Identified! GA - DeKalb Co., BlkMale 217UMGA, 5-7, in woods, Timberland boots, Feb'99 - William Dashawn Hamilton *mom arrested ‘22 - GUILTY concealing his death*

[Grungster]

His "mother" was charged with murder...horrible

 

[HmmMysterious]

The suspect

 

[TootsieFootsie]

23 years after death, investigators identify boy found in DeKalb County cemetery, mother arrested

For over 20 years, the identity of a young boy whose body was found place in the woods near a DeKalb County cemetery remained a mystery. Now investigators say they've identified him and arrested his mother for his death.

www.fox5atlanta.com

In 2019, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children shared a new facial reconstruction that may depict what the boy looked like in life.

That rendering ending up being the clue that led to a major discovery. In 2020, a woman reached out to National Center for Missing and Exploited Children saying that they recognized the sketch as Hamilton.

 

[HmmMysterious]

A better closeup of William.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Officials said Wednesday that after 23 years a tip came in from an acquaintance of Black’s when Black lived in Charlotte. The tipster stated she frequently took care of six-year-old William Hamilton, who was Black’s son when they lived in Charlotte.

Investigators say Black left Charlotte with her son but returned alone back in 1998. His body was discovered in 1999 in Dekalb, Georgia, but went unidentified for over two decades, the Dekalb County District Attorney’s Office said Wednesday. Black gave conflicting stories to investigators, documents showed.

Charlotte mother charged 23 years after 6-year-old son was found dead: Officials

A 6-year-old boy who was found dead and went unidentified for over 20 years has been identified and his mother has been charged with his death, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Childre…

www.fox46.com

 

[Hochman]

Comparison to reconstructions

 

[typical_vacation]

Rest In Peace sweet William.

 

[HmmMysterious]

William Dashawn Hamilton had recently located to Charlotte with his mom Teresa Ann Bailey Black. She is facing charges of felony murder, concealing a death, and child abuse. Bailey Black was arrested on June 29th in Phoenix, Arizona.

Okay, that was wrong. The official DA press release states that William was living in Charlotte, North Carolina with his mom, Teresa Bailey Black and another family member until December 1998 when she abruptly withdrew him from school. Bailey Black relocated to Atlanta, Georgia with him. However, in late 1999 she came back to Charlotte without William and told different stories about his whereabouts.

 

[HmmMysterious]

 

[Nancy Drew RN]

This is William: Cold Case Solved After 23 Years

For two decades, investigators in DeKalb County, Georgia, have tried to identify a young child who was found deceased in the woods on Feb. 26, 1999. Using technology that wasn’t around 20 years ago, a forensic artist here at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children created this new...

www.missingkids.org

The break in the case came when a tip was called into the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children from a someone who knew Teresa and William back in 1998 and had been searching for William ever since.

Ava, who preferred to keep her last name private, says she was very close with Teresa and William when they lived in Charlotte, North Carolina. She often took care of William and described him 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!”

To hear more from Ava, check out this NCMEC video.

According to investigators, Teresa left Charlotte, North Carolina with William. But she returned without him. And investigators say she had different stories about where William was.

After 23 years, Ava’s tip called into NCMEC gave new direction to the investigation. Our team followed up, researching, analyzing and trying to connect the pieces to help investigators track down William’s family. With DNA work provided by our partner, Bode Technology, William’s identity was officially confirmed.

“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. A huge thank you to the Dekalb County District Attorney’s Office, the Dekalb County Medical Examiner’s Office and Dekalb County Police for their hard work that brought us here today.”

Huge kudos to both Ava, and law enforcement/NCMEC for keeping William's case alive, including circulating his reconstruction online, which Ava identified with William.

 

[carbuff]

Fly high, sweet boy.

 

[victoriarobinson642]

Rest in peace, William.

 

[PrincessButtercup]

I was hoping that we'd see the arraignment streamed but no such luck!

 

[vls12345]

Mom charged with murder as Georgia boy whose remains were found 23 years ago finally identified

Authorities in DeKalb County said Wednesday they had finally been able to identify William DaShawn Hamilton with the help of a tip.

www.11alive.com

"Boston said William was removed from school in Charlotte, N.C. in December 1998 by his mother, with the pair relocating to metro Atlanta.

William's remains were then discovered in a wooded area at the corner of Clifton Springs Road and Clifton Springs Church Road on Feb. 26, 1999. Boston said Wednesday they believed at the time his remains had been there for about three to six months.

A manner and cause of his death was not determined at the time. The indictment for the mother now alleges that she caused her son's death by giving him "a substance or substances containing Diphenhydramine and Acetaminophen" and by striking him in the head with an unknown object."

 

[cvaldez1975]

this is going to end up being a mommie's bf case. im 98% sure.

Ended up being mommie herself

 

[breachtones]

rip william. also an incredibly accurate reconstruction, maybe the best i've seen from a skeleton.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

I wonder if he had relatives missing him who were permanently estranged from his mother. It's incredibly sad that he fell off everyone's radar-- except for the tipster, who seems to have really cared about him.

 

[Earth]

I was so sure that this was Shykemmia Pate. Rest in peace, William.

 

[Susikatze]

Dipenhydramine and acetaminophen are found in combined cold medication such as nyquil. Dipenhydramine can make you drowsy if overdosed but it wont kill you. Acetaminophen can lead to kidney failure if grossly overdosed but it does not appear that was the case. She (or womeone else, may have been a boyfriend or someone else) then killed him through the blow on his head.

 

[victoriarobinson642]

Dipenhydramine and acetaminophen are found in combined cold medication such as nyquil. Dipenhydramine can make you drowsy if overdosed but it wont kill you. Acetaminophen can lead to kidney failure if grossly overdosed but it does not appear that was the case. She (or womeone else, may have been a boyfriend or someone else) then killed him through the blow on his head.

I always assumed that it was the other way around - that he was hit or otherwise knocked his head into something, and his mother gave him something like Nyquil to help him sleep it off, but that it was worse than she thought. Poor boy.