Police recover body of missing teen, RJ Williams, in White River
Police found the body of the missing 16-year-old boy with autism on Jan. 3 in White River, a few hundred yards from the Broad Ripple McDonald’s where he was last seen.
Emergency personnel loaded the body of Robert “RJ” Williams Jr., protected by baby blue sheets, into the medical examiner’s van Saturday afternoon. Family members stood nearby and hugged each other. A ‘missing’ poster of Williams was pasted on the wooden stairs leading down to the water where his body was found.
“RJ was a good kid. He didn’t bother anyone,” Williams’ aunt, Patricia Madison, said through tears. “He loved his family and now he’s gone.”
Patricia Madison, who identifies herself as the aunt of Robert “RJ” Williams Jr., becomes emotional as she speaks to the media near the area where her nephew was rescued from the White River on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, in Broad Ripple.
Police were searching for Williams after he was last seen on December 17 between a McDonald’s and a bus stop. 1100 block of Broad Ripple Avenue, According to the missing person’s announcement. It was also stated that he suffered from mood disorders and had a history of psychosis. The brochure also said he had “the mentality of a 10 or 11-year-old.”
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Capt. William Carter said they do not suspect any foul play. He said cameras in the area captured footage of Williams walking toward the river pier. He said that they also obtained the last message in which he said that he was walking on ice and he sent a picture.
Around 1 p.m. on January 3, a police officer spotted what appeared to be a human under the water’s surface during a drone search. A dive team and first responders later found the body, and family members identified it as Williams.
“This is clearly a heartbreaking development in a case that has deeply affected our community. This is not the outcome we were hoping for,” Carter said. “We extend our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones.”
The discovery ended more than three weeks of police and community search efforts. On January 2, IMPD confirmed that the rescue process was underway because they believed he had fallen into the river. Detectives and K9s from IMPD searched the area and found a backpack and duffel bag belonging to the teen on a dock along the White River, police said in a previous statement.
Madison, steps away from the river, said it was hard knowing they had been searching for weeks, but he was so close. He said he loved video games and was close with his son. She emphasized how close she and Williams were, both as his caregiver and basketball coach, and that she was more than just an aunt.
“RJ was loving and caring and would do anything for anyone. He didn’t like people being bullied,” she said. “He loved his father, his mother, his sisters and his entire family. RJ was loved by everyone he came in contact with.”
Now, after being found, Madison said her family will try to move on with their lives. He asked people who have relatives with mental disabilities to keep them close and be aware of their surroundings.
This case mobilized many people in society. Dozens of neighbors gathered multiple times to search the area and put up posters.
“This means a lot to us because people came out of nowhere asking for help looking for him,” he said. “People we didn’t know, people we’d never met, were willing to help. They’re literally helping us every day, looking for it.”
Many people trying to find Williams came out Saturday to pray and offer support as police recovered his body. Debra Porter, who knew the family from school, said the neighborhood set out to lift the family up and hopes this tragedy will bring the community closer together.
“Our heart is with another mother. Our heart is with another family. Our heart is with those who are suffering. Our heart is there,” he said. “We come together as each other, just embracing and supporting each other.”
Area resident Robert Tolbert lights a candle Jan. 3 in remembrance of where police found the body of Robert “RJ” Williams Jr. in the White River just hours earlier. Tolbert said he went out alone to look for the missing 16-year-old.
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This article first appeared in the Indianapolis Star: IMPD finds body of missing White River teen RJ Williams
