In the summer of 2019, the life of 23-year-old William H. Wilson IV was cut short in Mishawaka, Indiana, leaving behind a grieving family and a community seeking answers. On July 21, authorities discovered Wilson, a Black male, deceased in an apartment with a gunshot wound to his head. The initial determination by the Mishawaka police and the county coroner's office was that Wilson had died by suicide.
However, this conclusion was immediately met with skepticism and heartache from
Wilson's family. They raised pressing questions that cast doubt on the official ruling. A significant point of contention was the location of the gunshot wound. Wilson was left-handed, yet the fatal wound was to the right side of his head, entering from the back. This inconsistency fueled the family's belief that he had not taken his own life. His mother, Shalonda Witherspoon, became a vocal advocate for a more thorough investigation, publicly stating her conviction that her son was a victim of foul play.
The family's concerns also centered around a woman who was present at the apartment when the incident occurred. According to reports, she was the one who called 911, reporting a possible self-inflicted injury following a domestic dispute. When police arrived, they found Wilson's body obstructing the apartment door. The county coroner, Mike McGann, argued that the position of the body suggested the woman could not have moved him to exit the apartment. He further stated that a gun was found near Wilson's body and his right hand was covered in blood, supporting the suicide ruling in the eyes of the authorities.
Despite the family's persistent pleas and the troubling inconsistencies they highlighted, the initial ruling of suicide remained. The St. Joseph County Metro Homicide Unit did agree to review the case in light of the family's objections. The incident was officially logged by Mishawaka police as a domestic dispute, and the county's Special Victims Unit, which handles cases of domestic violence, was also involved in the initial investigation. To date, there have been no arrests made in connection with William Wilson's death, and no suspects have been publicly identified, leaving his loved ones to continue their search for justice.
