One in a series on unsolved cases in Ruston and Lincoln Parish
by Wesley Harris
Case No. 6
Name: Cheryl Williams
Type of Case: Missing Person
Date: July 2004
Status: Remains missing; foul play suspected
In July 2004, Cheryl Williams of Simsboro vanished without explanation. From the beginning, investigators with the Lincoln Parish Sheriff’s Office believed her disappearance was not voluntary. She simply did not walk away and leave her daughter and an ailing mother. Something had happened.
Early in the investigation, attention turned to a man known to Williams. According to family members, the two were connected through her struggles with substance abuse. They described a relationship in which the man allowed her to stay at his home at times, but they insist the connection was not romantic—at least not from her perspective.
Investigators conducted multiple searches, including at the suspect’s home and surrounding areas. Despite those efforts, no physical evidence was recovered to support an arrest. The case stalled, joining the ranks of other local, unsolved disappearances in the past two decades.
Former LPSO investigator Kenneth Wesley, who passed away in 2023, devoted significant time and effort to the case, continuing to pursue leads long after the initial investigation slowed. He prepared and distributed fliers, led the searches for evidence, questioned scores of Lincoln Parish residents who might know something.
Kenneth Wesley remained convinced answers existed and the case could be solved with the right piece of information.
The case troubled him because he was confident an arrest was just one tip away.
Family members later said the suspect had expressed an infatuation with Williams, claiming he loved her and wanted to marry her, despite her being married. That dynamic raised concerns early in the investigation and placed him at the center of law enforcement scrutiny. But years passed without a satisfying conclusion to the case.
Still, it was never forgotten.
In 2019, the Louisiana State Police joined the investigation. LSP detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Lonnie Frazier Jr., then 70, of Ruston, on a charge of second degree murder.
“From the beginning, we always knew he had something to do with it,” Lari Talbert, sister of Cheryl Williams said at the time of Frazier’s arrest.
But the development did not bring resolution. Prosecutors determined the evidence was woefully insufficient to proceed and Frazier was released. The case remains open, now solely in the hands of the Lincoln Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Williams’ daughter, Alexis Harrell, was just 12 years old when her mother disappeared. She has spoken about the emotional toll of growing up without answers. “I went through depression…just full of anger, suppressing everything over not knowing.”
Family members have come to believe Williams is no longer alive, but they continue to hold onto faith that the truth will eventually come to light. For them, the passage of time has not lessened the need for answers.
More than twenty years later, Cheryl Williams remains missing. No one has been held accountable. Investigators continue to consider the case open, and foul play is still strongly suspected.
The passage of time has not diminished the importance of the case. If anything, it has underscored it.
Someone knows what happened in July 2004.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Lt. Matt Henderson at the Lincoln Parish Sheriff’s Office at 318-251-5111 or Crime Stoppers at 318-255-1111.
