Wayne Williams Case Study

The Wayne Williams murder trial in 1981 still has some unanswered questions for some. But some of the key facts are as follows; Investigators found unique fibers on the clothes of multiple victims for a two year span. These fibers consisted of a yellow-green color and acetated fibers. The investigators set up surveillance after the serial killer started dumping bodies in the Chattahoochee River. One night the surveillance team heard a loud splash and followed a vehicle and identified the potential suspect as Wayne Williams. He was released due to lack of evidence to detain him but it was only two days later when the authorities found another body in the river. This victim was identified as Nathaniel Cater whom was reported missing. The forensics

that morning. They reverted back to Wayne Williams and identified the alibi was not strong for the morning he was caught on the bridge. Mr. Williams also failed multiple polygraph tests (FBI.gov, 2014). Investigators searched the manufacturers until they detected which company made that particular fiber in the carpet. They sent samples of Wayne’s pet dog hair for testing that matched the hair samples found in Nathaniel’s hair. Carpet samples from Wayne’s station wagon matched some of the fibers found on the victims. Fibers from a blanket inside the home of Wayne matched the fibers that were found on some of the victims. And the final piece is that all the victims were killed from asphyxiation (Saferstein, R.,

Were there multiple serial killers during the same timeframe? How thorough was the testing and is this process legitimate for evidence towards suspects? In Wayne Williams’ case, he was not just in the wrong place at the wrong time because the fiber evidence was unique and found on multiple victims linking to his family home. Mr. Williams could’ve possible been working with someone else in his family but he was the only person caught on the bridge. Conversely, he did not give up anyone in his family but it does not represent that this did not happen in this manner either. The authorities should’ve have investigated others in his home and followed up with the abduction of the little girl to ensure there was not connectivity with the serial