The murder of Hiram "Ross" Grayam
Vero Beach, Indian River County, Florida · 1968
Overview
Hiram "Ross" Grayam, 47, a World War II sergeant and Purple Heart recipient who delivered milk for the Borden Dairy in Indian River County, Florida, failed to come home from his route on April 11, 1968. A witness had seen him talking to two men on the side of the road. The next day a sheriff's office airplane spotted his milk truck in woods near Gifford, with his body beside it. He had been shot, and about $70 was missing. Investigators found little forensic evidence and made no arrest through sixteen investigations; it became the oldest cold case in the Indian River County Sheriff's Office. In 2006, after Grayam's son gave media interviews, a Vero Beach man named Thomas J. Williams wrote a letter to a newspaper denying any involvement, and was questioned and dismissed. Williams died of natural causes in 2016. In February 2022 a jail inmate asked to talk to detectives about the case, and in December 2023 detectives spoke with Williams's ex-wife in Miami; the ex-wife and a friend of Williams's sister each said he had confessed to them. On April 11, 2024, the 56th anniversary of the killing, Sheriff Eric Flowers announced the case solved. No one was ever tried, and a second man remains unnamed.
How it was solved
The case was solved by witnesses who said they had kept silent while Williams was alive. For 38 years the sheriff's office had little to work with: a witness who saw Grayam talk to two men on the road, another who saw a Chevrolet leave the scene, bullets too damaged to match to any gun, and some $70 missing from a milkman who carried cash. In 2006 Grayam's son asked deputies to reopen the case and gave interviews to a newspaper and local television. Sheriff Eric Flowers said that was the first time investigators heard of Thomas J. Williams. Williams wrote a letter to the editor denying involvement, was interviewed, offered an alibi and was dismissed. Investigators later said the alibi did not hold: A&E reported that military records showed Williams went AWOL just before the killing, and the Vero News reported that investigators placed him in Gifford at the time. Williams died of natural causes in 2016. In February 2022 an inmate at the Indian River County Jail asked to talk about the homicide; NBC News reported he was said to be related to Williams and that he told detectives Williams had confessed to killing the milkman. In December 2023 detectives spoke with a woman in Miami who had been married to Williams. A&E quoted Lieutenant Michael Pierce as saying she asked, without being questioned, whether this was about the milkman murder. She and a friend of Williams's sister each told investigators Williams had confessed. Flowers said the two witnesses did not know each other and spoke only because Williams was dead; one said that while he was alive he was a threat to her and her family. On April 11, 2024 Flowers said, "Thomas Williams, we believe, is our shooter in this case." Williams was never charged. The sheriff's office said it believes a second man took part, knows who he is, and has not named him.
Sources
- Cold case murder of WWII veteran in Florida is solved after more than 50 years (April 12, 2024)
“Then in December 2023, detectives spoke with a woman in Miami who had been married to Williams.”
- IRCSO: Detectives Solve 1968 Cold Case Murder of a World War II Veteran Who Became a Milkman (April 15, 2024)
“Williams' ex-wife and a friend of his sister came forward, telling investigators what they knew.”
- 1968 Cold Case Solved by Indian River County Sheriff's Office – Milkman Homicide (April 11, 2024)
“Witnesses came forward and stated that the now-deceased Thomas J. Williams had confessed to them about murdering Grayam.”
- Cold case solved: Deputies identify killer in 1968 Florida 'Milkman Homicide' (April 12, 2024)
“He went out to do his routes in Gifford on April 11, 1968, but never came home.”
- The 1968 killing of a milkman who was a WWII veteran has been solved 56 years later (April 13, 2024)
“In 2006, the case was reopened at the request of a family member.”
- 'Milkman Homicide' of Florida WWII veteran solved by killer's ex-wife (April 20, 2024)
“She said that Mr. Grayam engaged them in conversation, and announced that he would be back shortly,”
- A decorated WWII veteran was "killed execution style" while delivering milk in 1968. His murder has finally been solved. (April 12, 2024)
“The sheriff's office later dispatched a Piper airplane, which eventually spotted Hiram's body.”
- Deputies ID shooter in cold case murder of military veteran, 'milk man' (April 11, 2024)
“Deputies received a request from an inmate at the jail in February 2022 to talk about the homicide case.”
- A Purple Heart Recipient Was Murdered While Delivering Milk in 1968 (November 10, 2025)
“We learned that just prior to the homicide, he went AWOL.”
- Cold case solved in 1968 killing of World War II veteran in Florida (April 12, 2024)
“through the dedication of detectives and the cooperation of witnesses”
- Hiram Ross Grayam, 1920 to 1968
“OHIO SGT CO A 318 INFANTRY WORLD WAR II”