Mike Williams was the kind of man who brought laughter to everyone around him, but when it came to his family, he was nothing but serious. He and his wife, Denise, were high school sweethearts, raising their 18-month-old daughter in Tallahassee, Florida. Mike, an estate agent who loved hunting and fishing, had taken out $1.75 million in life insurance policies, arranged by his best friend, Brian Winchester, just in case his risky hobbies ever led to tragedy, reported by The Mirror US.
On December 16, 2000, Mike went duck hunting at Lake Seminole to celebrate his sixth wedding anniversary. He planned to return by noon to celebrate with Denise. But Mike never came back. When Denise reported him missing, a large search began. Mike’s truck was found, and later, Brian discovered Mike’s boat—with his shotgun still inside—but no sign of Mike.
Search teams scoured the alligator-infested waters for weeks, but after 44 days, the search was called off. Mike was listed as missing, and authorities concluded he had likely fallen into the lake and been eaten by alligators.
Denise, now raising their daughter alone, insisted that money was tight. Even before the search was called off, she applied for Mike’s $1.75 million insurance payout, but the companies wouldn’t pay out without a death certificate. Six months later, a local fisherman found Mike’s waders, jacket, and flashlight, none showing signs of alligator damage. Curiously, the flashlight still worked, and the items didn’t appear to have been submerged for months. Still, a judge declared Mike dead from a hunting accident, and Denise collected the money.
However, Mike’s mother, Cheryl, didn’t believe her son had died in an accident. Wildlife experts informed her that alligators don’t feed in winter, and Mike, an experienced hunter, was unlikely to have fallen in. She kept Mike’s case alive, writing to the governor and putting up missing posters for nearly a decade.
Meanwhile, tongues wagged as Brian divorced his wife, Kathy, and married Denise in 2005, raising suspicions. Investigators always doubted Denise and Brian, especially after Denise’s quick claim on the insurance money. Kathy later revealed that Brian and Denise had been having an affair before Mike disappeared, but there was no solid evidence to move forward—until 2016.
That year, Brian hid in Denise’s car with a gun, threatening to kill them both. Denise talked him down and went to the police. Brian was arrested, and investigators saw an opportunity. In 2017, Brian pleaded guilty to kidnapping Denise, and during sentencing, Denise made a chilling plea: “He will finish what he’s started… I am asking you to sentence him to life.”
Brian received 20 years in prison, but Denise had no idea a major break in Mike’s case was just around the corner.