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Hair Evidence And Case Study # 3: The Atlanta Child Killer Wayne Williams

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Madison Corey FSC-224-202 17 April 2023 Case Study #3 - The Atlanta Child Killer, Wayne Williams Fiber and hair evidence are often compared and examined during testing. It can link individuals, locations, and items. When trying to connect a suspect to a victim or a crime scene, trace evidence such as hairs and fibers may be very useful. The presence of hairs can link a suspect to a victim or a suspect/victim to a crime scene due to hairs being transmitted via physical contact. Wayne Williams was able to be found guilty of several murders with these pieces of evidence. 11 of the 12 murder victims that were examined during the trial had "hair and fiber matches" with Williams' surroundings that were so convincing that these victims could be definitively …show more content…

Hair and fiber analysis was still an unfamiliar idea at this time, and it was not well received in trials. Additionally, identifying the potential source of these nylon fibers in a yellowish-green color was the main issue. In the Atlanta metropolitan area, corpses found in waterways were either nude or just wearing underwear. After the fibers were discovered, in Atlanta, under and at both ends of the James Jackson Parkway Bridge over the Chattahoochee River, there was a four-person surveillance team made up of officers from the Atlanta Police Department and the Atlanta Office of the FBI. When on surveillance, the monitoring crew was informed of the existence of a car that was being driven slowly off the bridge by a loud splash. Wayne Williams was recognized as the motorist when he was pulled over. The corpse of Nathaniel Cater was discovered unclothed two days after Williams' appearance on the bridge in the Chattahoochee River, and a yellowish-green nylon carpet-type fiber was recovered from his

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