{"id":2733,"date":"2022-04-02T10:56:40","date_gmt":"2022-04-02T10:56:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wickedness.net\/?post_type=murders&p=2733"},"modified":"2022-06-26T09:13:35","modified_gmt":"2022-06-26T09:13:35","slug":"jerry-michael-williams","status":"publish","type":"murders","link":"https:\/\/wickedness.net\/murders\/jerry-michael-williams\/","title":{"rendered":"Jerry Michael Williams"},"content":{"rendered":"

Betrayal hurts the most when the person closest to you stabs you in the back. The same was the case with Jerry Michael Williams whose body remained undiscovered for over 17 years! Catch a glimpse of this eerie murder mystery below!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jerry Michael Williams: An Ideal Provider<\/b><\/h2>\n

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Jerry Michael Williams preferred to go by the moniker \u2018Mike\u2019 and grew up in Bradfordville on a double-wide trailer. Coming from a modest background, Jerry knew the value of money and was son to a Greyhound bus driver. His parents worked hard to send him to North Florida Christian High School where he excelled in his studies.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jerry was the student council president and even a member of the football team. He took up duck hunting as a hobby when he was 15 years old. In 1994, he married his high-school sweetheart Denise Merrell. Post his schooling, he attended Florida State University where he got a degree in Urban Planning and Political Science which got him a job as a property appraiser.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He was making good money and had a decent life. The couple was also blessed with a daughter in 1999. Everyone was sure that Jerry Michael Williams will be a great father, but life had other plans for him down the road.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hunting Day\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

Michael was used to going duck hunting in the morning every now and then. On the chilly morning of December 16, 2000, Jerry Michael Williams got up and went duck hunting. He went about 80 kilometers northwest of Tallahassee to Lake Seminole. He was particularly happy that day because the couple had planned to celebrate their 6th wedding anniversary later that day.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When he did not return till evening, his wife Denise reached out to her father. His 1994 Ford Bronco was found near a boat launch in Jackson County. The family made a missing hunter\u2019s report so the case was initially handled by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FFWCC).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The search later came to a brief halt due to storms in that area. The officials said: \u2018There was nothing there that we got from the scene that hinted towards foul play at all\u2019. As the search expanded, his boat was found in which investigators found Mike\u2019s shotgun, completely intact, suggesting that there is no sign of violence whatsoever.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Many locals believed that Mike simply ran away due to work pressure, but his acquaintances denied this fact given his hard working nature. Then everyone assumed that his boat must have hit a stump causing William to fall off and drown. Since the weather was cold and foggy, he must have been able to extricate himself.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The authorities assured his mother that his body will eventually resurface much like other drowning victims. They asked the family to wait for 3-7 days. However, neither the body, nor any remains were found. To this, people thought that his remains must have fallen prey to the alligators nearby.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Investigation Begins\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

The initial search resulted in the following conclusion: His body must have been caught up in the dense hydrilla under the water and eventually eaten up by catfish and alligators. Even his wife accepted his demise and hosted a memorial ceremony one day after the search was over.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jerry\u2019s mother Cheryl did not believe her son drowned. She had seen him from his teen years and knew how good he was at duck hunting. She hired a private search team to look for her son. However, since no developments were made, her son was declared legally dead in 2008.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Cheryl ran advertisements and kept on lobbying courts requesting the re-opening of her son\u2019s case. Denise started to dislike her due to her constant attempts and disbelief in the evidence.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2004, the case was reopened again due to Cheryl\u2019s efforts. The following questions were what spoked the interest of the investigators:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n