Wayne Williams
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About Wayne Williams
The main case and evidence
Wayne Williams was a primary suspect after police heard a splash in the Chattahoochee River. He was questioned in his car and later on released, until they found a body submerged in the water. Additionally, Williams took a polygraph test and failed it, leading to more of a suspicion. Then 19 fibers from Williams’s environment such as his bedspread, dog, carpet, etc. were matched to his other victims that have been murdered.
Fibers in a different use
In previous cases, fibers are a small part of the indictment of a criminal. In Wayne Williams’s case, fibers were used as the cornerstone for the prosecution, because Wayne had very unique fibers such as his carpet in his house and car. They matched multiple fibers to the body , and the probability of the same fibers somewhere else is highly unlikely.
Intial examination
The investigators initial intentions were to find the manufacture of the carpet fibers. The fibers were very unique so investigators would know immediately once they saw it; all they needed was a suspect. Once another body showed up in the Chattahoochee River, they matched the fibers to it, and had a main suspect that was released after being questioned when the body was dumped. They knew Williams was up to no good because he gave false information about where he was going.
After Examination
The police new they were working with very unique fibers. They searched for the manufactures, but nothing came up. The police then took microscopic photographs to determine the thread pattern and better locate the manufacture, but still nothing came up. The carpet was so unique that there was a 1/4327 chance of someone having the same one. They also found carpet fibers from the car and matched it to the same one that their primary suspect was driving, Wayne Williams. With the odds of someone having the same car and same carpet, the evidence was indisputable.