Wayne Williams had a profound effect on Atlanta. So profound, that I stumbled upon an old newspaper article about 2 young missing kids, and had to write about it. Fourteen-year-old Termal Heard and 10-year-old Dempster Williams had gone missing on Wednesday. The newspaper reported them safe on Thursday.
Why did that merit news coverage? They were African American, it was Atlanta. It was 1981. A serial killer was on the loose.
In Atlanta, there were already 20 dead or missing African American children. A task force had been set up.
Published February 26, 1981, it would take 3 more murders and 4 more months for police to arrest Wayne Williams. The murders stopped, but many, including author James Baldwin, believed him innocent. The controversy, including allegations the KKK were involved, continue even now.
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields announced that officials would re-test evidence from the murders. That was March, 2019. Bottoms says there is evidence linking Williams to many of the victims. Williams continues to deny his guilt, and he has many supporters.
