Original subtitles

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.