When Daughter Went Missing, Mother Took Investigation Into Her Own Hands

June 28, 2005 — -- When her 19-year-old daughter disappeared in 2001, the case went cold.

But Sharon Williams could not let the case rest. The Atlanta native quit her job and took the investigation into her own hands, ultimately tracking down her daughter's murderer.

"I needed to know where she was," Sharon Williams said. "She was somewhere out there and I had to find out. It bothered me every day, every minute."

The last time Sharon Williams saw her daughter, Demetria Hill, was Dec. 3, 2001, when Hill went out with a friend, Pam. The two women accepted a ride from Joseph Jay Brown, whom they had just met.

"She was young, and she was too trusting," Williams said. "I think she thought it was a date. He asked her to dinner or something."

Pam was dropped off at home; Hill was never seen again.

Williams filed a missing person's report with the Fulton County Police, but the initial investigation was fruitless.

So in January 2002, Williams pursued a lead of her own. A friend spotted a car matching the description of Brown's Camaro, and Williams gave police the license plate number.

Police brought Brown in for questioning, but released him when he denied killing Hill because there was no evidence against him, and no body had been found.

Williams was not satisfied, and was not about to give up.

"The police had to sleep," Williams said. "They had to go home to their families. I didn't. This was my family."

In April 2002, she knocked on Brown's door and confronted him.

"I just did it," Williams said. "I was driven. I didn't care. I had to find out."

When Brown became agitated, Williams ran away and reported the incident to police.

This time when Brown was brought in for questioning, he admitted he had rough sex with Hill, but insisted it was consensual and that he had dropped her off at home.

Police didn't buy it. Authorities learned Brown had four prior convictions for attempted strangulation of women. Brown had also missed two days of work following Hill's disappearance, and had scratches on his face when he returned.

When Brown was arrested for trying to strangle his girlfriend, Chinella Ross, in June 2002, police asked about Hill again. Brown said he might have assaulted the young woman.

But without a body, police still felt there was not a strong enough case against Brown.

Then on Sept. 17, 2002, Hill's charred remains were found behind the Poplar Springs United Methodist Church in Atlanta. Her body was so badly decomposed and burned, no DNA evidence remained.

Prosecutors finally charged Brown with Hill's murder in January 2004.

Williams convinced Ross to testify that Brown had strangled her. She never testified because a judge ruled the prior incident could not be introduced at trial. Brown made a deal with the state, pleading guilty to assault and kidnapping Hill, though not to killing her.

Brown was sentenced to 25 years in prison, with the possibility of parole after 16.

"I wanted life," Williams said. "I want to be sure that he is never on the street again, that he can never hurt another living soul."

Williams is now raising her daughter's son, DeMarco, now 7, and trying to help him remember his mother.

"DeMarco is OK," Williams said. "He was 3 years old when it happened. He's a smart boy. He's been on the honor roll ever since he's been in school."

Williams has gone back to work part time, but has still not fully recovered from her ordeal.

"It's hard to focus," Williams said. "I tried to apply for disability, but I'm having trouble getting it."

Williams has a message for anyone else struggling to find a missing child.

"Never give up," Williams said. "The detectives and the police, they are doing what they can do. But they have to get off work, so keep going. To get something solved, you have to keep going."