LANSING, Mich. — A father is expected to stand trial nearly 40 years after his 8-month-old baby disappeared and was presumed dead, officials say.
Isiah Williams, 76, is set to stand trial on a count of open murder related to the disappearances and presumed death of his 8-month-old baby, Olisa Williams, in 1982, according to WDIV.
In a news release, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said Olisa was never found and is believed to be deceased.
Prosecutors claim Williams got into an argument with Olisa’s mother, Denise Frazier-Daniel, in Ohio, according to the news outlet. He reportedly hit Frazier-Daniel before taking off with Olisa and taking her to Michigan.
Nessel said the Ann Arbor Police Department reached out to the Department of the Attorney General to go over the case in early 2021. Williams was charged in Oct. 2021 and has been going through a “lengthy extradition process.”
“The disappearance of Olisa Williams is a tragedy in so many ways, but I am proud of our department’s commitment to seek justice in cold case homicides and deliver difficult charges despite intervening decades,” said Nessel in the news release. “I am grateful for the work of multiple law enforcement units over the last several decades that ultimately lead to these charges after forty years, and for the determination of Olisa’s mother who has never given up her pursuit of justice for her daughter.”
Williams reportedly had a history of domestic violence against Frazier-Daniel, WWJ-TV reported.
Williams is expected in to appear in court for a pretrial conference on May 17 at around 1:30 p.m., Nessel said.