TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - The remains of a Tallahassee man who went missing 17 years ago have been found.
According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the remains of Mike Williams have been found. FDLE provided an update on the disappearance of Mike Williams at noon on Wednesday.
“Today, we announce that the body of Mike Williams has been recovered and we know without a doubt that Mike Williams was murdered,” said Special Agent in Charge Mark Perez.
Authorities have opened up a homicide investigation and are interviewing potential leads. So far, no one has been charged in Williams' murder.
In a case originally classified as a drowning 17 years ago, Williams went missing on December 16, 2000 after leaving home that morning to go duck hunting on Lake Seminole in Jackson County.
He and his wife, Denise, had plans to celebrate their six year wedding anniversary that evening. When he didn't come home, his wife and best friend went looking for him.
"A team of law enforcement professionals from the Jackson County Sheriff's Office, Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission, along with family and friends, conducted an exhaustive search of the lake, but the body was never found," said Perez.
Williams' truck and trailer were immediately located after his disappearance and his boat was located the following day. A 14 day search was conducted, but there was no sign of Williams.
Authorities classified the incident as a drowning, but always believed there was foul play involved.
Seventeen years later, FDLE received a tip about new information in the case. The crime scene unit spent days conducting a search at an undisclosed location that led to the discovery of human remains confirmed to be Michael Williams.
“Seventeen years did not hide how Mike Williams died and our focus has shifted from a missing person case to a homicide investigation. We will continue to work this case until those responsible for his death are brought to justice,” said Perez.
Now that they have leads, law enforcement officials are very protective with the information concerning the case.
"We don't want to disclose information that could harm the case," said Gretl Plessinger, who also works with FDLE. "There's certain information that we know, that the perpetrators of the crime know, and if we release that publicly then we do lose our edge."
Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact FDLE Tallahassee at (800) 342-0820.
The update comes after his friend, Brian Winchester, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for kidnapping his estranged wife, Denise Winchester, at gunpoint in 2016. Winchester is Mike Williams' widow.
