From July of 1979 to May of 1981, the city of Atlanta, Georgia, was subjected to a state of terror by a relentless and sadistic serial killer who preyed primarily on black boys and young black men and by the time their domination ended, 28 children and young adults were dead, leaving not only the people of Atlanta, but the American public in general terrorized.

The case in question became officially known by law enforcement and legal experts as “The Atlanta Murders of 1979 to 81” but referred to more colloquially as “The Atlanta Child Murders” as 22 of the victims of the 28 were under 18 at the time of their murder.

This case is argued as having some of the most poorly maintained forensic evidence; so much so that according to the Daily Beast: “countless samples, in possibly thousands of cases, were likely compromised, and the federal agency admitted in 2015 that a majority of its microscopic hair analysts had “provided either testimony with erroneous statements or submitted laboratory reports with erroneous statements.”

Sources:
Child Killer: The True Story of the Atlanta Child Murders - Jack Rosewood
The Evidence of Things not Seen - James Baldwin