Between 1979 and 1981, 24 bodies of murdered black males were discovered in Atlanta and 5 in surrounding DeKalb County. These deaths were bundled together and subsequently treated as the infamous Atlanta Missing & Murdered Children Case.

In 1982, Wayne Williams a self-proclaimed record promoter, freelance TV cameraman, and community radio station owner and operator was convicted in the murders of Jimmy Ray Payne, 21, and Nathaniel Cater, 27, and implicated in 22 of the other cases.

Williams, 46, is currently serving 2 back-to-back life sentences at the State Prison in Sparta, Hancock County, Georgia.

At the time of William's arrest and subsequent conviction, Lee P. Brown was Chief of Police in Atlanta, Louis Graham was Assistant Chief of The Fulton County Police Department and Sidney Dorsey (now serving a life sentence for his involvement in the murder of DeKalb County Sheriff Derwin Brown) was a detective on the Fulton County Police Department.

In May, Louis Graham, now Chief of Police in DeKalb County, reopened the cold case for the unsolved murders for the Atlanta Missing and Murdered that were discovered in DeKalb County.

According to his own account, Graham was given the impetus to launch the investigation following the February interview conducted by WVEE-FM radio announcer Frank Ski with Wayne Williams.

During his press conference, Graham stated, "I have established a Cold Case Squad to reopen and investigate all unsolved homicides in DeKalb. The first cases to be reopened are the Atlanta Missing and Murdered Children cases that occurred here in DeKalb County. We will thoroughly and objectively interview and review all of the facts and circumstances surrounding these unsolved murders. At this time, it is too early to make assumptions, announce findings or conclusions about any of these cases."

"Since my appointment as Chief of Police, I discovered 4 of the Atlanta Missing & Murdered Children cases occurred here in DeKalb County. Based upon further information it has been brought to my attention, another youth was found dead in DeKalb County during this time and will be included in our investigations."

Since Chief Graham's announcement, the case has been given more attention from another perspective. Last month U.S. Magistrate Court Judge Linda T. Walker, granted Wayne Williams permission to subpoena another suspect's file in the case. Although Dekalb police records were named, the judge's ruling also grants access to Atlanta and Fulton County Police Department files as well.

It is uncertain how much of the evidence in the case will actually be retrieved. Attorneys for Williams have already discovered that hours of surveillance tapes of KKK suspects have been destroyed.

The 5 cases re-opened by Chief Graham include William Barrett, 18; Aaron Wyche, 11; Patrick Baltazar, 14; Joseph Bell, 13-14; and Curtis Walker, 13.