Between 1979 and 1981, Black children, teenagers and young adults disappeared across Atlanta. As fear spread, grieving families organized searches, challenged city leaders and demanded that the cases be treated as a coordinated emergency.

In this special episode, Steph examines the victims, the community’s fight for answers and the controversial case against Wayne Williams.

Williams was convicted of murdering two adult men, Jimmy Ray Payne and Nathaniel Cater. He was never tried for the children’s murders, yet authorities attributed more than twenty additional deaths to him and closed those cases.

We examine the Jackson Parkway bridge encounter, fiber and dog-hair evidence, disputed witnesses, Williams’s changing explanations, racial and political pressure, possible Klan involvement, and the differences among the victims that continue to raise questions.

Was Wayne Williams responsible for every murder attributed to him, only some of them, or was one conviction used to provide Atlanta with an ending it desperately needed?

Content warning: This episode discusses the murders of children and young adults, racial violence and disputed allegations.

Remember the victims as individuals—not simply as evidence for or against Wayne Williams.

On the morning after Thanksgiving in 2014, firefighters responded to a blaze inside a Fort Worth apartment. There, they discovered 31-year-old Ashlea Harris bound and murdered.

Ashlea was a hardworking store manager who had recently helped police identify two former employees suspected of robbing the American Eagle store where she worked. Months later, those same former employees—Carter Cervantez and Clarence “David” Mallory—were accused of entering Ashlea’s home and carrying out a brutal act of revenge.

But what were they looking for inside her apartment—and why did they believe Ashlea had it?

In this episode of Murder in the Black, Steph examines the events leading to Ashlea’s murder, the evidence connecting Cervantez and Mallory to the crime, and the investigation that uncovered what they came back for.

Follow Murder in the Black:

Instagram: @murderintheblack
Facebook: Murder in the Black Podcast
Steph’s Instagram: @stepher_
Email: murderintheblackpodcast36@gmail.com

Follow the podcast wherever you listen, leave a five-star review, and share this episode with someone who loves true crime. You can also become a paid subscriber and start your three-day free trial for access to weekly bonus episodes.

On December 6, 1975, Wesley Diggs returned to his home in Teaneck, New Jersey, and discovered his wife, Jean, and their four children—Audrey, Allison, Wesley Jr., and five-year-old Roger—shot to death.

There was no obvious forced entry. Nothing appeared to have been stolen. Neighbors reportedly heard nothing, despite more than twenty shots being fired.

In this episode, Steph examines the crime scene, Wesley’s business connections, the Harlem leads, three potential suspects, an informant’s account, and the controversial theory that Jean may have killed the children. We also consider whether race affected the investigation and why, after fifty years, no one has been held responsible.

Someone entered—or was allowed into—the Diggs home that night. The question is: who, and why?

Content warning: This episode discusses the murder of children, family homicide, gun violence, and descriptions of a crime scene.

Follow Murder in the Black, leave a five-star review, and share the episode. Paid subscribers receive additional cases and exclusive episodes, with a three-day free trial available. Follow the podcast on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.