A woman discovered the bodies of 2 young black men concealed in the vegetation alongside a road in 1979. These murders were the beginning of “Atlanta Child Murders”, which would total, nearly 20 young black males by 1981. These black young men had been strangled or suffocated (Trace evidence Wayne Williams (n.d.).
The police had no witnesses only and relied on the forensic evidence of fibers found on the bodies and clothing of the victims. The fiber focused on were “unusual yellow-green nylon; coarse and tri-lobed in cross section the fibers appeared to be those used in rugs or carpets” (Trace evidence Wayne Williams (n.d.).
In 1981, newspapers published information about the forensic fiber analysis findings and that the victims were found
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After Law enforcement obtained a search warrant for Wayne Williams home the police discovered carpet which was similar in color to the fibers found ion the victim. Working with chemists at DuPont, the world’s largest producer of fibers, FBI analysts passed the fibers through a device (spinneret) that stretches fibers giving it optical properties. The FBI to eventually able trace the fiber to a carpet manufacturer in Georgia and determine that the fibers were a match. Although the Williams was thought to be responsible for 28 to 30 killings, police and prosecutors decided to focus on just 2 cases; Nathaniel Cater and Jimmy Ray Payne whose semi-nude body had been recovered from the Chattahoochee River on April 27, 1981. Fiber evidence was the primary evidence presented to the jury, it was this evidence that is believed to have convinced a jury to find Williams guilty of the murder of Nathaniel Cater and Jimmy Ray Payne, in 2010 Williams defense team requested a DNA test, be performed on 2 hairs found inside the victim’s shirt along with dog hairs that were said to belong to his dog. Tests indicated both Williams and his dog's hair as probable match sources. Williams is currently serving 2 life terms in prison (Wayne Williams