[1] Williams was born in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan,[2] to a Filipino mother[3] and an American father who was a chief petty officer in the United States Navy.

[8] Exactly seven months later, on January 12, 1999, a body was found on the former Fort Ord Army base about 3 miles (4.8 km) from the Williams' home.

[4] Erica Murphy, the person who found Williams' body, was a botanist from the University of California, Santa Cruz who was conducting a scientific survey.

[10] Several celebrities, including Clint Eastwood,[11] Mariah Carey,[12] and Reggie Jackson, made a public service announcement for Williams.

[17] The City of Marina erected a memorial in Williams' honor located at 15520 Imjin Road, across from Preston Park.

[30] On March 20, Judge Pamela Butler found Holifield guilty of the murder of Williams, with two special circumstances;[31] he was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.