Trial date set in decades-old cold case of DeKalb mother accused of killing 6-year-old son

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A trial date has been set for a mother charged with the murder of her son in DeKalb County in 1999.

Police found the body of a 6-year-old boy in Decatur in February 1999 in a wooded area at the corner of Clifton Springs Road and Clifton Church Road, but were unable to identify him.

“The child, whose body was significantly decomposed ... and was estimated to have been deceased for three to six months prior to his discovery,” the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office said.

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The boy’s identity remained a mystery until there was a break in the case in 2022.

He was identified as William DaShawn Hamilton and his mother, Teresa Ann Bailey Black, was arrested and charged with two counts of felony murder, two counts of cruelty to children, aggravated assault, and concealing the death of another.

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children said it assisted investigators on the case after it received a tip from someone who knew Hamilton and Black in the ‘90s.

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“Black (then Bailey) was living in Charlotte, North Carolina with her son and a family member when she abruptly withdrew William from school in December 1998 and moved with him to Atlanta. She returned to Charlotte in late 1999 without William and told differing stories about his whereabouts at the time,” the DA’s office said.

DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Stacey Hydrick has scheduled the case to begin with jury selection on Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024.

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