Stepha Henry was a 22-year-old recent honors graduate of John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City who worked in the school’s enrollment office and hoped to attend law school. Born in Trinidad and raised in Brooklyn, she flew to South Florida on May 24, 2007, staying with an aunt for Memorial Day weekend and planning to fly home the afternoon of May 29. She was responsible and close to her family, and relatives said she would not have left without warning.
In the early hours of May 29, Stepha left her aunt’s Miami residence around 1:00 a.m. with an acquaintance, Kendrick Lincoln Williams, in a dark gray four-door 1995 Acura Integra. They were headed to Peppers Café/Club Peppers, a nightclub in Sunrise, Broward County. Surveillance confirmed she arrived at the club that night. She was last seen wearing a black dress over a white tank top, brown heeled shoes, and carrying a brown clutch purse.
The last activity on Stepha’s cellphone occurred at 4:13 a.m. on May 29, with a signal that pinged near the nightclub; after she checked voicemail, the phone was turned off and there was no further activity. She never made her scheduled flight home later that day. Those who knew her emphasized that this disappearance was out of character.
Months into the investigation, detectives located and impounded the Acura Williams had sold after Stepha’s disappearance. Testing revealed a large amount of Stepha’s blood inside the vehicle—particularly on the front passenger seat and seat belt—and bleach staining on the floorboard beneath that seat. The blood loss was sufficient to indicate a homicide; stain patterns suggested she was struck or stabbed in the upper back, neck, or head. The Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office later underscored that DNA blood evidence found in the car played an important role in the case.
In January 2008, Williams was arrested in New York and charged with second-degree murder in Stepha’s case. After years of delays, a Broward County jury found him guilty in September 2024; in November 2024, a judge sentenced him to life in prison. Despite the conviction and sentence, Stepha’s body has never been recovered, and her family has endured an especially painful wait for answers.
Stepha Henry’s disappearance began as a hopeful long weekend with family and became a tragedy that rippled across two states. The record reflects a young woman on the cusp of a promising future, whose absence left a lasting ache in the lives of those who loved her. Though justice has progressed in court, the search for her remains—and for a measure of peace—continues.Last Seen: May 29, 2007
