Investigators are examining whether a vessel struck Kellie Williams before her body washed ashore in Hollywood.
DANIA BEACH, FL — Kellie Williams, a South Florida flight attendant who loved the ocean, died after vanishing Wednesday while snorkeling off Broward County and later washing ashore on Hollywood Beach, authorities and local reports said Friday.
Her death has become a boating and death investigation involving Hollywood police, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Broward Medical Examiner’s Office. Investigators said her injuries were consistent with a vessel strike, while family members and witnesses described a sudden loss in a busy stretch of ocean near Dania Beach and Hollywood.
Williams had been in the water Wednesday near Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park, at 6503 North Ocean Drive in Dania Beach, police said. The park sits along the ocean just south of Port Everglades and north of Hollywood Beach. Local reports identified Williams as an experienced swimmer, a scuba diver and an American Airlines flight attendant who had recently married. Her father told Local 10 News that investigators said a boat had struck her before her body came ashore hours later. “She loved the ocean,” her father said in an interview, describing her as someone who had built a life near the water after moving to South Florida.
Hollywood police responded after a 911 call came in at about 8 p.m. Wednesday. Witnesses had seen a body east of the North Boardwalk and south of Hollywood North Beach Park, near New Mexico Street. Two fishermen saw the body in the surf and called authorities, officials said. Gianluca Fiore, a witness, told Local 10 News that he saw two fishermen and then “what looked like a body on the beach.” He said the scene was difficult to watch as people brought her from the water. Police officers remained along the beach late Wednesday, with activity reported near North Surf Road between New Mexico and Thomas streets.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said Friday that Williams had injuries consistent with being hit by a vessel. The Broward Medical Examiner’s Office conducted an autopsy, and Local 10 reported that the cause of death was blunt force injuries. Authorities had not announced the name of a boat operator or said whether a specific vessel had been found. No charges had been reported as of Friday night. Local reports gave different ages for Williams, with Local 10 reporting she was 30 and NBC6 reporting that FWC identified her as 31-year-old Kellie Melinda Williams.
Williams lived in Hollywood, NBC6 reported. A former roommate confirmed to the station that she worked for American Airlines and had recently moved to South Florida. American Airlines said in a statement that the company was “deeply saddened by the loss of our colleague” and that its thoughts and support were with her family, loved ones and colleagues. Family members said Williams was born in California and had lived in South Florida for about four years. Her father, who lives in California, said she had been comfortable in the water and spent much of her life around it.
The location of the incident spans a heavily used coastal area where swimmers, snorkelers, divers, boaters and beachgoers share waters near the state park, Hollywood Beach and the Port Everglades inlet. Police said Williams appeared to have been snorkeling or diving earlier Wednesday before she vanished. Her body later appeared several miles south along Hollywood Beach, according to local reports. Investigators have not publicly said how long she was missing, whether she was alone in the water or whether anyone saw the possible strike happen.
The investigation remained open Friday. FWC investigators were working with Hollywood detectives, and authorities asked anyone with information to contact FWC or Hollywood police. Investigators also directed anonymous tips to Broward County Crime Stoppers. The next steps are expected to include witness interviews, a review of any available beach or marine-area video, and efforts to identify vessels that may have been near the state park and Hollywood Beach around the time Williams disappeared.
On Hollywood Beach, witnesses described a quiet evening that quickly turned into a police scene. Officers moved on and off the sand as investigators worked near the shoreline. Fiore said the discovery was “disheartening,” a word that matched the tone of family members who were trying to understand how Williams died. Her father said the loss was especially painful because Williams had recently married and was building her life in South Florida, close to the ocean she loved.
As of Friday night, officials had not announced an arrest or identified a vessel. The case remains under investigation by state wildlife officers, Hollywood police and the medical examiner.
Author note: Last updated June 5, 2026.