Terry Lee Williams’ daughter wasn’t too worried when he didn’t answer his phone during the first week of June. That all changed when family members found his beloved pets left alone without food and water.
Williams, 70, disliked technology, preferred time alone at home with his dogs and was known to sometimes make himself hard to find. His dogs, however, were always a priority according to his daughter, Shannon Williams Kinder.
“We’re used to him disappearing,” Kinder said Tuesday, explaining family members went to her dad’s residence in the Iron Hill community at the end of the first week in June and found a note from a Kentucky State Police Trooper in response to a friend’s concerns. They also found a scene they could hardly comprehend.
“All four of the dogs were there … No food. No water. There was (urine and feces) everywhere,” she said, adding the dogs had apparently been drinking from an exterior rain collector.
The lawn appeared to have not been mowed for two to three weeks and there were no signs of any forced entry or other suspicious activity.
“There was nothing out of order. It was if he had made a short trip to town. It looked like he had just run down the road. He would not just leave those dogs to die,” she said.
A photo of Williams making a withdrawal from an ATM in Ohio provided another piece of information when family members noticed it showed at least one of his two small dogs, Amity, in the vehicle with him – indicating he had returned to Grayson at some point after June 19th, before leaving .
And, Williams had ordered a package on June 18, which arrived at his door on the 23rd even though he paid for two-day shipping.
“It was a heating pad. For his back, I guess,” Kinder said.
While she was not certain of the details of her father’s military service, Kinder said he relied upon VA benefits for his income.
“He was in Vietnam at like 16 or 17 years old. He was a ‘tunnel rat’ and also worked with explosives,” she said.
Kinder said she fears her dad is likely a crime victim.
“I have this sickening feeling. This just isn’t right. I have a hard time thinking it is not foul play,” she said.
“It looks like he left his house and was not going far … he left the dogs and his heater was on. It’s like he went down the road and something happened to him.
“My dad was a good man. A very giving man. A very private man,” Kinder noted, explaining he did have some minor conflicts with family and a neighbor (his big dogs, Diesel and Sid, sometimes got loose and ran free in the community), although nothing which would be considered threatening.
The request for KSP to check on Williams came from a friend in Ohio, she said, and also was not suspicious.
Police are searching for Williams and his vehicle, and Kinder asks anyone with information to contact the investigating officer. The Kentucky State Police statement regarding the case is included below.
Kentucky State Police Investigate Missing Person
GRAYSON, KY. (June 30, 2020) – The Kentucky State Police are asking the public for assistance in locating a missing person. On June 6, 2020 the Kentucky State Police took report that Terry Lee Williams, age 70, of Grayson, Kentucky had gone missing.
Through investigation, Troopers discovered Mr. Williams was last seen in Sciotoville, Ohio at PNC Bank making a withdrawal. He was wearing a tan booney hat, a gray long sleeve shirt and driving a white 2012 GMC Canyon when last seen.
This case remains under investigation by Trooper Ethan Hartsell.
If you have any information please contact Trooper Hartsell at 606-928-6421.