The List
Chet Dettlinger and Jeff Prugh
A book-length account for readers who want more detail.
1979–1981 · Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta child murders
Disputed justice
The killings and disappearances of Black children and young adults shook Atlanta from 1979 to 1981. Wayne Williams was convicted of murdering two adults; authorities attributed other deaths to him without separate trials. Families, journalists, and filmmakers have continued to question aspects of the investigation.
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The Story
When1979–1981
WhereAtlanta, Georgia
In this collection38 resources
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Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children
Hulu
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Murder in America — The Atlanta Child Murders (Episode 20)
Apple Podcasts
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Blogs & Essays
Read our articles here and explore outside perspectives, credited to their writers and publications. See this case in the Journal →
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Blogs & essays
1 itemsAbout these sources
Outside essays and reading guides reflect their authors’ perspectives. Compare claims with reported and primary sources.
CrimeReads
Sarah Weinman on James Baldwin, the Atlanta Child Murders, and the Evolution of True Crime Writing
Sarah Weinman considers James Baldwin’s writing about the Atlanta killings and how true-crime storytelling has changed.
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Books
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Books
1 itemsChet Dettlinger and Jeff Prugh
The List
Book-length account or personal perspective. This link provides bibliographic details; compare the author’s account with reporting and records.
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Search Amazon · paid linkExplore this book
Title search; Amazon availability is not confirmed. Check the edition, format, and viewing region.
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Movies & TV
TV & documentaries
3 itemsAbout these sources
Episodes, documentaries and title listings. Season and episode numbers follow the linked catalog and can differ by service. Air dates are separate from crime dates. Playback availability varies by service and region.
Hulu
Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children
Nonfiction screen coverage of this case. The linked page identifies the program or episode; playback, subscriptions, and regional availability vary.
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Search Amazon · paid linkViewing options & episode details
Title search; Amazon availability is not confirmed. Check the edition, format, and viewing region.
IMDb · Screen title
The Atlanta Child Murders (1985)
IMDb title reference connected to the Atlanta child murders case. Listed release: 1985. Cast, credits, and title information; viewing availability is separate.
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Title search; Amazon availability is not confirmed. Check the edition, format, and viewing region.
IMDb · Screen title
The Atlanta Child Murders (2019)
IMDb title reference connected to the Atlanta child murders case. Listed release: 2019. Cast, credits, and title information; viewing availability is separate.
Screen TitleTitle Details · Not Playback
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Search Amazon · paid linkCredits & title details on IMDb
Title search; Amazon availability is not confirmed. Check the edition, format, and viewing region.
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Audiobooks
Explore the shared audiobook connected to this case below, or search for other audio editions.
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These books are in this case’s collection. An audiobook version has not been verified for the listings below.
The List
Search Audiobook Editions · paid linkChet Dettlinger and Jeff Prugh
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Fiction Work
Fiction Work
Browse all →Scripted stories and fictional inspirations. Scenes, characters, and dialogue can differ from the record.
No verified fictional adaptation or inspiration has been identified in this collection. Nonfiction coverage is listed in the other media sections.
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Podcasts
Podcasts
14 itemsAbout these sources
Audio episodes and oral histories. Personal recollections are attributed perspectives; some services require sign-in.
Apple Podcasts
Murder in America — The Atlanta Child Murders (Episode 20)
Direct episode page for this case or its screen adaptation. Open it for listening options and the publisher’s episode notes.
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True Crime Garage
The Atlanta Child Murders ////// 56
Podcast coverage of the Atlanta child murders case. Released October 19, 2016. About 90 minutes.
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Killer Stories with Harvey Guillén
The Atlanta Child Murders Pt. 1
Podcast coverage of the Atlanta child murders case. Released November 8, 2021. About 45 minutes.
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Serial Killer Podcast Documentary
Atlanta Child Murders
Podcast coverage of the Atlanta child murders case. Released July 23, 2024. About 45 minutes.
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William Ramsey Investigates
The Atlanta Child Murders: Was There a Larger Network? With Austin Picard of the Underclass Podcast.
Podcast coverage of the Atlanta child murders case. Released July 4, 2025. About 71 minutes.
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I Swear To Drunk I Am Not God
S4 - EP 11 - THE ATLANTA CHILD MURDERS
Podcast coverage of the Atlanta child murders case. Released April 9, 2026. About 110 minutes.
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The Black Docket
Episode 1: The Atlanta Child Murders
Podcast coverage of the Atlanta child murders case. Released January 5, 2025. About 114 minutes.
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FBI Case File Review
187: John Glover – Atlanta Child Murders, Wayne Williams
Podcast coverage of the Atlanta child murders case. Released November 13, 2019. About 88 minutes.
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Killer Stories with Harvey Guillén
The Atlanta Child Murders Pt. 2
Podcast coverage of the Atlanta child murders case. Released November 11, 2021. About 40 minutes.
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Melanin Mayhem Podcast
Connected But Never Convicted - The Atlanta Child Murders
Podcast coverage of the Atlanta child murders case. Released June 11, 2025. About 76 minutes.
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Fruitloops: Serial Killers of Color
E92: The Atlanta Child Murders Pt 1
Podcast coverage of the Atlanta child murders case. Released September 17, 2020. About 77 minutes.
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Necronomipod
The Atlanta Child Murders
Podcast coverage of the Atlanta child murders case. Released September 1, 2019. About 82 minutes.
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True Crime Obsessed
Atlanta Child Murders: Part 1
Podcast coverage of the Atlanta child murders case. Released September 1, 2020. About 46 minutes.
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Unforbidden Truth
A conversation with Nicholas Burston: Cousin of Atlanta Child Murders victim Anthony Carter
Podcast coverage of the Atlanta child murders case. Released August 7, 2024. About 83 minutes.
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Social Media
BRING YOUR PERSPECTIVE
Where would you start?
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Talk about sources and storytelling with care for the people affected. A documentary, a book and a court record serve different purposes.
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News & Reading
More Reading & Audio
1 sourcesExplore book records, previews, library audiobooks and selected documents. Access labels distinguish free material from library loans and paid subscriptions.
Open Library · Catalog / Availability
The evidence of things not seen by James Baldwin
Bibliographic record for related reading. Check the edition page for previews, lending and other access options; full text has not been confirmed.
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Reading Access Notes
Search reviewed 2026-09-16. Sources searched: Google Books, Internet Archive, Open Library, Library of Congress, Smithsonian Magazine, The Atavist Magazine, Google Books (case/title search), Scribd, Everand, OverDrive and hoopla (combined title search). Search indexing is incomplete; this is not an exhaustive list of the web. Access can change by edition, country and library membership. Library loans may require sign-in or a wait. Everand titles may need a paid subscription; a trial is not permanent free access. Scribd documents are third-party uploads, with uploader details noted where checked. We link to source pages and write our own descriptions rather than reproducing copyrighted books.
A separate Texas Monthly search was blocked by the publisher’s automated-access rules and could not be verified.
News & reporting
1 itemsLos Angeles Times
Reporting on Atlanta child murders
Linked reporting or commentary. Read the source date for its historical context; access may require a subscription.
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Newspaper clippings
2 itemsFeatured newspaper clipping
Read our original summary below. The archive link opens the newspaper’s own clipping viewer.
The Atlanta Constitution · 1981-08-27 · Page 52
Community leaders urge continued caution
A local feature examines public reactions while many Atlanta cases remained unresolved.
Continued reporting; the charges against Williams concerned two killings, not the entire series.
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Read the original at Newspapers.com. Access and subscription requirements are set by the archive.
Open full clipping at Newspapers.comMore from the newspaper archive
Continue with these dated reports on Newspapers.com.
The Atlanta Journal · 1980-10-10 · Page 1
Atlanta reports another child’s death
The front page describes another discovery and the widening investigation.
Early reporting includes unproven investigative leads and unrelated news.
Read this article on Newspapers.comKeep following the newspaper trail.
Search original reporting, follow the trial, and compare how newspapers covered the case over time.
Explore more on Newspapers.comNewspapers.com controls access to its archive. A subscription may be required; existing subscribers can sign in.
Internet Archive
3 itemsAbout these sources
Library records and preserved media. A catalog listing does not guarantee full reading or playback.
Internet Archive · TV News Archive
CNN Presents : CNNW : May 29, 2011 4:00pm-6:00pm PDT
The archive indexes this broadcast under Atlanta child murders. It may contain several stories; use any available captions or previews to locate the relevant segment. Full playback may be restricted.
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Internet Archive · TV News Archive
Atlanta Child Murders : CNNW : March 17, 2013 5:00pm-7:00pm PDT
The archive indexes this broadcast under Atlanta child murders. It may contain several stories; use any available captions or previews to locate the relevant segment. Full playback may be restricted.
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Internet Archive · TV News Archive
The Atlanta Child Murders : CNNW : February 8, 2014 11:00pm-12:01am PST
The archive indexes this broadcast under Atlanta child murders. It may contain several stories; use any available captions or previews to locate the relevant segment. Full playback may be restricted.
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Court & Files
Court records & documents
1 itemsAbout these sources
Documents are labeled by type and scope. Allegations in filings are not findings of guilt. This collection is not the complete case file.
Court opinionArchive copy
Williams v. State — two-murder conviction appeal
The Georgia Supreme Court reviewed Wayne Williams’s convictions for the murders of Nathaniel Cater and Jimmy Ray Payne. This was not a trial for every Atlanta child murder.
- Court / agency
- Supreme Court of Georgia
- Document date
- December 5, 1983
- Case / citation
- 39641
- Hosted by
- Justia
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Roads Traveled
Roads Traveled
Open case map →Atlanta, Georgia. The map provides regional context; individually verified historical places are listed below.
Where this story happened
Atlanta, Georgia
Highlighted states show regional context, not exact addresses. Ontario and regions outside the contiguous U.S. are listed by name.
Explore the interactive case atlas →Boundaries: Natural Earth · public domain
Location research & source notes
Map sources checked September 14, 2026. 1 individual Odd Stops location pages matched this case.
See this case’s source review
- Odd Stops
- Location pages found · 1 location pages. Read the location summaries in our place guides; photographs appear where reuse rights are verified.
- MurderData
- No verified match found.
- ArcGIS essay
- Not included in this essay.
- Reddit map
- Reviewed as a general resource. Its coordinates and victim counts were not adopted as case evidence.
“No verified match” describes the accessible material found in this review, not proof that a source has never covered the case. MAP’s anonymous records were not individually matched to people.
See the full case checklist →Wayne Williams's former home
Private property1817 Penelope Road NW, Atlanta, Georgia
Williams lived here before his arrest. He was convicted of two adult murders; this address does not establish responsibility for every Atlanta child murder.
Historical reference only. No tour or public entry has been verified; respect residents and do not contact occupants.
Explore This Place →EXPLORE THE CASE
Positive Outcome
Positive Outcome
0 itemsAbout these sources
Documented laws, advocacy and reforms. Listing a change does not claim it is effective or universally supported.
No case-specific reform has been verified for this collection yet.
Social Media
10 itemsAbout these sources
Case-specific posts, videos and communities. Community opinions are separate from verified reporting. Platforms may require sign-in.
CNN
Atlanta Child Murders: The investigation and arrest of Wayne Williams (2014)
Video from CNN covering the Atlanta child murders case. Length: 1:26:58.
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11Alive
Atlanta Child Murders Exclusive: The 7-year-old who escaped Wayne Williams
Video from 11Alive covering the Atlanta child murders case. Length: 2:49.
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True Crime Recaps
The Atlanta Child Murders and the hunt for Wayne Williams
Video from True Crime Recaps covering the Atlanta child murders case. Length: 18:49.
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The New Detectives
Inside The Lab That Cracked The Atlanta Child Murders | The New Detectives
Video from The New Detectives covering the Atlanta child murders case. Length: 52:45.
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Towns of Fear
Inside the Atlanta Child Murders (1979–1981) | What Really Happened
Video from Towns of Fear covering the Atlanta child murders case. Length: 29:40.
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Brooke Makenna
SOLVED? THE ATLANTA CHILD MURDERS
Video from Brooke Makenna covering the Atlanta child murders case. Length: 41:59.
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Show 4 more social media
True Crime Garage TV
The Atlanta Child Murders /// True Crime
Video from True Crime Garage TV covering the Atlanta child murders case. Length: 1:29:32.
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Investigation Discovery
The Atlanta Child Murders | Six Theories
Video from Investigation Discovery covering the Atlanta child murders case. Length: 14:33.
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Atlanta News First
"The Atlanta Child Murders" docu-series
Video from Atlanta News First covering the Atlanta child murders case. Length: 3:41.
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Facebook · Creator community
Fruitloops: Serial Killers of Color — Facebook group
Linked by this creator in the episode notes for “E92: The Atlanta Child Murders Pt 1.” This discussion group covers multiple cases. The matching case episode is linked below. Group rules or membership approval may limit access.
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