The body of a Black boy was found in the woods by a Georgia cemetery over 20 years ago. The case went cold for years until the police identified their suspect: the boy’s mother. Now, she’s on trial facing murder charges.

What Happened?

Authorities said the 6-year-old boy was removed from school in Charlotte, NC in 1998 and relocated to Georgia with his mother, per 11Alive’s report. However, in February of the following year, police found his remains near a cemetery in DeKalb County. They estimated that he was there for about three to six months.

The remains were hard to identify him at the time, but by 2019, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children were able to make a rendering of the boy’s face. He was identified as William Dashawn Hamilton.

Who is Teresa Black?

The report says Angeline Hartmann, the true crime writer and podcaster following the case, received a tip from a woman who recognized Hamilton’s face and claimed to be a neighbor. They ecalled that his mother, Teresa Black, left North Carolina briefly but returned without him.

When approached by the police, they said Black claimed she left her son with a woman at the Atlanta Day Shelter for Women and Children because she could no longer care for him. However, investigators said she became emotional and explained that the two of them laid down to sleep in the woody area next to the cemetery, but when she woke up, she realized he was dead and left him there.

Black denies any foul play, but she never reported her son missing nor sought medical help for him, the report said. Prosecutors charged her with two counts of felony murder, two counts of cruelty to children, aggravated assault and concealing the death of another.

Source: Cold Murder Case of Black Boy Goes To Trial. You Won’t Believe Who The Star Suspect Is