Hiram “Ross” Grayam never returned from his Florida milk run in 1966 and was found dead the next day.
The investigation took 56 years – but the police have now solved the case, after the killer himself came forward.
– He wasn’t on anyone’s radar but put himself in and became a suspect, says Hiram’s son Larry Grayam.
The death of Hiram “Ross” Grayam became an unsolved mystery for police in Indian River County for over half a decade.
Grayam was a former war veteran who participated in World War II. When he returned home to Florida after the war, he began working as a milk delivery boy, the local police write A statement.
One evening in 1968, he did not come home from work and a large search effort was launched. The last clue to him was a witness who said two men had gotten into Grayam’s truck with him.
The next day, the truck and his body were found deep in the forest. Grayam had been shot to death multiple times.
The killer contacted the media
Until 1974, 16 different investigations were carried out to find the person responsible or persons responsible for the murder. But it would take until 2006 before a clue was found that could lead the police to the culprit.
Then Hiram “Ross” Grayam’s family appeared in the media and the killer then chose to contact the local newspaper. Thomas J. Williams then wrote to the editor of the newspaper that he had been accused of the murder, but that he denied any involvement, reports CNN.
– At that time he was not on anyone’s radar, but put himself in and became a suspect, says Hiram’s son Larry Grayam at a press conference.-
Thomas J. Williams, who died in 2016, is now identified by the police as the killer.
“He had confessed to the murder of Grayam and his guilt echoes from the grave,” writes the local police.
Got a tip from the prison
The police had been contacted in 2022 by an inmate at a prison. The inmate was related to Williams and told him he had confessed the murder to him.
The police then chose to seek out more relatives of Williams. In conversation with his ex-wife, she said that Williams also confessed to the murder to her. According to the police, the two witnesses had no relationship and were completely independent of each other.
Although both the police and the family are now convinced that Williams was the one who murdered Grayam, his family is still appealing to the public for help.
– We know that there is another person out there who knows what happened that day. We know who he is and we want people from the public to come forward and give us more information about it all, says Hiram’s son Larry Grayam.