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On Wednesday, Georgia authorities announced that William DaShawn Hamilton has been identified as the boy whose remains were found more than 20 years ago. The six-year-old's remains were found next to a cemetery in 1999.
His mother, 45-year-old Teresa Ann Bailey Black, was named the killer and charged with murder. It is believed that Black gave the boy substances and even hit him on the head, which eventually led to his death.
The significant development in the 23-year-old unsolved case was made public by DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston on the same day. She confirmed that William DaShawn Hamilton was the boy found next to the Panthersville church graveyard on February 26, 1999.
William DaShawn Hamilton was not reported missing by his own mother
Boston's office noted that a grand jury indicted Teresa Ann Bailey Black on June 28. The latter was detained in Phoenix, Arizona the next day and is now holding out for extradition to Georgia
She is charged with two counts of felony murder, two counts of cruelty to children, one count each of aggravated assault and obstructing the investigation into another person's death.
It was in May 2020 that an anonymous tipster contacted police after they saw an artist's rendering of the boy in the media.
Authorities said that the DNA sample they obtained from Black earlier this year was a match to the DNA found at the crime scene.
When the remains were finally identified, Boston made a statement, which said:
"Far too long, this precious little boy had no name and no story. Through the tireless efforts of several individuals and organizations who were determined not to let this boy be forgotten, William has been identified, and justice will be served in his memory."
William DaShawn Hamilton remains were found after three to six months of his killing
Boston claimed that in December 1998, William and his mother moved from Charlotte, North Carolina to Atlanta. Black reportedly withdrew her son from school abruptly to make the move. However, the very next year, she returned to Charlotte without her son and gave conflicting stories about where he was.
It is also worth mentioning that the boy wasn't reported missing by anyone, including his mother. This made it nearly impossible to link the highly decomposed remains to anyone.
William's remains were found in a wooded area at the intersection of Clifton Springs Road and Clifton Springs Church Road. In 1999, investigators believed that the boy's remains had been there for between three to six months.
The method and cause of his death were unknown when he was found due to their advanced state of decomposition. However, his mother has now been indicted for giving him "a substance or substances containing Diphenhydramine and Acetaminophen." She has also been accused of hitting him on the head with an unidentified object.
Additionally, Black has also been indicted for failing to get William the medical attention he needed and for covering up his death.
In 1999, when the remains of William DaShawn Hamilton were found, officers described him as an African-American male between the ages of 5 and 7. They also mentioned that he was dressed in red denim jeans, a blue and white plaid shirt, and brown Timberland boots.
