William Dean Ponder, a South Carolina resident, disappeared on August 28, 1993. He spent the evening with friends at a tavern near his home and was dropped off at a nearby feed mill but has never been heard from again. His father reported him missing on September 2. William had a criminal record and was recently released from prison.

Foul play is suspected in his case, and a former acquaintance of William's told police he had been murdered. He has been declared legally dead, but his remains have never been found.

William's son, Scott Dean Ponder, was murdered in 2003, but his death is not thought to be connected to William's disappearance.