Black man's body found burning in a ditch in Iowa

Story by CNN

Written by Mallory Hughes

A Black man whose burning body was found in a ditch in rural Iowa has been identified as a local grandfather.

Just after 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, September 16, authorities received a report of a fire in a roadside ditch near Kellogg. Responding personnel found an active fire and, after extinguishing it, they discovered a body.

The dead man has been identified as 44-year-old Michael Williams, of Grinnell, Iowa, authorities said. The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation said in a statement it is treating his death as a homicide.

Janalee Boldt, Williams' ex-wife and the mother of his children, spoke to CNN affiliate KCCI about her ex-husband. "He was a family person," she said. "His kids were always important."

Williams, who was also a grandfather, had five children with Boldt. Two of them, Jameka and Michael, told KCCI they used to take walks with their father. "Sometimes we sat on the bench to stop and rest," Jameka said. "My favorite memory about him is always making me laugh."

Boldt told KCCI she is trying to hold it together for her kids. "My daughter will not let me outside in the dark by myself because she's afraid of losing another parent," Boldt said.

The family made "Justice for Michael" shirts using a logo designed by his son, who made sure to use purple -- his dad's favorite color. "I miss him," Michael told KCCI.

School cancels classes

Grinnell College canceled classes on Monday "to recommit ourselves to equity and inclusion and to recognize the violent loss of one of our community," adding that "national context has become local experience," according to a statement from the school's president and the school's chief diversity officer.

"This stark and brutal murder in the national context of racial injustice has struck intense fear for safety of our Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) colleagues, friends, and families," President Anne Harris wrote in the statement.

"We live in a predominantly white community and work in a predominantly white college. The murder of Mr. Williams is an incident that is rare in the experience of most Iowans. But for many people of color, this incident is the most recent in an accumulated history of prejudice, mistreatment, and murder," the statement said.

In canceling classes, Harris hopes students think of actions that can be taken to build the community and prevent further suffering.

Friends of the Williams family started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to help pay for any expenses that they might incur from the investigation, to cover costs of the burial, as well as for living and transportation expenses for his children.

The initial $10,000 goal was met in less than 24 hours and has now been raised to $35,000.