A man arrested after a standoff with authorities last Thursday, Dec. 28, in San Jacinto County is now facing a murder charge in Polk County related to a body that was found on Friday, Dec. 29, in the Horseshoe Lake Estates community near Romayor in north Liberty County.
Tyler Williams, 30, of Point Blank, has been charged with Capital Murder and Burglary, and is being held in the Polk County Jail on bonds totaling $1.1 million. Polk County Sheriff Byron Lyons, in a press conference early Saturday morning, explained that his agency’s investigation led to the grisly discovery of a body believed to be William McClain.
“Our investigation that started as a burglary, and then as an arson, has now grown into a capital murder case. We have our suspect and other individuals are also being looking into. Our suspect, Tyler Williams, is in custody and his charges have been upgraded to capital murder. Unfortunately, we were not able to find our missing person, William McClain, alive. He is deceased,” Lyons announced at the press conference.
The sheriff added that McClain’s family has been advised and that his remains are at the Jefferson County Medical Examiner’s Office for autopsy and positive identification. Sources close to the investigation said that McClain’s body was placed inside a toolbox before being dumped in the water.
McClain’s home, located on FM 3125 in the Blanchard and Scenic Loop areas west of Livingston, was burglarized and torched earlier this month. His neighbors reported him as missing when he failed to turn up in the following days, Lyons said.
The motive for the murder is unknown. Lyons said McClain’s employer described him as a hard-working man and Williams was an acquaintance of McClain.
A female has also been charged with the burglary and is being held at the Polk County Jail.
“This investigation again is nowhere near finished. It spanned three counties. I want to acknowledge all of the assistance we had from the three counties,” said Lyons.
The sheriff specifically thanked the Texas Rangers Company A, Texas Department of Public Safety, Polk County Pct. 2 Constable’s Office, San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office SWAT, Liberty County Sheriff’s Office and the Harris County Sheriff’s Office Dive Team.
“It took these agencies working hard together to get to where we are now. At this point, we feel that Mr. Williams is the suspect in this homicide. The public should feel safe knowing there is no one else involved in this homicide,” Lyons said.
The Horseshoe Lakes Estates community is the same location where Liberty County Sheriff’s Office have searched for Sheryl Ann Siddall, 57, who has been missing since Sept. 12, 2023. To this date, and despite exhaustive searches, Siddall has not been found.