From 1979 to 1981, approximately 29 African-American children and young adults were kidnapped and murdered in the Atlanta, Georgia area. Though Wayne Williams now serves life in prison for killing two adult men during the wave of murders, he was never charged with the killing of multiple children—despite police believing that he was responsible for these slayings. Williams maintains his innocence in the other slayings to this day. In Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children, the new five-part HBO true crime docuseries set to premiere April 5th, viewers are taken back through the case from the point of view of the community and the victims’ families.
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This horrible tragedy has loomed over the city for four decades. Just last year, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms reopened the Atlanta Child Murders case hoping that advances in forensic technology could bring closure to those left behind. The Atlanta Child Murders case also featured prominently in the second season of Netflix's true crime drama Mindhunter. And while HBO's upcoming documentary pores over court documents and evidence, it also dives boldly into the high racial tensions that arose from this brutal ordeal. As more bodies were found and new leads came to light, elected officials and investigators searched desperately for a suspect to close the case.
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In the new trailer below, get a glimpse of the unrest and cultural clashes that still haunt the people of Atlanta, and then catch the full story when the docuseries hits HBO beginning April 5th.
[Source: FBI.gov]
Featured photo of "Atlanta's Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children" via HBO
