Phoenix Mom Charged In Cold Case Killing Of 6-Year-Old Son In Georgia

PHOENIX — A Phoenix mother has been charged with murder in the 1999 killing of her 6-year-old son, prosecutors in Georgia announced this week.

A gravesite worker found the body of William Dashawn Hamilton lying in a field while preparing for a funeral Feb. 26, 1999. The body, which was in a wooded area near Clifton Springs and Clifton Spring Church roads, had been there for months and his remains were weathered, but there were no indications of foul play.

The boy wore Timberland boots tied in double knots and wore red jeans and a blue hoodie.

But for decades, investigators weren't able to identify him. That changed in 2020 after authorities released a facial reconstruction of what the boy may have looked like.

In May 2020, a North Carolina woman contacted the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and said the boy appeared to be Hamilton. The woman, identified only as Ava, said she cared for Hamilton when the family lived in Charlotte, North Carolina.

On Wednesday, DeKalb District Attorney Sherry Boston identified the boy as Hamilton during a news conference Wednesday. They were able to identify the boy thanks to DNA.

“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,” said Angeline Hartmann, communications director for the missing children center.

Hartmann called Hamilton a smart, funny boy who liked dancing.

"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!"

Hamilton’s mother, Teresa Ann Black, 45, was taken into custody June 29 in Phoenix, where she now lives. Authorities said Black never reported Hamilton missing and moved away from Atlanta shortly after his death. Authorities believe she worked at a former gentlemen's club and stayed at a women's shelter in 1998 and 1999, KSAZ reported.

Investigators said Black left Charlotte, North Carolina, with William, and later returned without him. She had different stories about his whereabouts.

She will be taken to Georgia to face charges including two counts of felony murder, two counts of cruelty to children and a count each of aggravated assault and concealing a death.

“For far too long, this precious little boy had no name and no story,” Boston said. “Through the tireless efforts of several individuals and organizations who were determined not to let this boy be forgotten, William has been identified and justice will be served in his memory.”