENT MISSING,

WHILE THE SEARCH FOR HIM
WAS STILL GOING ON.

MIKE HAD THREE
VERY LARGE INSURANCE POLICIES,

AND BEFORE THE ACTUAL SEARCH
WAS ENDED IN FEBRUARY OF 2001,

HIS SPOUSE, DENISE,

WENT AHEAD AND STARTED
TO EXPLORE THE POSSIBILITIES

OF OBTAINING
SOME INSURANCE MONIES.

AT SOME POINT,

THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF
INSURANCE ACTUALLY GOT INVOLVED

AND STARTED TO CHECK ON

THE TIMING
OF THE INSURANCE POLICIES.

Narrator:
MIKE'S BOSS, CLAY KETCHAM,

KNEW ABOUT
ONE OF THE INSURANCE POLICIES

BECAUSE MIKE HAD ASKED
HIS ADVICE ABOUT BUYING IT

JUST SIX MONTHS
BEFORE HE DISAPPEARED.

Ketcham: SHOULD HE GET A MILLION
DOLLARS WORTH OF COVERAGE

OR SHOULD HE GET
A LESSER AMOUNT?

AND I SAID, "WELL, GET
ALL THE LIFE INSURANCE YOU CAN."

Narrator:
CLAY ALSO KNEW

THAT MIKE HAD BEEN HAVING
SOME TROUBLE IN HIS MARRIAGE.

PROBABLY 30 DAYS
PRIOR TO HIS DISAPPEARANCE,

HE SHARED WITH ME SOME ISSUES
THAT HE WAS HAVING AT HOME.

YOU KNOW, FOR MIKE,
HE WAS VERY VOCAL ABOUT IT,

IN TERMS OF HE WASN'T HAPPY
WITH THE WAY THINGS WERE.

Narrator: BUT CLAY DIDN'T TELL
THE FIRST INSURANCE INVESTIGATOR

WHO QUESTIONED HIM
ABOUT THE MARITAL PROBLEMS,

FEELING IT WOULD VIOLATE
HIS FRIEND'S CONFIDENCE,

THOUGH HE HAD REASON TO WONDER

WHY DENISE
WAS SO IN NEED OF MONEY,

SINCE HE WAS STILL PAYING HER
MIKE'S RESIDUAL INCOME.

Ketcham: DENISE CONTINUED
TO RECEIVE CHECKS,

AND SO I FELT LIKE
THERE WAS ENOUGH,

YOU KNOW, CASH FLOW THERE
TO CER--

AND I CERTAINLY
DISCLOSED TO DENISE

HOW MUCH MONEY
WOULD BE COMING IN,

AND IT WAS PROBABLY A YEAR,
YEAR AND A HALF

AFTER MIKE'S DISAPPEARANCE

BEFORE
THE CHECKS FINALLY STOPPED.

SO, THERE DIDN'T SEEM TO BE
A DESPERATE NEED FOR THE MONEY.

Narrator: IN 2004,
THERE IS A NEW DEVELOPMENT.

DENISE IS NOW OPENLY DATING
MIKE'S BEST FRIEND,

BRIAN WINCHESTER,

WHO HAS GOTTEN DIVORCED
FROM HIS WIFE.

IT WAS PROBABLY JUST A FEW YEARS
AFTER MIKE DISAPPEARED

THAT DENISE CAME OUT AND TOLD US
THAT SHE AND BRIAN WERE DATING.

Narrator:
THAT SAME YEAR,

THE FDLE LAUNCHES
A CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION

TOGETHER WITH DERRICK WESTER

FROM THE JACKSON COUNTY
SHERIFF'S OFFICE.

Wester: YOU HAVE TO HAVE
MOTIVE FOR A CRIME,

AND THERE'S ONLY TWO PEOPLE

THAT BENEFITED
FROM MIKE WILLIAMS' DEATH,

AND THAT WAS A PRETTY
SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF MONEY.

SO, TO ME, THERE'S ALWAYS BEEN
TWO PERSONS OF INTEREST.

Narrator: DURING THE COURSE
OF THE INVESTIGATION,

WESTER INTERVIEWS
BRIAN WINCHESTER.

AND WE GOT A CALL
SHORTLY THEREAFTER

THAT HE HAD RETAINED AN ATTORNEY

AND HE DIDN'T WANT
TO SPEAK WITH US ANYMORE.

AND THEN THE SAME ATTORNEY
ALSO ADVISED US THAT THE WIDOW,

MS. WILLIAMS,
DIDN'T WANT TO BE A PART OF --

THEY WANTED TO PUT IT
BEHIND THEM.

Narrator: SHORTLY AFTERWARD,
IN 2005, BRIAN AND DENISE MARRY.

THEY CONTINUE TO LIVE IN
THE HOME MIKE HAD BOUGHT

IN AN UPSCALE SUBURB
OF TALLAHASSEE.

MEANWHILE, CHERYL CONTINUES
TO DO EVERYTHING SHE CAN

TO CALL ATTENTION TO HER SON'S
SUSPICIOUS DISAPPEARANCE.

JENNIFER PORTMAN,

A SENIOR REPORTER
FOR THE "TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT,"

NEVER EVEN HEARS ABOUT THE
MIKE WILLIAMS CASE UNTIL 2006,

WHEN SHE SEES AN AD IN HER PAPER
PLACED BY CHERYL.

IT IMMEDIATELY
CATCHES HER ATTENTION.

Portman: THAT SAYS,
"HAVE YOU SEEN MY SON?"

AND IT WAS A LARGE AD.

LIKE, "THIS IS INTERESTING."

I PROCEED TO READ.

IT SAYS,
"MY NAME IS CHERYL ANN WILLIAMS.

"MY SON HAS BEEN MISSING
SINCE DECEMBER 16, 2000.

"THEY SAID FIRST
HE WAS EATEN BY ALLIGATORS.

NOW THEY THINK
HE WAS THE VICTIM OF FOUL PLAY."

I MEAN, IT WAS THIS
VERY COMPELLING, LONG THING.

AND I'M LIKE, "ALLIGATORS?
MISSING GUY? INVESTIGATION?"

THE SECOND I SAW THAT, I'M LIKE,

"THIS IS A STORY
THAT WE NEED TO FOLLOW UP ON."

IT WAS A COMPELLING MYSTERY.

Narrator: SHE POKES HER NOSE
INTO THE CASE,

DIGGING UP COURT RECORDS,

TALKING TO ALMOST EVERYONE
WHO WAS EVER INVOLVED

IN INVESTIGATING
HIS DISAPPEARANCE.

THOUGH THERE WAS NEVER MUCH
MEDIA COVERAGE OF THE CASE,

SHE LEARNS THAT,
TO MANY IN TALLAHASSEE,

THE SMALL CITY
AND GOSSIPY STATE CAPITAL,

THE CASE
IS SOMETHING OF A LEGEND.

ALMOST EVERY PERSON
THAT I TALKED TO SIX YEARS LATER

SAID THEY THOUGHT IT WAS STRANGE
FROM THE VERY BEGINNING

AND LISTED REASONS WHY.

Narrator:
HER ARTICLES BRING IN NEW LEADS,

AND IT IS CLEAR FROM HER
INTERVIEWS WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT

THAT THE FOCUS ON WHAT HAPPENED
TO MIKE HAS SHIFTED.

BY 2006, INVESTIGATORS
DOUBT MIKE WAS EVER AT THE LAKE

THAT DECEMBER DAY
SIX YEARS BEFORE.

THEY THINK
THE ENTIRE SCENE APPEARS SET UP

TO DECEIVE LAW ENFORCEMENT
AND MEMBERS OF HIS FAMILY

ABOUT WHAT REALLY
HAPPENED TO HIM.

Nick:
THEY'RE CONVINCED NOW

THAT HE NEVER MADE IT TO THE
LAKE AND THAT HE WAS MURDERED,

MOST POSSIBLY
JUST IN HIS OWN HOUSE,

AND THEN
THE EVENTS WERE ALL STAGED

TO MAKE IT LOOK LIKE
A HUNTING ACCIDENT.

THAT'S LEADING LAW-ENFORCEMENT
OPINIONS.

DeVaney:
AND THE MYSTERY IS,

IF MIKE NEVER LEFT HIS HOUSE
TO GO HUNTING,

HOW DO THOSE ITEMS
GET OUT THERE?

Wester:
TAKE TWO PEOPLE.

ONE DRIVES THAT TRUCK.
ONE DRIVES ANOTHER TRUCK.

HE PULLS UP, UNHOOKS,
PUSHES IT OUT.

IT WOULDN'T BE HARD AT ALL
TO STAGE THIS.

THERE ARE PEOPLE
WHO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO MIKE,

OR AT LEAST KNOW A LOT MORE

ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED THAT NIGHT
OR THAT MORNING,

THAT HAVE NEVER COME FORWARD.

Narrator: COMING UP,

COULD NEW REVELATIONS
LEAD TO MIKE WILLIAMS' KILLERS?

Wester: THEY HAVE NEW EVIDENCE
THAT THEY'RE GOING OVER,

AND I HOPE THAT IT'S SOMETHING
THAT THEY CAN USE

TO CHARGE AND CONVICT SOMEBODY.

Narrator: IN EARLY 2008,
THERE IS A NEW TWIST

IN THE MIKE WILLIAMS
DISAPPEARANCE CASE.

AUTHORITIES HAVE ALREADY LEARNED

THAT THE MILLION-DOLLAR
LIFE-INSURANCE POLICY

MIKE BOUGHT SIX MONTHS
BEFORE HE DISAPPEARED

WAS SOLD TO HIM
BY BRIAN WINCHESTER,

NOW THE HUSBAND OF
DENISE WILLIAMS, MIKE'S WIDOW.

NOW THE FLORIDA STATE
DIVISION OF INSURANCE FRAUD

ANNOUNCES IT WILL
TAKE A FRESH LOOK AT THE CASE.

IT'S HARD TO OVERLOOK THAT HIS
WIDOW DID MARRY THE BEST FRIEND,

WHO WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN
TWO OF THOSE INSURANCE POLICIES.

WE DON'T OVERLOOK THAT.

Narrator: WHILE DENISE
HAD DISCLOSED THOSE POLICIES

IN HER PETITION
TO HAVE MIKE DECLARED DEAD,

SHE HADN'T MENTIONED ANOTHER.

WE KNOW THAT THERE WAS AT LEAST
ONE MORE INSURANCE POLICY --

A PRETTY SUBSTANTIAL
AMOUNT OF MONEY, TOO --

THAT SHE FAILED TO DISCLOSE,

AND WE ALSO HAD THE PROOF

THAT SHE KNEW
THAT THAT POLICY EXISTED.

BETWEEN THE DISAPPEARANCE
OF MIKE AND THE PETITION,

SHE WROTE A CHECK OUT

TO THE INSURANCE AGENCY
FOR THE PREMIUM.

Narrator: WESTER THOUGHT
THE INSURANCE INVESTIGATORS

HAD A PRETTY GOOD CASE,

BUT THEN LATE IN 2008, THE
FRAUD INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED,

CITING
A LACK OF SUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

THAT INSURANCE FRAUD
HAD OCCURRED.

Wester: I THOUGHT WE WAS GONNA
BE ABLE TO MAKE AN ARREST,

BUT FOR SOME REASON,
NOBODY EVER GOT ARRESTED.

I DON'T KNOW WHY THE WARRANT
WAS NEVER APPLIED FOR OR ISSUED.

Narrator:
OVER THE YEARS, DERRICK WESTER

HAS WORKED WITH AN EVER-CHANGING
CAST OF INVESTIGATORS

ON THE MIKE WILLIAMS CASE
FROM A NUMBER OF AGENCIES.

SO MANY, HE FINDS IT PUZZLING.

Wester: IT'S ODD.

FDLE REASSIGNED THE CASE TO,
I DON'T KNOW --

FOUR OR FIVE DIFFERENT AGENTS
THAT I KNOW OF.

AND THEN
THEY GET PULLED OFF THE CASE,

AND SOMEBODY ELSE
GETS REASSIGNED.

Narrator: MIKE DeVANEY
IS THE LATEST FDLE OFFICER

TO TACKLE THE WILLIAMS CASE.

HE SAYS THE AGENCY
HAS NEVER DROPPED THE BALL

ON THE INVESTIGATION.

THERE HAS NOT BEEN
A YEAR SINCE 2000

WHERE THERE HASN'T BEEN

SOMETHING INVESTIGATIVELY
GOING ON WITH THIS CASE.

WE HAVE A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT
OF INFORMATION,

AND WE ARE RE-EXAMINING.

I REALLY THINK THAT FDLE
IS ON THE RIGHT TRACK NOW.

THEY'VE GOT NEW ANGLES,

AND I HONESTLY BELIEVE

THAT THEY'RE REALLY
WORKING ON IT NOW.

Narrator: DERRICK WESTER

STOPPED ACTIVELY
WORKING ON THE CASE IN 2008,

BUT HE SAYS HE KEEPS
AN EYE AND EAR ON IT EVEN NOW.

Wester:
THEY HAVE SOME NEW INFORMATION.

THEY HAVE NEW EVIDENCE
THAT THEY'RE GOING OVER,

AND I HOPE THAT
IT'S SOMETHING THAT THEY CAN USE

TO CHARGE AND CONVICT SOMEBODY.

Narrator: THE FDLE SAYS
THEY HAVE PERSONS OF INTEREST

BUT WON'T OFFICIALLY
IDENTIFY THEM.

NEITHER DENISE
NOR BRIAN WINCHESTER

HAS BEEN NAMED AS A SUSPECT
OR CHARGED WITH ANY CRIME.

NEVERTHELESS,
SOME PEOPLE ARE CURIOUS

ABOUT MIKE'S WIDOW
AND FORMER BEST FRIEND.

Ketcham: I DON'T KNOW
IF THEY DID IT OR NOT,

AND I JUST DON'T HAVE ANY REASON
TO SUSPECT THAT THEY DID.

I JUST HAVE
THIS INCOMPLETE LOOP IN MY LIFE,

WHERE -- AND ALL OF US DO
THAT LOVE MIKE --

THAT WE DON'T KNOW
WHAT HAPPENED.

Portman: IT SEEMS THAT

IF ANYONE SHOULD BE QUESTIONING
WHAT HAPPENED TO MIKE,

YOU THINK IT WOULD BE HIS WIFE
AND HIS BEST FRIEND.

I MEAN,
THE FACTS ARE THERE FOR THEM

AS THEY ARE FOR EVERYONE ELSE,

AND THEY WON'T REALLY COMMENT
ON THIS.

Narrator: IN AN E-MAIL,

BRIAN WINCHESTER
DECLINED OUR INTERVIEW REQUEST

TO HIM AND HIS WIFE, DENISE.

IN SPITE OF EVERYTHING,

CHERYL WILLIAMS STILL HOLDS OUT
HOPE HER SON IS ALIVE.

Cheryl:
I'VE ALWAYS HAD TWO CHOICES --

MIKE'S DEAD OR HE'S ALIVE.

UNTIL THEY CAN BRING ME HIS BODY
OR PROOF OF HIS BODY,

I DON'T HAVE TO BELIEVE
THAT HE'S DEAD.

I CAN STILL HOLD OUT THAT HOPE
THAT HE'S ALIVE.

SHE KNOWS SHE IS THE ONLY ONE,
BUT THAT IS HER DUTY AS A MOM.

UNTIL SHE KNOWS FOR SURE,
SHE IS NOT GONNA LET HIM GO.

AND I KNOW THAT AS EVERY DAY
PASSES AND EVERY YEAR PASSES,

IT BECOMES --
IT IS A CRUSHING BURDEN.

Narrator: AND, OF COURSE, THERE
IS ANOTHER POSSIBLE EXPLANATION

FOR MIKE'S DISAPPEARANCE.

HE MAY HAVE ARRANGED IT HIMSELF.

Ketcham: THE PRESSURE OF WORK,
THE WORKAHOLIC NATURE IN HIM,

GOT THE BEST OF HIM
AND HE JUST SAID,

"I CAN'T STAND THE PRESSURE
ANYMORE."

Wester: SOME PEOPLE SAY THAT
HE'S JUST DOWN IN COSTA RICA

OR MEXICO OR SOMEWHERE,
SITTING ON A BEACH,

DRINKING DRINKS
WITH FUNNY LITTLE UMBRELLAS.

Narrator: BUT THOSE WHO KNOW
HIM BEST DISCOUNT THAT THEORY.

Nick: MY BROTHER
WAS NOT THE KIND OF MAN

WHO WOULD JUST WALKED UP,
YOU KNOW, PICKED UP AND LEFT.

Ketcham:
ANSLEE WAS HIS PRIDE AND JOY.

THAT FATHER
DEEPLY LOVED THAT CHILD.

I CAN'T IMAGINE HIM IN A MILLION
YEARS LEAVING THAT CHILD.

DeVaney:
THERE WERE INVESTIGATIVE STEPS

TO TRY TO DETERMINE,
DID MIKE DO THIS?

AND THOSE CAME UP NEGATIVE.

THERE'S NO EVIDENCE THAT MIKE
HAD A DIFFERENT IDENTITY

OR IS LIVING IN RIO.

Ketcham: AND SO THAT ONLY
LEAVES ONE OTHER POSSIBILITY,

AND THAT'S
THAT SOMEBODY HURT HIM

AND HAVE DONE SOMETHING
WITH HIM.

Narrator: CHERYL WILLIAMS CAN'T
REST UNTIL SHE GETS AN ANSWER,

ONE WAY OR THE OTHER.

I CAN'T EVEN BEGIN TO TELL YOU
HOW HORRIBLE IT IS.

IT'S IN MY HEAD ALL THE TIME.

MY YOUNGEST CHILD IS NOT HERE,

AND I DON'T KNOW HOW HE DIED,
IF HE'S DEAD.

I DON'T KNOW WHERE HE IS,
IF HE'S ALIVE.

ALL I'VE HAD
IS PEOPLE LIE TO ME, TELL ME,

"YOU'RE CRAZY, MS. WILLIAMS.
HE GOT EATEN BY ALLIGATORS.

LEAVE HIM
IN THE BOTTOM OF THE LAKE."

Narrator: AS CHERYL WILLIAMS
CARES FOR CHILDREN

AT HER HOME DAYCARE BUSINESS,

SHE REMEMBERS
THE CHILD SHE HAS LOST

AND THAT CHILD'S CHILD.

SHE HASN'T SEEN
HER GRANDDAUGHTER, ANSLEE,

SINCE OCTOBER OF 2004,

BUT SHE HOPES ONE DAY
TO RECONNECT WITH MIKE'S CHILD.

EACH YEAR ON ANSLEE'S BIRTHDAY,

SHE PUTS AN AD IN THE PAPER
TO TELL HER SHE STILL LOVES HER.

IF I HAD NOT DONE WHAT I DID
FOR ALL THESE YEARS,

NOT ONE OTHER PERSON
IN THIS WORLD

WOULD HAVE QUESTIONED
HIS DISAPPEARANCE.

80 PEOPLE HAVE DROWNED
IN LAKE SEMINOLE.

MIKE'S IS THE ONLY BODY
THAT NEVER CAME UP.

Narrator:
INTREPID AS EVER,

CHERYL STILL PICKETS
IN TALLAHASSEE FROM TIME TO TIME

WITH A HOMEMADE SIGN TO REMIND
PEOPLE MIKE IS STILL MISSING.

SHE AND NICK PUT UP POSTERS,

BUT THEY'RE OFTEN
QUICKLY TORN DOWN.

STILL, MANY PEOPLE HOLD OUT HOPE
FOR ANSWERS

FOR CHERYL AND THE COMMUNITY.

I THINK EVERYONE WANTS
TO GET CHERYL THAT CLOSURE,

EVEN IF IT IS THAT SHE FINALLY
HAS TO FACE THE FACT

THAT MIKE IS DEAD.

AT LEAST THAT IS CLOSURE.

IT IS THIS OPEN-ENDEDNESS
THAT IS JUST...TORMENT.

Ketcham: IT'S A HAUNTING
EXPERIENCE FOR MY WIFE AND I,

AND WE JUST DON'T KNOW.

I JUST KNOW HE'S MISSING.

Portman:
ALL THE FACTS IN THIS CASE

THAT I'VE BEEN ABLE TO LEARN

IS THERE ARE PEOPLE
WHO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO MIKE.

IF THOSE PEOPLE
WOULD COME FORWARD

AND GIVE SOME SORT OF PLAUSIBLE
EXPLANATION FOR WHAT HAPPENED,

THAT COULD
SET THIS INVESTIGATION

ON A WHOLE DIFFERENT TRACK.

ABSENT THAT,
YOU'RE JUST LEFT TO WONDER

WHAT DID HAPPEN.