GEORGIA (WRBL) - A little boy who was murdered and found in a DeKalb County, Georgia has his name back after being known as a John Doe for more than 20 years.
On July 13, 2022, the DeKalb County District Attorney's Office announced the mother of the child, whose body was dumped in a wooded area near a small church cemetery on Clifton Springs Road in 1999, is being charged with his murder.
According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the little boy has been identified as six-year-old William DaShawn Hamilton.
Teresa Ann Bailey Black, age 45, has been charged with two counts of Felony Murder, two counts of Cruelty to Children, Aggravated Assault, and Concealing the Death of Another in connection to the death of Hamilton.
Hamilton’s body was found on Friday, Feb. 26, 1999. The six-year-old boy would spend the next 23 years without a name, as investigators worked to solve his murder.
According to the NCMEC, a major break in the case came when a tip was called into to the organization. It was from an individual who said she had known both Black and the little boy back in 1998, when they lived in Charlotte, North Carolina. The individual named Ava, who preferred to keep her last name private, said she had been searching for William ever since.
“This case is a perfect example of why we never give up hope,” said Angeline Hartmann, Director of Communications at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. “For more than two decades, a woman in Charlotte followed her gut feeling that something wasn’t right. She made phone calls, scoured the internet and talked to anybody who would listen. We’re grateful she never stopped until she found that rendering of William online and gave investigators the missing piece to help solve this 23-year-old mystery."
According to NCMEC, Ava said she was very close to the mother and son when they lived in Charlotte. Ava often took care of Hamilton. She described the little boy as a fun, witty, adventurous and intelligent little boy who loved to dance.
“He liked to crack jokes,” said Ava. “He did like to draw a lot, color, mainly read books. He didn't want you to read to him…he wanted to read to you!”
According to NCMEC, Black left Charlotte and we she returned, Hamilton was not with her. Investigators said Black had several different stories she would tell people about his location.
NCMEC said Ava's tip gave investigators a new direction to follow in the case. The NCMEC team followed up, researching, analyzing and trying to connect the pieces to help investigators track down Hamilton’s family. With DNA work provided by NCMEC partner, Bode Technology, Hamilton’s identity was officially confirmed.
Black was taken into custody near her home in Phoenix, Arizona. She is currently awaiting extradition to Georgia, according to the Dekalb County District Attorney's Office,
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