On March 9, 1977, 21-year-old Opal Williams was found in a wooded area approximately 3/10 of a mile west of US Highway 27, south of K.O.A. Campground near Lake Wales. She was found laying face down and in a state of decomposition. Her cause of death was head trauma. Williams frequently left her home in Davenport and hitch-hiked to Avon Park Correctional Institution to visit her husband, who was an inmate there. She was also known to frequent truck stops on US Highway 27 to bum rides. At the time of her death, Williams had a small child that she left at her parent’s house.

Anyone with information about this case is encouraged to contact the Polk County Sheriff’s Office Homicide Unit at (863) 298-6379, or send an email to coldcase@polksheriff.org.