In December 2000, Mike Williams, then 31 years old, went on a duck hunting trip to Lake Seminole, a large reservoir on the Georgia-Florida state line, and was never seen alive again.
William’s boat was found abandoned on the lake, and the initial thought was that William had fallen out of it after a collision. However, after an extensive search of the area yielded no body or remains, it was suspected that the man had been eaten by alligators.
Six months later, after waders and a jacket containing William’s hunting license were found in the lake, he was declared legally dead, following a court petition by William’s widow, Denise, who would go on to marry Brian Winchester.
The couple had secured a large life insurance policy on Williams shortly before his disappearance. Some investigators felt aspects of the case were not consistent with the “alligator theory.” In 2004, the case was reopened after pressure from William’s mother, Cheryl.
Why didn’t the “alligator theory” make sense? Alligators do not feed during the winter. Foul play was soon suspected in the case, but no new leads or evidence came forward during that time.
In 2016, Brian Winchester was arrested on charges where he reportedly kidnapped Denise, who was now divorcing him, and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. However, new details of the case would soon come to light.
In October 2017, Mike Williams’ body was found near Tallahassee, and his death was officially ruled a homicide. In May 2018, Denise Williams was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and accessory. Denise was found guilty in December 2020 of the charges after Winchester testified that he had shot Michael Williams to stage a boating accident.
In 2020, a Florida appellate court overturned her murder conviction but upheld her murder conspiracy conviction. She is now serving a 30-year prison sentence.
Written By: John G. Clark Jr.