Cold Case Murder Of Charlotte 6-Year-Old Solved 23 Years Later, Mother Charged 

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Investigators say a 6-year-old found dead in 1999 has been identified and his mother charged with murder thanks to a new tip called in to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

On Wednesday, the Dekalb County District Attorney’s Office announced the identification of William DaShawn Hamilton, a 6-year-old found dead in a Georgia cemetery in 1999, who spent the last two decades without a name.

Police say his mother, 45-year-old Teresa Ann Bailey Black, has been charged with two counts of Felony Murder, two counts of Cruelty to Children, Aggravated Assault and Concealing the Death in this case.

Investigators say they got their break in the case when a tip was called into the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children from someone who knew Black and Hamilton back in 1998 and had been searching for Hamilton ever since.

Ava, who preferred to keep her last name private, says she was very close with Black and Hamilton when they lived in Charlotte, North Carolina.

She often took care of William and described him as a fun, witty, adventurous and intelligent little boy who loved to dance.

“He liked to crack jokes,” said Ava. “He did like to draw a lot, color, mainly read books. He didn’t want you to read to him…he wanted to read to you!”

According to investigators, Teresa left Charlotte with William. But she returned without him.

And investigators say she had different stories about where William was.

After 23 years, Ava’s tip gave new direction to the investigation.

With DNA work provided by Bode Technology, William’s identity was officially confirmed, according to a news release.

“This case is a perfect example of why we never give up hope,” said Angeline Hartmann, Director of Communications at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. “For more than two decades, a woman in Charlotte followed her gut feeling that something wasn’t right. She made phone calls, scoured the internet and talked to anybody who would listen. We’re grateful she never stopped until she found that rendering of William online and gave investigators the missing piece to help solve this 23-year-old mystery. A huge thank you to the Dekalb County District Attorney’s Office, the Dekalb County Medical Examiner’s Office and Dekalb County Police for their hard work that brought us here today.”

According to the Dekalb County DA’s Office, Black was taken into custody near her home in Phoenix, Arizona and is currently awaiting extradition to Georgia.

Currently, the Dekalb County DA’s Office is seeking information from anyone who knew Teresa Ann Bailey Black or her son, William DaShawn Hamilton, between 1998-1999 in the metro Atlanta area.

If you have any information, please all their cold case tip line at: 404-371-2444.