Case Study:- The Atlanta Child Murders

THE ATLANTA CHILD MURDERS

Context

Between 1979 and 1981, at least 28 young African American children, teenagers, and young adults were kidnapped and killed in Atlanta, Georgia. Among them were Jimmy Ray Payne, 21, and Nathaniel Cater, 28, whose deaths were attributed to asphyxiation and were last seen with Wayne Williams before being found in the Chattahoochee River.

The involvement of the FBI and the use of surveillance to monitor the bridges where some of the victims were dumped highlight the seriousness of the investigation and the efforts made to catch the perpetrator(s).

Green-yellow fibers were found on numerous bodies of the victims of the Atlanta Child Murders. The fibers were a key piece of evidence in the investigation as they appeared to be consistent and unique to a particular type of carpet, and suggested that the murders may have been linked.

Investigators believed that the fibers could have come from a vehicle, a piece of clothing, or even from the perpetrator's residence or workplace. The FBI analyzed and compared the fibers with thousands of other samples, and ultimately found a match with fibers found in Wayne Williams' residence and on a carpet in his car.

 

Wayne William- A suspect

Yellowish-green nylon fibers and violet acetate fibers were found on the bodies and clothing of murder victims in the Atlanta area between July 1979 and May 1981. The fibers were considered to have originated from a single source and appeared to be carpet fibers. The manufacturer of the fibers could not be identified despite efforts to do so. After an Atlanta newspaper article publicized the finding of multiple fiber types on two murder victims, the bodies of subsequent victims were found naked or only in undershorts in an attempt to avoid the fibers being found.

Wayne Bertram Williams was stopped by police while driving off a bridge and a yellowish-green nylon carpet-type fiber was later found in the hair of one of his victims. Associations were made between fibers found on Williams' dog, bedspread, and the green carpet in his home, and those found on the murder victims. The rarity of the cross-sectional shape of the fibers suggested that they were present in only a small number of carpets.

 

Carpet- A potential evidence

The investigation focused on identifying the manufacturer of the yellowish-green nylon fibers found on the victims. It was determined that the fibers were manufactured by the Wellman Corporation and sold to customers in the Atlanta area, including the West Point Pepperell Corporation. West Point Pepperell had manufactured a line of carpet called "Luxaire," which was constructed in the same manner as the carpet found in the William's bedroom. One of the colors offered in the "Luxaire" line was called "English Olive," which was the same color as the carpet found in the William's bedroom. West Point Pepperell had only purchased the Wellman fiber for this line during 1970 and 1971, and the fiber composition was changed after 1971. The investigation also explored the possibility of finding a similar carpet in other homes in the Atlanta area, but the chance of finding one was very low.

 

Fiber analysis

• Fibres and hairs found on the victims and at the crime scenes were used as evidence to connect Wayne Williams to the murders of Nathaniel Cater and Jimmy Ray Payne in Atlanta in 1981.
• Fibre comparisons were made between the items found on the victims and those collected from Williams' home, cars, and dog.
• The following fibres and hairs were used to connect Williams to the murders:
• Violet acetate fibres from Williams' bedspread were consistent with fibres found on both victims, although the removed fibres were lighter in colour.
• Green fibres from Williams' bedroom carpet were consistent with fibres found on both victims, although a lighter colour.
• Ryon fibres from a station wagon belonging to Williams were consistent with a fibre removed from Payne.
• Yellow blanket fibres found in Williams' bedroom were consistent with fibres found on both victims.
• Blue acrylic fibres found on a rug in Williams' bathroom were consistent with fibres found on Payne.
• Animal hairs found on Payne were consistent with Williams' German Shepard.
• Fibres found in 12 other unsolved pattern-murder cases were also consistent with Williams' bedding, carpet, station wagon, blanket, or workroom. This evidence was used to create a pattern but was deemed inadmissible by the defence.
• Both victims were found in river water, which explained the lighter colour of some fibres due to exposure to water.

 

Verdict

Williams was convicted of the murder of two victims on February 27, 1982 and received two life sentences. Despite not being charged with any more murders, it was believed that Williams was responsible for additional killings in the Atlanta area.

DNA testing

In 2007, the State of Georgia agreed to DNA test the dog hair used to convict Williams in response to his appeal. The mitochondrial DNA sequence found in the hairs matched Williams' dog, but the test could not conclusively prove it was the source. The FBI also tested two human hairs found on a victim and found they matched Williams' DNA. In 2019, the Atlanta Police Department, Fulton County District Attorney's Office, and Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced they would re-test evidence from the murders.

Author:- Srishti Dutta