Murder of World War II Vet Solved After 56 Years

The brutal murder of a decorated World War II veteran has been solved after 56 years, authorities said.

In April 1968, Hiram "Ross" Grayam was working as a milkman in Gifford, Florida, after serving in World War II. He fought in the Battle of the Bulge and helped liberate two concentration camps, the Indian River County Sheriff's Office said.

Grayam's family became concerned when he never returned home and a search led police to a grisly scene: His body was found deep in the woods, shot execution style, authorities said.

No one had been arrested, and it became the longest case in Indian River County. But thanks to the county sherriff's Cold Case Unit, police finally were able to identify Thomas J. Williams as Grayam's killer, authorities said. Williams died in 2016.

Police initially were suspicious of Williams' guilt in 2006 when Grayam's son gave an interview to the media about the case. Williams saw the interview and wrote a letter to a newspaper saying he had been accused of the murder but denied involvement, Sheriff Eric Flowers told CBS12.

After Williams’ death, his ex-wife and a friend of his sister came forward and said he had confessed to killing Grayam, Flowers said. They didn’t come forward earlier because they feared for their life, Flowers said.

"The fact that he is now dead gave them the courage to come forward," Flowers told CBS12. "Two independent witnesses, who both say this guy confessed to killing the milkman to them, independent of each other, [they] don’t know each other."

Another man involved in the killing remains at large, authorities said.