The Atlanta Child Murders
The Atlanta Child Murders: One Case, Three Perspectives
It started with one missing child. Then another. And another.
Between 1979 and 1981, Atlanta was haunted by a slow-burning nightmare: dozens of Black children, teens, and young adults were abducted and murdered. The fear was constant. The answers were few. And decades later, the question still echoes—was justice ever really served?
At The Guilty Files, we don’t rush through stories like this. We sit with them. We pull them apart. We tell them from all sides.
That’s why we’ve dedicated three full episodes to the Atlanta Child Murders—each one told from a different angle. This case isn’t just about what happened. It’s about how it was handled, how it was felt, and why so much of it still doesn’t add up.
Here’s how we covered it:
EPISODE 1: TRUE CRIME UNCOVERED — The Facts with Brian
In our opening episode, host Brian King-Sharp takes you through the forensic timeline—clean, methodical, and focused. This is the blueprint of the case: the names, the dates, the victims, the patterns.
We examine the early days of the investigation, when panic quietly turned to full-blown fear. Atlanta’s Black communities were sounding the alarm, but the response was slow and fractured. More children went missing. Bodies turned up in rivers, forests, and vacant lots.
Then came the manhunt. The pressure to find someone—anyone—was enormous. When Wayne Williams was arrested, it looked like the nightmare might be ending. But here’s the truth: Williams was never tried for killing any of the children. Just two adults.
So, did the police really solve the case? Or did they close it because the city needed a villain?
This episode gives you the foundation:
✔️ A precise timeline of the murders and disappearances
✔️ Victim profiles and missed investigative opportunities
✔️ The arrest and trial of Wayne Williams
✔️ The controversy that’s still unsettled to this day
No conspiracies. No wild guesses. Just what we know—and what we still don’t.
EPISODE 2: TRUE CRIME REWIRED — The Human Side with Dani
In episode two, we leave the court files behind and shift into something more intimate. Hosted by Dani, True Crime Rewired is a reimagined, dramatized telling of the case that brings the emotion front and center.
What did it feel like to live through this as a parent? A neighbor? A child?
This immersive episode doesn’t deal in headlines. It captures the lived experience:
A mother’s quiet dread when her child doesn’t come home
The weight pressing on classrooms, barbershops, and playgrounds
The silent unraveling of trust in the system meant to protect them
A community holding its breath with every new disappearance
It’s storytelling designed to pull you in and hold you there. If you think you already know the Atlanta Child Murders case, this version will make you see it differently.
For fans of Lore, My Favorite Murder, and Welcome to Night Vale, this is where true crime meets narrative depth.
EPISODE 3: TRUE CRIME REVISITED — The Breakdown with Brian & Dani
We’ve told the story. We’ve stepped inside it. Now, we break it down.
In the final episode of the arc, Brian and Dani come together to dissect the case from both sides—one bringing the law enforcement perspective, the other bringing the lens of community, culture, and critical thinking.
This is where the real questions get asked:
🗣️ Did Wayne Williams actually do it—and if so, was he the only one?
🗣️ Why were so many of the murders linked together? Should they have been?
🗣️ How did politics, pressure, and race play into the case narrative?
🗣️ What key evidence was ignored or left untested?
No theory is off the table, but everything gets held up to scrutiny. It’s the most honest, open, and unfiltered conversation we’ve had yet—and it might change the way you see the case entirely.
One Case. Three Voices. Every Angle.
The Atlanta Child Murders deserve more than a single episode. They deserve clarity, empathy, and depth. That’s why The Guilty Files tells every case three ways:
🧊 Monday: True Crime Uncovered – The cold, hard facts with Brian
🔥 Wednesday: True Crime Rewired – The dramatized retelling with Dani
🧠 Friday: True Crime Revisited – The full breakdown and discussion with Brian & Dani
We don’t just report the crime. We make sure you understand it.
🎧 All three episodes are streaming now. Follow The Guilty Files wherever you get your podcasts to stay on the case.
📱 Follow us on social for behind-the-scenes content, case updates, and more true crime told right.