In the summer of 1992, the quiet of the LaBranche Wetlands in St. Charles Parish, just outside of New Orleans, was broken by a grim discovery. On June 2nd, the body of 25-year-old George Williams, a Black male from New Orleans, was found floating in the water. An autopsy would later reveal the cause of death was not accidental; Williams had been asphyxiated, either by strangulation or smothering, leading investigators to classify his death as a homicide.
George Williams was known to work
as an exotic dancer in the French Quarter. Some reports indicated that Williams was a transvestite, which may have made him particularly vulnerable. His death came during a fearful time in New Orleans, as a string of murders attributed to a serial killer dubbed the 'Storyville Slayer' had been occurring between 1991 and 1996. The slayer's victims were primarily African-American women, many of whom were involved in sex work. While Williams' gender made him an outlier among the victims, it has been suggested that the killer may have also targeted men who presented as women or were part of the LGBTQ+ community.
The investigation into Williams' murder was complicated by the location where his body was found. The dumping of victims in isolated swamps, canals, or ditches was a hallmark of the Storyville Slayer cases, as the elements quickly led to decomposition and the destruction of potential evidence. Although investigators considered at least two potential suspects in the broader series of killings, and one individual was convicted of a single murder, authorities have long believed that more than one person may have been responsible for the homicides.
Despite the efforts of law enforcement and the creation of a task force in May 1995 involving the New Orleans Police Department and the FBI to solve the slayings, no definitive suspect has ever been charged in connection with the death of George Williams. His case, like many others linked to the Storyville Slayer, has grown cold over the years. The murder of George Williams remains unsolved, a lingering mystery and a tragic chapter in the history of New Orleans.
