Vero Beach, Florida – Hiram “Ross” Grayam, a decorated World War II veteran known for surviving the Battle of the Bulge and witnessing the liberation of concentration camps, tragically met his end while on his milk delivery route in Indian River County in 1968. After 56 years, the cold case known as the “Milkman Homicide” has finally been solved, with Thomas J. Williams identified as Grayam’s killer by the Indian River Sheriff’s Office.
Grayam, a Purple Heart recipient, had moved to Vero Beach with his family in the 1960s and worked as a salesman for the Borden Milk Company. On April 11, 1968, he went out for his delivery routes but never returned home. A witness recounted seeing Grayam conversing with two men on the road, who then drove away with him in his truck. Unfortunately, Grayam was never seen alive again.
After a search operation involving a Piper airplane, Grayam’s body was discovered next to his milk truck, fatally shot execution-style. The devastating loss of Grayam left his 16-year-old son, Larry Grayam, shattered. Despite decades passing with the case going cold, a breakthrough came in 2006 when Thomas Williams, the alleged killer, was hinted at in a media interview with Larry Grayam.
Following Williams’ death in 2016, new information emerged as his ex-wife and a friend of his sister separately came forward to claim that Williams had confessed to the crime. The Cold Case Unit of the sheriff’s office is actively pursuing leads to identify the second man involved in the killing. The Indian River Sheriff’s Office remains dedicated to bringing closure to families like the Grayams, ensuring justice for every victim and holding perpetrators accountable for their actions.