Wayne Bertram Williams is an American convicted murderer whose 1982 convictions became a central part of the investigation into a series of killings known as the Atlanta Child Murders. Between 1979 and 1981, approximately 29 African-American children, teenagers, and young adults were killed in the Atlanta area. Most of the victims were boys. The Federal Bureau of Investigation later stated that evidence linked Williams to 22 of the 29 deaths, although he was convicted in court of two murders.
The series began in July 1979 with the disappearance and killing of 14-year-old Edward Hope Smith. Four days later, another teenager disappeared and was subsequently found dead. Additional disappearances and killings followed over the next 22 months, creating a multi-agency investigation involving the Atlanta Police Department and Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
The FBI became involved in June 1980 after the abduction of a seven-year-old girl prompted Atlanta authorities to seek federal assistance. The Department of Justice authorized a preliminary FBI investigation in November 1980, and the Bureau subsequently assigned more than two dozen agents and other personnel to the case on a full-time basis.
Investigators examined disappearances and murders that shared several characteristics. Many victims were young African-American males who disappeared during daylight hours from relatively public locations. Their bodies were subsequently discovered in isolated areas. Investigators considered whether the common circumstances indicated that multiple killings had been committed by the same person.
By the spring of 1981, investigators observed a change in the disposal of victims' bodies.
