Denise Williams, 49, didn’t let even her husband get in the way of her finding true love…
Heading out to the stunning freshwater Lake Seminole in Jackson County, Florida, Mike Williams, 31, prepared for a day of hunting.
A keen fisherman and experienced hunter, Mike often wound down from his stressful days of work as an estate agent by hunting in the great outdoors.
But when he wasn’t out finding his next target, he was at home in Tallahassee with his wife Denise, then 26, and his 18-month-old daughter Anslee.
Denise and Mike were childhood sweethearts – they both had successful careers, with Denise working in a well-paying accountancy job and they had tied the knot in 1994 after graduation.
They lived a perfect and comfortable lifestyle, even when starting their own family.
So setting out for a solo duckhunting trip on 16 December 2000, the couples’ sixth wedding anniversary, Mike planned to get home for noon to celebrate with Denise.
Only, when a few hours ticked past midday and Mike still hadn’t returned, Denise grew worried.
Calling the police, Denise reported her husband missing.
And by the evening, a huge search party for Mike was underway, including one of his best friends since childhood, Brian Winchester.
Only, their search wasn’t looking fruitful...
Despite Brian finding an empty boat with Mike’s shotgun still in it, there was no sign of him.
And with the threat of deadly alligators lurking in the murky waters below, it was a risky mission – they couldn’t have yet another person go missing in such troubling waters…
And so, after 44 days, the search for Mike was called off – instead, he was listed as ‘missing’.
With his disappearance so random, there was only one possibility…
Could Mike have plummeted into the water and to an untimely death – killed and eaten by the vicious alligators below?
At least that’s what his distraught wife Denise assumed.
Left alone to parent their young daughter, Denise found herself financially struggling.
So, she applied for $1.75 million on Mike’s life insurance within weeks of his disappearance.
But six months later, hope for Mike’s reappearance re-ignited.
A local fisherman found Mike’s waders floating in Lake Seminole, while his fishing jacket, hunting license and torch were also found.
And strangely, Mike’s equipment was left in top condition – his waders showed no signs of damage from an alligator attack, nor of being submerged for months and his t
