Williams left her home at around 7:30 p.m. PDT. Greg returned home an hour later trailing his leash. The case attracted widespread, national media attention. Exactly seven months later, a body was found on the former Fort Ord Army Base about from the Williams' home on January 12, 1999. The remains were positively identified as those of Williams. The area where she was found had been searched previously, but nothing had been found. The person who found Williams' body was a botanist from University of California, Santa Cruz who was conducting a scientific survey. Sketches of people suspected of the abduction, a man in his late teens and one in his early twenties, were widely released in the media but they did not help identification of the suspects.
Aftermath
Several celebrities, including Clint Eastwood, Mariah Carey, and Reggie Jackson, made a public service announcement for Williams. Her case was also aired on America's Most Wanted. Williams was survived by her parents and two siblings. Many people, including Williams' former friends in Japan, were affected by her abduction. Her family later moved to Florida. Investigators focused their efforts on finding a 1980s Mercury Monarch or Ford Granada car. In 2006, the still-open case was featured on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360°. Up to US $100,000 has been offered for information leading to those responsible for her death. The City of Marina erected a memorial in Williams' honor located at 15520 Imjin Road, across from Preston Park. At University of California, Berkeley a scholarship in her name was established by a philanthropist.
Suspect and arrest
It was reported that Charles Holifield was a suspect in Williams' murder. He remains in prison for attempted kidnapping; he had raped teenage girls in the past. In 2011, an ex-girlfriend of Holifield recanted an alibi for Holifield she made in 1998, saying she had previously been threatened with harm if she withdrew it. In 2016, DNA found on Williams' clothing was found to match Holifield's DNA. On April 6, 2017 the District Attorney of Monterey County announced that Holifield would be arrested and charged with the murder. A death penalty trial for Holifield was originally set for October 2019 but was delayed. On December 2019, Holifield waved his right to a trial by jury, in order to remove the possibility of receiving the death penalty; in addition Holifield waved his rights to writs and appeals. On Monday, March 2, the non-jury trial began; on Monday, March 16, the defense team began their portion of the trial. On Friday March 20, Judge Pamela Butler found Holifield guilty of the murder of Williams, with two special circumstances; he was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
