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A Jacksonville mother helped change the law for families of murdered children

Patricia Ward's son, Curtis Williamson, was killed in 1997 at 16 years old. In the quarter century since, she has lobbied for law enforcement to share more information about crime victims with the families of the deceased. That became reality when Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Curtis' Law in May.
Will Brown
/
Jacksonville Today
Patricia Ward's son, Curtis Williamson, was killed in 1997 at 16 years old. In the quarter century since, she has lobbied for law enforcement to share more information about crime victims with the families of the deceased. That became reality when Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Curtis' Law in May.

This spring, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Curtis’ Law, which mandates law enforcement agencies must provide contact information and case number information to the family of a homicide victim under 18. It also encourages sharing information about the status of an investigation to family members.

Curtis’ Law went into effect Saturday. And for Jacksonville resident Patricia Ward, Saturday was the day her son’s legacy changed the law in Florida.

The law is named after Curtis Williamson, whose 1997 death in Southern California was ruled a homicide. Ward, Curtis’ mother, has lived in Jacksonville for more than a decade.

Read the rest of this story at Jacksonville Today, part of WJCT Public Media.