A Villager’s troubled son leapt to his death from cell a phone tower on the Historic Side of The Villages.
The 86-year-old mother of Michael Devere Williams began a search for her son after he left their home on East Schwartz Boulevard wearing shorts and tennis shoes, leaving behind his golf cart and cell phone, according to an incident report from the Lady Lake Police Department.
She told police her 57-year-old son had a history of checking into local hotels, including La Hacienda Hotel on Avenida Central, during drinking binges. Police checked the hotels, but had no luck finding Williams.
The mother received a phone call from Williams’ sister in Colorado. She said she had missed a phone call from Williams who left a voicemail indicating he was going to climb a cell tower located behind the home and jump.
His mother told police Williams had “suicidal thoughts in the past but had never acted on them.”
Police on Saturday morning turned their attention to the tall AT&T cell phone tower located at 41109 County Road 25, behind the Williams’ home.
Officers went to the cell phone tower which is surrounded by a chainlink fence crowned with barbed-wire. AT&T was contacted and provided a code for entry into the area. Williams’ body was found in the gravel near the base of the tower. His body was removed from the scene by the Medical Examiner’s office.
The report noted that Williams was a veteran and was wearing a Coast Guard hat at the time of his death.