Atlanta's Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children

"Atlanta's Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children" (2020 release; 5 episodes of about 55 min. each) is a documentary mini-series about the slew of young black kids who were murdered or disappeared in Atlanta 40 years ago. As Episode 1 opens, it is "March 21, 2019", and Keisha Lance Bottoms, Mayor of Atlanta, and then Erika Shields, Atlanta Chief of Police, address the press, informing them and the public at large that they are reopening the investigations into the many unresolved cases, all of which took place between 1979 and 1981. We then go back in time, as we are introduced to Atlanta's background, becoming a mecca for blacks, and electing a black mayor for the first time in 1974. "Is the black mecca a myth or a reality?", asks the voice-over. It leads to the first case, when on July 28, 1979, two decomposed bodies are found in remote southwest Atlanta... At this point we are 10 minutes into Episode 1.

Couple of comments: as I didn't move to the US until 1983 (from Belgium), I was completely unaware and unfamiliar with this story. It absolutely blows the mind when you think about it: over a period of 23 months, 30 black kids (most of them in the 9 to 16 age range) met their demise or "were disappeared", and most of these cases were never resolved. Say what?!? Based on Episode 1, this series is a two-for-one: of course there is the question as to who committed these crimes (and why), but in a separate yet clearly parallel path, we look at the troubled history of racial tensions and the civil rights movement is Atlanta, the self-proclaimed "Empire City of the South" and "The City Too Busy To Hate". Of course the late 70s and early 80s are also a point in time when urban decay was at or near its peak, and we get to witness this as well, courtesy of the archive TV and film footage of that era. I can't wait to see the remaining episodes.

"Atlanta's Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children" premiered this weekend on HBO and is now available on HBO On Demand and other streaming services. New episodes air Sunday evenings at 8 pm Eastern. If you are a fan of true crime stories or of the underlying racial tensions that were (are?) found in big cities like Atlanta, I'd readily suggest you check this out and draw your own conclusion.

Normally, I hesitate at watching a true crime documentaries (we've all seen it) inside the mind of the killer type of deal where it's told from the perspective of the confirmed killer and then cut to the testimony of the people who grew up with him. Or the cliche reconstruction of the police investigation along with testimony from law enforcement personnel who worked those particular cases. Yes, the documentary minimally includes these elements mentioned above as a form of constructing context for the Child Murders that rocked the city of Atlanta in the late 70's to early 80's. But this documentary is far more compelling and bold in its storytelling than your typical standardized true crime 'crapola/junk'. The documentary does a magnificent job of not only depicting the horrifying nature of Atlanta's innocent children being murdered. But also manages to vividly illustrate to the viewer the historical and social factors (particularly the strong class divide that plagued the city especially it's African American communities) that caused the city of Atlanta to downplay the extent of the murders (as a manner of not scaring away economic investment) hence leading to more children being vulnerable to becoming a victim of targeted attacks. As seen in the documentary the city that was touted as being too busy to hate actually turned out to be the city that was too busy to properly investigate. Never forget the beautiful children that where taken way before their time in the city of Atlanta (1979-1981).

An important story and very detailed but the amount of crime scene and autopsy photos diminish rather than add to the storytelling. The victims were mainly children and that these photos were used and used so much it is as if it they were murdered again.

Fascinating documentary. Do I think Wayne Williams murdered kids? Yes. Did he murder all of them? no. I've always thought there was more then one killer. A very interesting time in our history. I remember it well.

This documentary is about the murders of some of Atlanta's youth from 1979 to 1981, allegedly by Wayne Williams who was convicted of two adult murders unrelated to the kidnapping and murders of 29 children. Atlanta was the first major city in America to have an African American elected official, he hired an African American police commissioner during this time to ensure fairness to the African American community. Watching this mini-series you will learn all the other information that was withheld from the public for the last four decades. This miniseries is a must-watch, regardless of what some people may saying in their reviews, this documentary has nothing to do with racism or the African American community for blaming white people for the loses of the black children, but the opportunity for 29 cold cases to be solved.