Flight attendant found dead on beach, death from boat strike

The body of an American Airlines flight attendant was discovered on a South Florida beach last week, and authorities have determined she died from injuries consistent with being struck by a boat while snorkeling. Kellie Melinda Williams, 31, was found in the surf near Hollywood Beach by two fishermen on the evening of June 3.

Officials from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), which is leading the investigation alongside Hollywood police, said Williams’s injuries were consistent with a vessel strike. They believe she had been snorkeling or diving earlier that day in the waters near Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park, a coastal area several miles from where her body washed ashore.

No boat has been identified, no suspects have been named, and no charges have been filed. Investigators have appealed to the public for information, asking anyone who witnessed unusual vessel activity in the area on June 3 to contact the FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline.

A witness, Emilio Benitez, described seeing the two fishermen pull an object from the water onto the shoreline that evening, later realizing it was a woman’s body. Williams was publicly identified by...