FL TERRANCE WILLIAMS: Missing from Naples, FL - 12 Jan 2004 - Age 27

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The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.
www.namus.gov

Terrance Williams was last seen being put into the back of the backseat of Corporal Steven Henry Calkins patrol car in Naples, FL on January 12, 2004. He has never been heard from again.

edited by staff to add media link
www.crimewatchers.net

TERRENCE WILLIAMS has been missing from Naples, #FLORIDA under suspicious circumstances since 12 Jan 2004 - Age 27

Williams was last seen in Naples, Florida on January 12, 2004. A Collier County sheriff's deputy, Corporal Steven Henry Calkins, claims he stopped him on the road. He was never booked and never heard from again.
www.crimewatchers.net www.crimewatchers.net
 
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Details of Disappearance
Williams was last seen in Naples, Florida on January 12, 2004. A Collier County sheriff's deputy, Corporal Steven Henry Calkins, claims he stopped him on the road.

Williams was driving a white Cadillac, which was having engine problems. He did not have a valid license or insurance, his registration had expired, and the vehicle belonged to someone else. He could potentially have been cited for six moving violations.

Calkins says he did not cite Williams for anything, but dropped him off at a Circle K convenience store in the vicinity of Wiggins Pass Road and US 41. Williams told him he worked at the store.

Although a press release by the sheriff's department maintained that no one at the Circle K store ever had contact with Calkins, a Circle K employee stated in a press interview that she saw both Williams and Calkins that morning. She says Calkins used the store's bathroom, and Williams filled a container with gasoline and left the store alone.

Calkins later stated he left Williams at the store, returned to the Cadillac to have it towed, then called the Circle K store and discovered Williams did not really work there. However, his cellular phone records do not show the call being placed, and store employees do not remember it either.

Oddly, Calkins was also the last person to see another man, Felipe Santos, who disappeared in October 2003. He got into a minor car accident and Calkins reportedly gave him a ride to a Circle K convenience store. He has never been heard from again.

Williams's parents filed an additional complaint against Calkins after their son's disappearance and Calkins was subsequently fired by the police department. An internal investigation exonerated Calkins of wrongdoing in the Santos case, but ruled that he had lied about the Williams case and violated agency policy.

Authorities stated that Calkins gave inconsistent accounts of the events leading up to Williams's disappearance, and eventually stopped cooperating with the investigation. He took three polygraph tests about the Williams and Santos cases, and one of the tests showed evidence of deception.

Calkins, a seventeen-year veteran of the police department, had a clean record prior to this incident. He appealed the ruling, but it was upheld and his dismissal stood.

He has not been charged in the disappearances of Williams or Santos and maintains his innocence in both cases, stating he was being treated as a "scapegoat" by the department and both men had reasons of their own to walk away.

Williams's mother believes her son did not leave voluntarily, however; she states that he would never let so much time pass without contacting her. He kept in almost daily touch with her before he vanished. Many of his belongings were left behind at her home.

Williams was employed as a cook at a Pizza Hut in Bonita Springs, Florida at the time of his disappearance; he had only had been working there a few weeks. He also has work experience in the construction field.
 
en.wikipedia.org

Disappearances of Terrance Williams and Felipe Santos - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

Terrance Williams and Felipe Santos went missing in 2004 and 2003, respectively, under similar circumstances in Naples, Florida. Both men were last seen being arrested by Steve Calkins, then a deputy in the Collier County Sheriff's Department, for driving without a license. Calkins claims he changed his mind about both arrests and last saw the men after he dropped them at Circle K convenience stores.

On September 4, 2018, actor Tyler Perry offered a $200,000 reward for any information leading to the location of the men or an arrest in the case. Al Sharpton of the National Action Network and Ben Jealous of the NAACP also joined Perry in raising awareness of the case.The disappearances were covered by multiple television shows, such as the ID series Disappeared.
 

Terrence Williams/Felipe Santos Investigations


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Terrence Williams Felipe Santos

Terrence Williams and Felipe Santos are considered missing and endangered. Both men were last seen in the company of now-fired CCSO deputy Steve Calkins.

Williams was 27 when he encountered Calkins in the area of 111th Avenue North and Vanderbilt Drive in North Naples on Jan. 12, 2004.

Williams is described as black, 5 feet 8 inches tall and 160 pounds with brown eyes and brown hair. He has several tattoos: a “T” above his left chest, “ET” on his right shoulder, and “Terrance” in red with blue highlights on his left forearm. He has a gold crown with the letter "T" on the upper right tooth and the other upper front tooth is solid gold. He also has a vertical scar on his right shoulder and a dark birthmark on the right side of his abdomen.

He was last seen wearing a short-sleeve shirt, blue jeans and brown Timberland boots. He was wearing diamond earrings and a watch with a silver band. The face of the watch was surrounded by white stones. At the time he disappeared he owned a 1984 white Cadillac.

Santos was 23 when he disappeared on Oct. 14, 2003. He was last seen with Calkins at the Greentree Shopping Center at the intersection of Airport-Pulling and Immokalee roads in North Naples. He is a Hispanic man who stands 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighs 150 pounds. He has brown eyes and black hair. He lived in Immokalee at the time of his disappearance.

Multiple agencies are partners in the investigations into the Williams and Santos missing person cases. In addition to CCSO, the FBI, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the State Attorney’s Office are involved. The CUE Center for Missing Persons, a national missing persons nonprofit organization, has conducted searches for Williams and Santos, advocated for the cases, and has held awareness events and meetings with law officials over the years the two men have been missing.

Actor and producer Tyler Perry is offering a reward of up to $200,000 in connection with the cases.

Both cases are open investigations. Detectives encourage anyone who may have information on either Williams or Santos to contact the Collier County Sheriff's Office at 239-252-9300, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-TIPS (8477) or email a tip or call the Cue Center 24-hour tip line at 910-232-1687.
 
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Former Collier County sheriff's deputy, Corporal Steven Henry Calkins
 
www.abcactionnews.com

Ex-deputy sued over black man's disappearance

Filmmaker Tyler Perry announced a lawsuit against a former sheriff’s deputy in the disappearance of a Florida man.
www.abcactionnews.com www.abcactionnews.com

Tyler Perry announces lawsuit against deputy in disappearance of Florida man
By: Associated Press
Posted at 7:26 AM, Sep 04, 2018
Tyler Perry to make announcement on missing men


NAPLES, Fla. (AP) — The family of a black man who disappeared nearly 15 years ago filed a lawsuit Tuesday accusing a former sheriff's deputy of killing him, and filmmaker Tyler Perry took part in announcing the lawsuit.

Marcia Williams and her attorney Benjamin Crump sued former Collier County deputy Steven Calkins, accusing him of murdering her 27-year-old son Terrance Williams after detaining him in January 2004. Calkins was also the last person seen with Felipe Santos, an illegal immigrant he picked up in October 2003.

Crump said the Williams family wants to force Calkins to sit for a deposition under oath to explain what happened after he picked up Williams. They believe that evidence uncovered in the lawsuit could lead to Calkins being charged criminally.

Williams' mother said she filed the lawsuit to get answers for her son's four children. The complaint does not set a dollar amount for damages.

"I am not going to let it go until I get the answers that they deserve," Williams said at a press conference, thanking Perry for supporting the family and bringing attention to the case. In 2014, Perry offered a $100,000 reward for information in the men's disappearance. He said it turned up nothing, so he raised the reward Tuesday to $200,000.

Perry, best known for his African-American family comedies and his character "Madea," said "race has become such a polarizing" factor nationally, but this case should disturb any person, no matter their color.
"We have got to come together to fight injustice, to fight what is wrong," Perry said.

Calkins did not return a call seeking comment and no one answered Tuesday at his current home near Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He told investigators in 2004 he dropped both men at a convenience store. He was never charged but the Collier County Sheriff's Office fired him after he stopped cooperating with the investigation. He is white. Santos was from Mexico.

Wiliams and Santos disappeared under similar circumstances in this southwest Florida county bordering the Everglades and its alligators.

In October 2003, Santos, a construction and farm worker, had been in a fender bender and Calkins took him into custody because he did not have his license and registration.

Three months later, Williams' car broke down and he parked in a cemetery parking lot. He had just moved to the area to be near his mother and had been facing jail in Tennessee for failing to pay child support.

Calkins came upon him and called for a tow. He then detained Williams for also failing to provide identification. He was recording using a Southern black accent as he spoke to his dispatcher and described Williams' car as a "homie Cadillac."

Neither man was ever seen again.

Calkins told investigators he had released the men before taking them to jail because they had been nice and he cut them a break. The Collier sheriff's office says Calkins failed a polygraph examination, but investigators found no blood or signs of struggle in his patrol car. A tracking device was placed on it in case he ever visited a spot where the bodies may have been dumped. He never did.

The sheriff's office said in an email Tuesday it is still investigating the case and that it is unusual; no other men went missing during that time period. Calkins remains a person of interest in the disappearance of Williams and Santos, the email said.

If questioned by Crump as part of the lawsuit, Calkins could invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, but the bar to succeed in a civil case is lower than a criminal case. In the lawsuit, Crump would have to show it is more likely than not that Calkins killed Williams. In a criminal case, prosecutors would have to prove that beyond a reasonable doubt, a tough standard without any bodies.

Crump praised the Collier investigators, saying they and prosecutors have they done what they could but now it is time to help them get some answers.

"Terrance Williams is going to be the beacon of hope for what people can do," said Crump, who gained national fame representing the family of Trayvon Martin, the 17-year-old Florida youth fatally shot by George Zimmerman in 2012.
 
www.winknews.com

Judge denies motion to dismiss lawsuit against former Collier County deputy

A wrongful death lawsuit against a former Collier County deputy returned to court Tuesday. Detectives believe Steven Calkins is the last person to have seen Terrance Williams and Felipe Santos alive before they each disappeared 16 years ago. Calkins’ attorney, John Hooley, said during a civil...
www.winknews.com www.winknews.com

Judge denies motion to dismiss lawsuit against former Collier County deputy
Published: June 2, 2020

A wrongful death lawsuit against a former Collier County deputy returned to court Tuesday.

Detectives believe Steven Calkins is the last person to have seen Terrance Williams and Felipe Santos alive before they each disappeared 16 years ago.

Calkins’ attorney, John Hooley, said during a civil court proceeding that enough is enough.

“The evidence and the pleadings state that Mr. Calkins killed Mr. – if he killed him at all – would have killed Mr. Williams no later than February of 2004. Nothing really has changed from February of 2004 to the filing of this complaint.”

Williams’ family said they’re missing important evidence – Calkins himself. They’re suing Calkins for wrongful death.

“When he presents, he will be asked certain questions and he himself, his testimony, will become evidence in this case,” said Devon Jacobs, the Williams’ attorney.

COVID-19 has made that difficult. Jacobs said a virtual interview is not sufficient. “We believe that body language is very important and sitting in a room with someone is very important,” Jacobs said.

The attorneys will fly to Iowa, where Calkins now lives, to do an in-person deposition. The judge on Tuesday denied the defense’s motion for the case to be dropped. He did say he’ll study a second defense motion to dismiss.

The Calkins team argued the Williams family failed to file the wrongful death lawsuit two years after Williams disappeared as required by law. The Williams family countered, saying they couldn’t file the lawsuit until after the state issued a death certificate. That didn’t happen until 2009.

The trial is set for November.
 
Scorpio said:
Terrance Williams and Felipe Santos went missing in 2004 and 2003, respectively, under similar circumstances in Naples, Florida. Both men were last seen being arrested by Steve Calkins, then a deputy in the Collier County Sheriff's Department, for driving without a license. Calkins claims he changed his mind about both arrests and last saw the men after he dropped them at Circle K convenience stores.
en.wikipedia.org

Disappearances of Terrance Williams and Felipe Santos - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
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This is crazy! Coincidence or highly suspicious? I'm leaning towards the latter...
 
www.thegazette.com

Florida wrongful death lawsuit envelops Cedar Rapids man, a former deputy

CEDAR RAPIDS – A Cedar Rapids man who is a former Florida sheriff’s deputy being sued by the family of …
www.thegazette.com www.thegazette.com

Florida wrongful death lawsuit envelops Cedar Rapids man, a former deputy​

A Cedar Rapids man who is a former Florida sheriff’s deputy being sued by the family of a man who went missing in 2004 after a traffic stop may face a civil jury trial if a judge doesn’t accept a recent arbitration decision.

According to the lawsuit, Steven H. Calkins, now 66, came to Cedar Rapids years after the 2003 and 2004 cases in which two men went missing after being placed in the back of his patrol vehicle. An investigation led to Calkins being fired from the Collier County Sheriff’s Department in the Naples, Fla. area. He has never been charged in either case.

The lawsuit asserts that Calkins’ act or acts caused Williams’ disappearance and death.

Recent developments​

A Collier County judge sent the lawsuit to non-binding arbitration, or a neutral party, to review the facts of the case, as allowed in Florida law.

An arbitrator found the case didn’t show Calkins in a “good light,” based on his inconsistent statements to law enforcement and that he didn’t cooperate in the investigation, but the evidence was mostly circumstantial.

The arbitrator, Robert E. Doyle Jr., ruled the plaintiffs’ arguments lacked evidence to show Calkins’ acts led to Williams’ disappearance.

Typically, because arbitration isn’t the final word, a plaintiff still can request a jury trial, but Marcia Williams’ attorney didn’t file a motion.

The judge unsealed the arbitration decision and entered it as a judgment — meaning Marcia Williams won’t receive any damages on her claims and Calkins is not responsible.

But late in December, Crump did file a motion for the judge to reconsider the arbitration as the final judgment and asked for a new trial.

His motion states his office changed filing practices during the coronavirus pandemic and the motion inadvertently wasn’t filed by the deadline. The plaintiff intended to ask for a new trial and continued to work on the lawsuit, even traveling to Cedar Rapids and taking Calkins’ deposition on Dec. 8, after the arbitration decision was made.

Hooley, in his motion against new trial, said the plaintiffs had adequate time to file a motion for new trial from the time it was rendered Nov. 24, 2020, to the judge’s order, 27 days later on Dec. 21. Nothing was filed until Dec. 23.

Hooley also pointed out a court order from Jan. 12, 2020, states an arbitration decision would be final if a request for a new trial wasn’t filed in time. Hooley, in his motion, asks the court not to grant Williams’ motion and leave arbitration as final judgment.

A judge has set a hearing on the motions for Feb. 18 in Collier County.
 
Found more.

www.thegazette.com

Arbitration clearing Cedar Rapids man of wrongdoing in Florida death case is final, judge rules

CEDAR RAPIDS – An arbitration decision clearing a Cedar Rapids man, who is a former Florida sheriff’s deputy, of any …
www.thegazette.com www.thegazette.com

Arbitration clearing Cedar Rapids man of wrongdoing in Florida death case is final, judge rules​

An arbitration decision clearing a Cedar Rapids man, who is a former Florida sheriff’s deputy, of any wrongdoing in the 2004 death of a Florida man, will prevent a lawsuit from going to a jury.

A lawsuit filed against Steven H. Calkins, now 66, by the family of Terrance D. Williams, 27, of Naples, who went missing in 2004, cannot go forward to a jury because the family’s attorneys didn’t ask for a new trial within the required deadline, a judge in Collier County, Fla., has ruled.
 
SheWhoMustNotBeNamed said:
Found more.

www.thegazette.com

Arbitration clearing Cedar Rapids man of wrongdoing in Florida death case is final, judge rules

CEDAR RAPIDS – An arbitration decision clearing a Cedar Rapids man, who is a former Florida sheriff’s deputy, of any …
www.thegazette.com www.thegazette.com

Arbitration clearing Cedar Rapids man of wrongdoing in Florida death case is final, judge rules​

An arbitration decision clearing a Cedar Rapids man, who is a former Florida sheriff’s deputy, of any wrongdoing in the 2004 death of a Florida man, will prevent a lawsuit from going to a jury.

A lawsuit filed against Steven H. Calkins, now 66, by the family of Terrance D. Williams, 27, of Naples, who went missing in 2004, cannot go forward to a jury because the family’s attorneys didn’t ask for a new trial within the required deadline, a judge in Collier County, Fla., has ruled.
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That bites. This man should be being criminally prosecuted AND sued civilly. I get they missed a deadline but it just isn't right.
 
GrandmaBear said:
That bites. This man should be being criminally prosecuted AND sued civilly. I get they missed a deadline but it just isn't right.
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The whole situation surrounding Terrence's disappearance in the involvement with the sheriff’s department makes me sick to my stomach. The department needs to step up to the plate. They didn’t take this seriously from the get go and that caused a lot of problems.
 
www.naplesnews.com

Case against former Collier deputy tied to Terrance Williams, Felipe Santos denied appeal

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump is sharing information from the suit with the U.S. Department of Justice and asking for a federal investigation.
www.naplesnews.com

Case against former Collier deputy tied to Terrance Williams, Felipe Santos denied appeal​

A lawsuit seeking to hold a former Collier County sheriff’s deputy accountable for the 2004 disappearance of a Naples man was denied on appeal Wednesday.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, whose firm is representing Terrance Williams’ family, said his team is pursuing other avenues for justice, including sharing information with the U.S. Department of Justice in hopes the agency will open a federal investigation.


The sheriff's office partnered with the U.S. Attorney's Office, Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the FBI to investigate Calkins, the former sheriff has said, but law enforcement has been unable to solve the longstanding mystery.

Calkins has never been arrested or charged in the disappearances. He was fired from the Collier County Sheriff’s Office in late 2004 following an internal investigation that found he was deceptive in a polygraph and gave inconsistent statements about Williams’ disappearance.
 
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