Where Is Wayne Williams, Suspect From Atlanta Child Murders Now?

Finished Tiger King? HBO’s got your back with a new true crime docuseries about the infamous Atlanta Child Murders.

The five-part series, which is called Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children, tells the story of the abduction and murder of at least 30 African American children and young adults in Atlanta between 1979 and 1981. It also covers the story of Wayne Williams, a man who was convicted of the murders. The case was once closed, but Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms eventually reopened it 40 years later.

The new HBO docuseries features exclusive archival footage and photos, along with interviews with people who were close to the children, as well as those who investigated the murders.

It’s been a minute since the Atlanta Child Murders dominated headlines (although the case appeared in a semi-fictionalized storyline for season two of Netflix’s hit true crime series Mindhunter), so you may be wondering who exactly is Wayne Williams and what happened to him after he was convicted. Here's everything you need to know:

Where is Wayne Williams now?

Today, Williams is in his early sixties and serving two life sentences in prison. However, he maintains his innocence in the Atlanta Child Murders.

And as it turns out, Williams may not be the only person who thinks so. Atlanta police announced in March 2019 that they would be reopening the case, and Williams released a statement, reiterating that he is innocent of any crime.

Wayne Williams

"I stand fully ready and willing to cooperate with any renewed investigation to find the truth on what happened with the purpose of straightening up any lies and misconceptions of my unjust convictions," he said in a statement read in a news conference, per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Williams reportedly sends families of the victims Christmas cards and letters declaring his innocence, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported, and some families say that they don’t think Williams killed their children.

There have also been new allegations (as of 2019) against Williams by several men who say he tried to molest them when they were kids, per the Atlanta-Journal Constitution.

Bottoms stressed that the new investigation is not an attempt to exonerate Williams. She told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that evidence from the 1980s ties Williams to many of the murdered children. Instead, the investigation will use new technology to see if it can uncover any more details from re-testing evidence.

Watch Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms push to reopen the Atlanta Child Murders case:

Back up: How did Wayne Williams become a suspect in the Atlanta Child Murders?

In the early '80s, Wayne Williams was a 23-year-old freelance photographer who also described himself as a music promoter, per People.

He became a suspect in the murders when a surveillance team pulled him over near a bridge in the early hours of May 22, 1981, after hearing a loud splash. (Officials had been staking out bridges because some of the murder victims' bodies had been found in the Chattahoochee River.) Days later, a body was found in the river not far from where another one had been found, according to The New York Times.

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• A Complete Timeline Of The Atlanta Child Murders
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The victims in the Atlanta Child Murders were all between the ages of seven and 17, per The Times, except for two young adults. They were also mostly from low-income areas of Atlanta.

But perhaps the most chilling commonality of the victims was that they simply vanished while doing ordinary things, like going to see a movie or ice skating.

The children’s bodies surfaced weeks, or sometimes even months, later in a river, under a bridge, or behind a dumpster. Terrified parents refused to let their children play outside. Some even took their kids out of school, the Times reported, while city officials imposed a curfew. The FBI eventually became involved, along with several other government agencies.

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The investigation took a turn when authorities linked hairs and carpet fibers on the bodies of two of the victims to those in Williams' house and car, The Times reported. Williams was convicted in February 1982 for the murders of two adults.

After the trial, law-enforcement officials linked Williams to 22 of the other murders, but he was never actually tried for the crimes. (Five of the remaining murder cases were left open.)

Wayne Williams in handcuffs

Hopefully, with the reinvestigation, the world will get some answers. Until then, you might as well get your true-crime fix with Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children, premiering this Sunday, April 5, on HBO.

Korin MillerKorin Miller is a freelance writer specializing in general wellness, sexual health and relationships, and lifestyle trends, with work appearing in Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Self, Glamour, and more. She has a master’s degree from American University, lives by the beach, and hopes to own a teacup pig and taco truck one day.