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The mutilated body of 20-year-old Kala Williams was discovered in Spokane, Washington, in May 2012. Her remains were put into plastic bags and a sleeping bag. Although the gruesome discovery was made, her death was initially categorized as "undetermined" by Spokane County's then-medical examiner, Dr. John Howard.
It would take a decade before her case experienced significant breakthroughs. In June 2022, Spokane police suggested a murder charge against Robert G. Davis for Williams' death after her death was reclassified as a homicide by the new medical examiner, Dr. Veena Singh. Heather Higgins, another woman named for being associated with Davis, went missing in 2010 and was never discovered.
Police report Davis as having told his mother in 2012 that he had been involved in Higgins' disappearance. Although Davis has not been charged with either crime, he is serving time in Idaho for a 2014 assault on a woman in Coeur d'Alene.
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This case has been discussed in the episode of Crime Junkie podcast titled, MURDERED: Kala Williams & Heather Higgins. The episode was released on May 12, 2025, and is available on their website.
The disappearance and murder of Kala Williams
Per The Spokesman-Review, the body of Kala Williams was discovered in May 2012 in Spokane. The body was found inside plastic bags and a sleeping bag. Her body had been halved by the time investigators could get to the scene. Nevertheless, as bad off as the body was, the Spokane County Medical Examiner at the time, Dr. John Howard, classified the cause and manner as "undetermined."
Kala Williams died when she was 20 years old. Her family struggled to get answers for years since there wasn't even a formal ruling of a homicide, and no one was charged with a crime for over a decade.
In 2022, the current medical examiner for Spokane County, Dr. Veena Singh, reopened the case and reclassified the cause of death as homicide. This new determination prompted police to suggest a murder charge against Robert G. Davis.
Robert G. Davis and his suspected link to both cases
Robert G. Davis, 52, has been incarcerated in Idaho since being convicted of assaulting a woman in Coeur d'Alene in 2014. Davis was not originally charged in Kala Williams' murder, but Spokane police officially made a first-degree murder charge recommendation in June 2022, The Spokesman-Review reported. This would mean premeditated murder.
Additionally, Davis had been unofficially connected to the 2010 disappearance of Heather Higgins. In police records cited by The Spokesman-Review, Davis' mother, Sherri Cook, reported to police in 2012 that her son had confessed to being a part of Higgins' disappearance. Heather Higgins, however, has never been located, and Davis has not been charged in her disappearance.
Williams’ mother, Martine Maggio, expressed a hope for justice and closure, saying,
“We’re going to get to the bottom of this, even if it takes a couple of years.”
She also said she believed more people could be involved, based on the nature of her daughter’s death.
Questions raised about Spokane County’s past medical rulings
The case of Kala Williams has highlighted wider concerns surrounding other cases covered by former Spokane County Medical Examiner Dr. John Howard. As per The Spokesman-Review, Williams' mother feels that the initial "undetermined" ruling on the cause of death for her daughter could be the tip of a larger iceberg.
"This is going to be a ripple effect among a bunch of people who had wrongful deaths with Dr. Howard," said Maggio.
The reclassification of Williams' death as a homicide by Dr. Veena Singh gave the Spokane police the grounds they needed to reopen the case and pursue criminal charges. This change underscores how second looks at early medical conclusions can alter the legal path of cold cases.
Although Davis is still not charged in Higgins' case, the reference to his reported confession to his mother brings that disappearance back into the spotlight. Both cases are now getting new life in public discourse and media, including coverage by the Crime Junkie podcast.
For more details on the Kala Williams and Heather Higgins' cases, listen to the podcast.
