Sedona AZ (August 11, 2015) – The body of missing five year old Jerold Joseph Williams was found on August 10, 2015, around 4:30 in the evening by a group of Colorado City volunteer searchers. Volunteers were driving along Forest Service Road 240 in the Jacobs Lake area when boys in the back of the pickup saw the body of Jerold on the ground 15-20 feet off the roadway.

Young Jerold’s body was found approximately 3.7 miles point-to-point from the place he was last seen or approximately 8.6 miles away. Because Jerold was found close to the road, and the roadway is a natural walking area compared to the very thick brush, he may have walked to Forest Road 240 and followed it further to Forest Road 241. He may have walked off into the forest to lay down to rest.

Jerold was fully clothed with no obvious external injuries, and no evidence of foul play was indicated at the scene. The weather had turned inclement about the time he went missing. An autopsy was performed today and the Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office preliminary findings appear to be accidental death due to environmental exposure.

Based on the environmental conditions, it is unlikely Jerold survived the first night.

The focus of the search area was based on information from data gathered from other searches (the Arizona Lost Persons Behavioral database and other resources), proven mathematical models, as well as a profile of the lost person including location and time last seen, mobility, activity level, and other behavior. Jerold was found within the search area.

The search spanned five days and four nights with 1,000 or more people assisting. The support from the community was overwhelming. There were nearly 900 people who collectively volunteered thousands of hours of time to the search efforts, not only in the field, but also by providing meals and other support. A great majority of the volunteers were from the community of Colorado City who gave full support to the search efforts.

Jerold Joseph Williams

In addition to the community volunteers, CCSO is grateful to all of the state, local and federal organizations including the U.S. Air Force Rescue community which involved the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center, Air Force Rescue air crews, maintainers and para-rescue. The Air Force Rescue crews were able to utilize advanced night optics to conduct overnight search operations. Many area businesses provided equipment and resources which were much needed and greatly appreciated.

This was the largest spontaneous volunteer response that the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office has handled, and the cooperation of all was greatly appreciated.

Personnel from Coconino County Sheriff’s Office, Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office, Pima County Sheriff’s Office, Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, Kane County Sheriff’s Office, Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Coconino County CERT Teams, Arizona Wing Civil Air Patrol, Utah Wing Civil Air Patrol, Arizona Department of Public Safety, U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, FBI, Rocky Mountain Rescue Dogs, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children participated in this search.

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