ANN ARBOR, Mich. – A father has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the 1982 disappearance and murder of a baby girl in Ann Arbor.
Isiah Williams, 78, was found guilty by a jury of one count of felony murder and one count of first-degree premeditated murder, on Friday, May 10, 2024. On Wednesday, July 10, 2024, Williams was sentenced in the 22nd Circuit Court in Washtenaw County to spend the rest of his life incarcerated, without the possibility of parole.
Olisa’s mother read a victim impact statement at the sentencing hearing.
“Isiah’s silence is a cruelty beyond measure. You have taken from me the most precious gift from God, and now you deny me the chance to lay her to rest. You may think that your silence will protect you, but it will only add to your guilt and shame,” she told the court. “You may have taken my Olisa’s life, but you will never take away my love for her and I pray somehow, I’ll be able to bring her home to rest.”
The conviction stems from the 1982 disappearance and presumed death of his then-8-month-old daughter, Olisa Williams, in Ann Arbor. Prosecutors said Williams got into an argument with the child’s mother, Denise Frazier-Daniel, on April 29, 1982, in Ohio. He struck Frazier-Daniel and fled with Olisa. She was last seen alive in Williams’ custody that summer.
Williams said he parked his car at Island Park and fell asleep. When he woke up, he found the car door open, and Olisa was gone, he said. According to Williams, he didn’t report the abduction to police because he thought his wife or one of her relatives had taken Olisa.
Olisa was never found and was declared deceased by the Washtenaw County Probate Court in 2023.
Ann Arbor police requested the Department of the Attorney General review the case in early 2021. The open-murder charge was brought against Williams in October of 2021 and a lengthy extradition process followed.
