Daughter of OKC bombing victim wins right to lifelong benefits support

Kylie Williams’ story didn’t rise from the rubble—but from the somber aftermath of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City—an act of domestic terrorism that claimed 168 lives, including 19 children, and injured nearly 700 others on April 19, 1995

Born into tragedy, Williams has spent her entire life honoring the memory of her father, Scott Williams — a man she never got the chance to meet.

On April 19, 1995, a bomb tore through the heart of downtown, shaking the nation and stealing Scott Williams’ chance to become a father.

The 24-year-old salesman wasn’t supposed to be in the Murrah building that day.

Williams, a recent hire for food distribution company William E. Davis & Sons, was at the federal building on April 19 to deliver a package to the America's Kids Child Development Center.

“He took a call for a co-worker,” family attorney Emily Biscone said. “He was supposed to be downtown, but not there. Just… wrong place, wrong time.”

Scott and his wife, Nicole, were expecting their first child — a baby girl they planned to name Kylie.

“To their knowledge, everything was great with her,” Biscone said. “She was having a wonderful pregnancy. He was thrilled.”

Exactly three months after the bombing, July 19, 1995, Nicole gave birth to Kylie. Kylie came into the world with health challenges, but the greater ache would come from growing up without her father.

“Never met this man a day in her life,” Biscone said, “and she talks about him like she’s known him her entire life.”

In recent years, Kylie has walked the sacred grounds of the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum, standing before the field of empty chairs — one bearing the name “Scott D. Williams.”

Her father, remembered as charismatic and kind, was also a sports enthusiast. Growing up in Tuttle, Williams played on the state championship baseball team in 1988, he went on to play at Rose State and Central Oklahoma. Scott also then coached American Legion ball in Edmond, playing a part in two summer state championships.

Williams had only recently set aside dreams of becoming a career coach, taking the sales job to better provide for his growing family, when his life was cut short.

“Everyone involved, especially the children, were victims,” Biscone said. “And I don’t know that they all were taken care of or compensated.”

As one of those children, Kylie received death benefits through Oklahoma’s workers’ compensation system, which helps provide support for children who lose a parent in the workplace. But as she neared her 18th birthday, those benefits were at risk.

“Her benefits were going to be terminated,” Biscone said. “Just based simply on her age at the time.”

Oklahoma law ties benefit eligibility to the date of the incident — in this case, April 19, 1995. As that deadline approached, Nicole and Kylie turned to Oklahoma City attorney Emily Biscone to fight for continued support.

“The law is very specific,” she said. “Something was going to have to be done proactively to continue her lifelong benefits.”

Biscone submitted medical documentation and legal arguments showing Kylie’s ongoing needs — support her father would’ve provided had he lived.

Their fight paid off, and the court ruled in Kylie’s favor. She will receive support from the state for life.

“All of the children of people who passed away from the bombing are absolute victims,” Biscone said. “They should have continued to get a benefit past the age of 18. Maybe they didn’t know. Maybe no one helped them. It’s heartbreaking.”

Now nearly 30, Kylie remains one of the youngest living victims of the Oklahoma City bombing. In her father’s absence, she’s found strength in his legacy, as steady and symbolic as the chair that bears his name.

Her attorney hopes Kylie’s case sparks a broader conversation about how the system supports, and too often overlooks, the youngest victims of national tragedies.

Biscone believes it’s time to reexamine how workers’ compensation laws are applied in extraordinary cases like this.

The 30th Anniversary Remembrance Ceremony will take place Friday morning at the Oklahoma City National Memorial.

Kylie Williams is expected to attend.