Atlanta's Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children

These young people were murdered.

Their cases were never solved.

Somebody know something other than Wayne Williams.

This is a case of politics, racism and murder.

A lot has changed in our world

since there was a conviction of Wayne Williams

for two of these murders.

This is a really ugly, dark chapter, but we need to own it.

Do the police work.

If Wayne didn't kill the children, then who did?

["Save Me" by Joan Armatrading playing]

- If there are those who think that by killing black children

that they're gonna crush the spirit

of the black community, they're mistaken.

If they think that by coming in to kill our children

they're gonna divide us

and make us turn on each other,

they're mistaken.

We're not gonna turn on each other.

We're gonna turn to each other,

and out of the death of these children

will come a new determination to shake off the shackles

of poverty and injustice everywhere.

- Okay, we got it covered up, I think.

- I don't know. - Hey, Michael.

Are you here yet?

Put those on for now.

- Hey, darling. How you doing?

Good. - Okay.

- All right, welcome back to News & Talk 1380 WAOK,

the voice of the community.

We are broadcasting live

from West Hunter Street Baptist Church,

and the United Youth Adult Conference

has opened up this conversation.

Did Wayne Williams kill anyone?

And maybe you were not in Atlanta at the time.

Some of us born and raised here.

I was born here, so 40 years ago, I was 13,

and in my own neighborhood, one of my classmates--

playmates that was in my school,

Perkerson Elementary School, Charles Stephens was snatched

and he was subsequently killed,

and he became a part of the list.

- Police say Charles Stephens was asphyxiated then dumped.

- So it was indeed a era of terror.

- Somebody somewhere out there knows

who's doing this insane series of acts

and attacks on our children.

- Insanity is how Atlanta's mayor has described it.

In a little more than a year,

eight Atlanta children have been found strangled,

bludgeoned, or shot to death.

Six others are missing.

- When the task force was formed

to look into these cases,

that was a year into the killings,

and of course the first question was,

what cases are they looking into?

And that's when the list was created,

which became extremely controversial.

- The list was intended to give the parents

of the victims the impression that by putting the name

of their child on the list,

that warranted a deeper commitment

to solving the cases,

but at the same time,

there were these other disappearances and murders

of children which didn't make the list.

- You have to remember even with the list

that became known as the Missing and Murdered Children,

it took a while before people realized there was a pattern,

and so we're looking to see if the list is an accurate list.

We won't be surprised if the list grows.

The Atlanta Police Department has already gone back

to look back and forward several years

at all of the murders of children in our city

and the number is staggering.

There were 158 murders of children

and 33 are still unsolved.

So we don't know if there was something else going on

that we still haven't pieced together.

- It was 40 years ago where we--

unfortunately our young brothers were snatched up,

picked up.

We don't know when, don't know how.

After 40 years we're still searching for answers.

If you would, I want you to touch the hand

of someone close and near.

I know someone's saying, "I didn't come for all that,"

but this is the house of prayer.

all: Amen.

- All right, now I'm asking you to touch someone's hand

because this may be the last hand that you may touch.

That's how fragile life is.

Just like those young men 40 years ago.

Left home, never made it back.

Never had a chance to tell loved ones they love them

'cause they thought that they had all the time in the world.

- To have to tell your children to be careful

because people are murdering people your age

is a horrific thing to have to do.

There was a concerted effort

for people to be on street corners

or pathways to school

and community programs.

People were kind of teaching children

how to keep safe, travel in groups,

and, you know, go straight home, don't...

- It was frightening because I'd just had a son,

Tyrone, Jr.,

and I was worried about my little boy.

It was--you couldn't sleep.

I mean, you go to work, and you take your children

to daycare, you drop them off,

and you wonder, "When I go back,

"is my child gonna be there?

Can I afford to let my child play in the yard?"

I mean, it was-- it was painful.

- I wouldn't let my daughter sleep in a bedroom

that had an unlocked window until she was probably 10.

I wouldn't let her on the other side of the aisle

in the grocery store.

I would not let her out of sight any time.

- You should always know where your children are going,

what time they should arrive,

and what time they'll come back home.

Other things to remind them of:

travel in pairs,

know your address and phone number,

never accept rides with anyone,

don't accept money or gifts

without the parents' permission,

don't open the doors to strangers,

and always know how to dial...

- For me, being a seven-year-old at the time,

I wouldn't necessarily say I was street smart,

but there were certain things I knew.

It had been instilled in us never to go anywhere alone.

I knew that, you know, if I didn't know you,

then there's no way I'm going anywhere with you.

You know? As a matter of fact,

I may just scream 'cause you're a little bit too close to me.

- Nobody here will be getting into anybody's car.

Is that correct? - Yes.

I don't hear you, children.

all: Yes. - Okay.

- When I think about it now, it's still crazy.

Your dinner conversation was,

when you go to school tomorrow,

you make sure you all walk to school together,

you come home together,

you go in the house, you lock the door.

I mean, it was like a monster was out there creeping.

- We want to ask all of those individuals

who are in the room tonight who actually participated

and were a part of the search efforts

if you would stand just for a moment.

Be recognized.

I just want you to look around at some of these heroes

and sheroes...

Who showed up every Saturday morning,

rain, sleet, or snow for over a year.

Thank you very much.

Many of them are gone on to glory now,

but we thank them for their contributions.

- You know what police are doing

and you've seen meetings like this one,

but now these talk sessions are turning into act sessions.

450 people-- police, marshals,

college students, community volunteers--

are expected to take part in a search Saturday.

- What we are fighting here in this city

involving these very serious cases,

vicious attacks on our children,

I think is more powerful than we seem to understand.

- Saturday morning, Arthur Langford,

who was the city councilman at the time,

said he was gonna have some volunteers come search.

We gonna find these kids-- these missing kids.

16, 17...

The first Saturday for the search effort,

we didn't know what to expect,

but we had 600 people who showed up

with their boots and their sticks

ready to go out and do something.

- The volunteers gathered at Clark College

but did their search in the Dixie Hills area of Atlanta.

- Definitely don't touch any bodies

if you find anybody.

- It's one of those memories you have that you really