01/07/2019
Maddox Photography Project 2019
"Atlanta's Murdered and Missing Children: 40 Years Later"
In 1979, a string of still "unsolved" murders of young black children began in Atlanta, Georgia. Over the next two years, at least 29 young children would become part of an "official" list of Murdered and Missing Children that was kept by a Special Task Force.
For over two years, this KILLER or KILLERS tormented Atlanta City Police and surrounding law enforcement agencies by leaving the bodies of the dead children basically out in the open, behind buildings, along roadways and in one case tied to a tree.
As media reports leaked information that "fibers" had been found on several of the bodies that seemed to link the murders, the bodies then began to be dumped into the Chattahoochee River.
After two years, the Special Task Force was making no progress. The GBI and FBI had entered the investigation by now and still NO SUSPECT.
Eventually, a SUSPECT was "named", however in the person of WAYNE BERTRAND WILLIAMS.
Williams was an odd sort of a young man. 23 years old, but very talented as a youth in his teen years. His parents were both teachers in the Atlanta Public School System.
But with Wayne Williams, he seemed, to the public, to be just a bit "off".
In 1981, Williams would be arrested and charged with the murder of two ADULTS: Jimmy Ray Payne and Nathanial Cater.
A trial soon followed and at this trial, District Attorney of Fulton County, Lewis Slaton, and his staff would link Williams to 10 of the Child Murders during their presentation of the evidence in the Payne and Cater murders.
HOWEVER, Wayne Williams was NEVER, and has NEVER been charged, or convicted of ANY CHILD MURDER.
Williams was convicted and is serving two life terms on the Payne and Cater cases. And, a few days after his conviction in 1982, the other 29 Cases of the Murdered Children were suddenly CLOSED.
D.A. Slayton would say there was "enough evidence to close the cases, even if not enough evidence to convict" Williams on the cases. Forever more, though, Wayne Williams would be known around the world as the person who murdered all of those innocent children.
Is Wayne Williams Guilty? Innocent? I truly have no clue and I have read volumes of reports on this case and watched countless videos, some even including recent interviews with Williams himself who sits in prison in Georgia.
Too much time has passed, evidence has been lost and yes, in come cases "destroyed". Evidence that some say pointed to another killer, a white man and his family, all associated with the K*K.
But as we enter into 2019, the 40th Anniversary of the discovery of the first missing children, that Guilt or Innocent of Wayne Williams is not the focus of myself and others.
Atlanta's Mayor Bottoms was questioned in late 2018 about the possible er****on of some type of memorial in Atlanta in remembrance of the "young lives" which were taken during those terrible years in the early 1980's here in Atlanta, then known as "The City Too Busy To Hate".
Mayor Bottoms slightly dodged the question, but did say that people on her staff would look into the matter in 2019. Well Mayor, 2019 is here, and myself and others in the local Atlanta Media are still waiting on an answer.
Through the year, I plan to visit some of the key locations involved in the Murdered and Missing Children case and hopefully locate and speak with some of the family members.
It is beyond time that the City of Atlanta step up and do the right thing. These Families were denied trials for their children and closure has been impossible for many to find. The establishment of a memorial monument somewhere in this city would be one small step to honor the memory of their lost loved one.
Stay Tuned...…….
