A head chef who built a quiet life in Mission Beach under a false name turned out to be a wanted man from Iowa, nearly 14 years after investigators say he vanished following a violent kidnapping. U.S. Marshals arrested 50-year-old Brian Anthony Williams this week at a business on the 3700 block of Mission Boulevard, ending a manhunt that stretched back to 2012.
Williams was taken into custody at the business in the 3700 block of Mission Boulevard in Mission Beach, according to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News. Both accounts place the arrest on Tuesday, October 6, 2026: FOX 5 reported Williams was arrested Tuesday after spending nearly 14 years as a fugitive, while the Times of San Diego reported the arrest took place on October 6 inside Miss B's Coconut Club, after Williams had spent 14 years on the lam. San Diego-based U.S. Marshals located Williams inside the business and arrested him without incident, per the station's report.
A Tip Leads to an Alias
Investigators developed the break in the case in September, according to the same account, when a lead indicated Williams was living in San Diego and using the alias Troy Williams. Under that assumed identity, authorities said, Williams had been working as a chef and had even appeared in local publications and television news reports without anyone realizing who he really was. He was serving as head chef at Miss B's Coconut Club in Mission Beach at the time of his arrest, authorities said.
That public-facing role is notable given the case's backstory: a February profile published by the Times of San Diego featured the restaurant's head chef reflecting on life lessons for Black History Month, an appearance the gaps in the record do not allow Hoodline to independently tie to every publication Williams appeared in under the false name.
The 2012 Davenport Case
The charges stem from an October 2012 incident in Davenport, Iowa. Investigators allege that Williams and other co-conspirators kidnapped and assaulted a woman on October 8, 2012, then shot her and left her in a field in northwest Davenport, according to the same report. Williams was formally charged in Scott County on October 26, 2012, with first-degree kidnapping, assault causing serious injury, conspiracy to commit a felony and first-degree arson.
A year later, in 2013, Williams was additionally charged in the Southern District of Iowa with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, the outlet reported. The case also included charges of kidnapping, assault causing serious injury, conspiracy to commit a felony and first-degree arson.
Marshal Points to Lesson for Other Fugitives
U.S. Marshal Ted Kamatchus framed the arrest as a warning to anyone who believes a new identity is enough to stay hidden forever. “This arrest is a perfect example of those who think they have bested law enforcement and evaded arrest,” Kamatchus said, a comment that FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News reported directly.
Williams will remain in U.S. Marshal custody while he awaits extradition to Iowa, where he is expected to face the pending charges. The evidence reviewed by Hoodline describes allegations rather than a conviction, and no information was available on whether Williams has entered a plea or had an extradition hearing scheduled.
