At 18, Michelle Williams was a straight-A student who spent her weekends working with the youth ministry at St. Vincent de Paul Church. Police continue to look for answers in the death of the recent Petaluma High School graduate, whose body was discovered in a San Jose motel on Aug. 10.
Williams’ body was found on the bed next to the remains of Juliecel Aguja, a 26-year-old San Jose resident.
The women had been dead for several days and were found only after a housekeeper became concerned when she noticed a “Do Not Disturb” sign had been hanging on the door for days even though the room didn’t seem occupied.
With no signs of foul play, the San Jose Police are turning to the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office to determine how the pair died.
The office refused to comment on an ongoing investigation, but said such reports can take months because they must wait for the result of toxicology tests.
How or why Williams ended up at the EZ-8 Motel, a place frequented by drug users and prostitutes, remains unclear. Police do not know the nature of the relationship between the two women.
According to Williams’ Facebook page, she was in a relationship with a San Jose woman, but it is unclear if that woman is the same person whose body was found in the second floor motel room.
According to the San Jose Mercury News, someone other than the two women checked them into the EZ-8 on Aug. 4.
Friends and family gathered to lay Williams to rest under a somber grey sky on Tuesday.
Williams was remembered as an avid reader who was serious about her schoolwork. She loved fashion and family camping trips to Lake Tahoe and Ice House Reservoir.
She is survived by her parents, Ted and Kim Williams, as well as her brothers, sister and other extended family members.
(Contact Emily Charrier at emily.charrier@argus courier.com)
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