Widow indicted, arrested in man’s 2000 disappearance

TALLAHASSEE — Florida authorities have arrested the widow of a man who was reported missing in 2000 and whose remains were found five months ago.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement arrested Denise Williams on Tuesday after a grand jury indicted her for first-degree murder in the death of Mike Williams.

State attorney Jack Campbell said Denise Williams also faces a count of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and a count of being an accessory after the fact. Williams was booked into Leon County jail and is being held without bail.

FDLE agent Mark Perez said in a statement that agents and analysts have logged over 3,000 hours on the case since taking it over in 2004.

Mike Williams disappeared in December 2000 after he had supposedly gone duck hunting alone on a lake near Tallahassee. The 31-year old’s body wasn’t found after an extensive search in and around Lake Seminole.

One theory at the time was that he drowned and was eaten by alligators, but that was later debunked.

The case has been considered suspicious for years and has been covered extensively by the Tallahassee Democrat. Williams’ best friend, Brian Winchester, helped him write a $1 million insurance policy six months before he disappeared. Five years later, Winchester married Williams’ widow, Denise.

Last year Winchester was charged with kidnapping Denise Williams at gunpoint. He pleaded no contest and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. FDLE announced it had discovered Mike Williams’ body the day after Winchester was sentenced.

Authorities said they were able to find Williams’ remains after receiving “new information.”