Criminal

The Test

Feb 6, 2026
Mikita Brottman, author and cultural commentator, guides the narrative with concise analysis. She unpacks a mysterious disappearance at Lake Seminole, a mother's relentless search, and a tangled web of affairs, insurance and a chilling 'test' plan. The story follows investigations, arrests, trials and the book that keeps the case alive.
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ANECDOTE

Extensive Search Found Only A Boat

  • Mikita Brottman recounts the massive multi-agency search for Mike Williams that found his boat but not his body.
  • Community volunteers, helicopters, cadaver dogs, and a National Geographic underwater camera still turned up nothing for weeks.
INSIGHT

Alligator Theory Didn’t Hold Up

  • Experts rejected the alligator theory because alligators don't feed in winter and the jacket showed no bite marks.
  • Cheryl Williams used that contradiction to doubt the official explanation and keep pushing the case.
ANECDOTE

A 'Test' Framed As Divine Will

  • Mikita Brottman describes Brian and Denise's secret affair and how they rationalized killing Mike as a "test" from God.
  • They planned a staged hunting accident to see whether God would "allow" Mike's death.
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