Atlanta's Missing and Murdered: Exposing Injustice
The HBO docuseries that reopened questions about the Atlanta child murders and a controversial conviction
By
Susanne SperlingBetween July 1979 and May 1981, Atlanta became the center of one of America's most haunting crime sprees. At least 28–30 African-American children, adolescents, and young adults disappeared and were murdered during this period, many of them strangled and left in woods or rivers across the city.
The case that emerged from this tragedy—and the 2020 HBO docuseries *Atlanta's Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children*—reveals a darker story of racial injustice, pressure to solve crimes, and a conviction that remains controversial nearly four decades later.
**The Victims and the Early Investigation**
The killings began in mid-1979, when Edward "Teddy" Smith, 14, and Alfred "Q" Evans, 13, disappeared four days apart. Their bodies were discovered together on July 28, 1979, in a wooded area. Smith bore a .22-caliber gunshot wound to his upper back—the first indication of the violence to come. Over the following months, more children vanished. Milton Harvey, 14, disappeared on September 4, 1979, while running an errand; his bicycle was found a week later, but his body wasn't recovered until November.
As the death toll climbed, Atlanta descended into fear. Parents demanded action. The city faced mounting pressure to arrest a killer.
**The Wayne Williams Conviction**
In 1982, Wayne Williams, a 23-year-old Atlanta native, was arrested, tried, and convicted. Notably, he was convicted only of two adult murders—including Nathaniel Cater, 27, who was asphyxiated and disappeared on May 22, 1981. Williams received two consecutive life sentences.
However, what happened next set the stage for decades of controversy: police attributed many of the child murders to Williams post-conviction without charging him in those cases. The task force investigating the murders shut down shortly after his conviction, and most cases were closed and attributed to him.
Williams maintains his innocence to this day.
**The HBO Documentary and Reopened Questions**
The 2020 HBO docuseries *Atlanta's Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children* examined trial materials and raised critical questions about the investigation and conviction. By examining evidence and context, the documentary highlighted racial tensions that characterized the investigation and suggested that the rush to solve the cases may have obscured the full truth.
The series brought renewed attention to the case just as Atlanta officials were reconsidering it. In March 2019, under Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, the Atlanta Police Department reopened the cases using new technology. As of November 2025, no public results have been announced.
**Legacy and Memorial**
One significant development came in May 2020, when Mayor Bottoms announced a memorial honoring the victims. Artist Dwayne Mitchell created 30 portraits of the children and young adults killed during the spree. These portraits were exhibited at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, ensuring that the victims would not be forgotten and that the Atlanta community would continue to confront this chapter of its history.
The Atlanta child murders remain a stark reminder of how racial tensions, institutional pressure, and investigative shortcuts can shape the pursuit of justice. Nearly 45 years after the first confirmed murders, questions persist about whether all the victims received equal investigative attention and whether the person convicted truly committed all—or any—of the crimes attributed to him.
**Sources**
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GP9dJPBnSjM https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlanta_murders_of_1979%E2%80%931981 https://atlantamonster.com https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylvM74c3VE4 https://www.hulu.com/series/atlantas-missing-and-murdered-the-lost-children-92896669-98f7-494f-88f4-33e95097d20c