Over twenty years after an unknown young boy’s remains were discovered in a South DeKalb County cemetery, Georgia investigators have made a breakthrough in the mystery of the child’s identity and alleged murder.
The DeKalb County District Attorney identified the boy as 6-year-old William Dashawn Hamilton at a press conference Wednesday. According to the DA, the boy had recently moved to the Atlanta area from Charlotte, North Carolina with his mother.
“At every turn this case ran cold, until now,” DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston said.
On Feb. 26, 1999, a cemetery worker preparing for a funeral found the boy lying in a field. Investigators discovered that someone dumped the boy’s body there. He had been there for months and his remains had weathered the elements. There were no signs of foul play.
For more than twenty years, no one knew how the boy died. Investigators nicknamed the boy “Dennis.” No family members or loved ones have come forward to claim the boy’s remains or provide crucial details about how he died.
At the time his body was found, the child wore dark brown Timberland boots, tied with double knots, and donned red jeans and a blue hooded shirt. However, investigators could not determine a cause of death due to the age of the remains.
Investigators said the boy seemed to be “well cared for,” considering the careful placement of remains by a cemetery.
Forensic examinations by the DeKalb County Medical Examiner’s Office showed the boy’s age ranged from four to seven years old, and the child still had some baby teeth. Further examinations proved the boy hailed from Georgia or the northern Florida area.
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.
The sketch ended up being the clue that led to a major discovery. In May 2020, a North Carolina woman reached out to National Center for Missing and Exploited Children saying that she recognized the sketch as Hamilton.
Further investigation confirmed the fact and authorities say after decades they finally were able to call this John Doe by his real name for the first time.
Authorities say they have identified Hamilton’s mother, Teresa Ann Black, 45, as a suspect in his death. On June 28, 2022, a DeKalb County grand jury indicted Black for multiple charges including felony murder, aggravated assault, concealing the death of another, and cruelty to children. Officials say Black never reported Hamilton missing and left Atlanta shortly after his death.
The day after the indictment, investigators apprehended Black in Phoenix, Arizona, where she resides. She now is in custody waiting to be extradited to DeKalb County, Georgia.
Investigators believe that during her time in the Atlanta area, Black worked at the former Pleasers Gentlemen’s Club on Cleveland Avenue and stayed at the Atlanta Day Shelter for Women from 1998 and 1999.
