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Trace Fiber Evidence: The Wayne Williams Case

For two years from 1979 to 1981 a series of murders took place in Atlanta, Georgia, leaving investigative and law enforcement authorities perplexed. Investigations were initiated but initially they did not bear much fruit. Examination of the 28 bodies of young black males found murdered revealed a common cause of death: asphyxiation and strangulation. As expected, investigators paid attention to different types of evidence as collected from scenes of crime, and greater attention was on microscopic evidence as the investigations proceeded. Interestingly, the Atlanta Task Force (law enforcement and investigative agencies investigating the murders) found yellowish nylon and violet acetate fibers on the clothing and bodies of the victims. These fibers resembled each other in not only appearance but also other physical and chemical properties. They were to later act as the basis for incriminating evidence that uncovered other aspects of the cases that generally and specifically linked the main suspect, Wayne Williams, to the murders. This paper discusses trace evidence and what the Wayne Williams case represents regarding trace fiber evidence in forensic or crime scene investigations.

Before looking at the trace evidence and contextual implications in detail, it is imperative to highlight how the police and FBI came to land on Wayne Williams as the main suspect in the murder cases. As already mentioned, the authorities were perplexed by the series of murders and not even the trace evidence found at the scenes of crime could help give the slightest leads to possible suspects. Then in May 1981, they set up a surveillance team along the Chattahooche River. On May 22, the surveillance personnel at the river’s Jackson Parkway Bridge heard a splash and saw a vehicle being driven off the bridge. They stopped and questioned the driver who happened to be Wayne Williams. Two days later a naked body was found in the river and identified as that of Nathaniel Cater. Immediately, there was reason to suspect Wayne Williams because of his presence at the bridge and his claim (when he was questioned) that he had dumped a garbage bag into the river. Upon conducting a forensic analysis of the body, fibers were found and interestingly they resembled those found on the bodies and clothing of prior victims. That discovery formed the basis of further investigations that included searching Willliams’ house where a carpet in the house was analyzed vis a vis the fiber evidence found on the victims’ bodies and clothing. Having been charged for the murder of Jimmy Payne and Nathaniel Cater, the suspect was later found to be ‘guilty as charged’ by a grand jury and given two life sentences. Analysis of the role fiber evidence played in this conviction begs the question: What does the Wayne Williams case represent regarding trace fiber evidence in forensic or crime scene investigations?

While trace fiber evidence is recognized as a significant aspect of criminal cases (and proceedings), it has not been relied upon in cases involving so many victims as in the Wayne Williams case. This case is particularly of interest especially considering the manner in which it relied on this evidence to link the suspect to most of the murders. Usually, forensic experts use fiber evidence to corroborate or support other forms of evidence in the course of trial. However, this was not the case in Wayne Williams’ trial as things played out conversely, in that other forms of evidence were used to support and validate contextual trace fiber evidence. It was a reversal of the usual order. By and large, the case under focus elevates fiber evidence and the role it plays in forensic investigations. It represents a turning point in forensic and/or crime scene investigation procedures and a need to reconsider and re-interrogate what has traditionally been given greater weight in the same context. Elements like fingerprints have traditionally been the center of focus but criminals have become smarter and they commit crimes intelligently, often ensuring they leave no observable trace behind. However, there are the microscopic traces that are imperceptible to the criminals but can easily be uncovered using forensic evidence collection techniques like magnification. From the viewpoint of a critical forensic mind, this case shows that every form and aspect of evidence in a crime scene is equally important and helpful but such may sometimes call for complex procedures that, while they may seem irrelevant, could as well hold the key to answers being sought. Who would imagine that extending investigations into the companies that possibly manufactured the material (fibers) and sold them long before the murders took place could help zero down on Wayne Williams through mathematical probability? 

Upon conducting searchers at William’s home and overall surrounding (including areas he might have possibly visited), it was inferred that there was a strong link between the fiber evidence collected and materials found in Wayne’s world, particularly his home and the automobiles he had been using. Of utmost interest in this regard was Williams’ home carpet whose material (fibers) bore resemblance to those recovered from the crime scenes. The fiber evidence at hand was also found to be similar to fibers collected from the suspect’s bed as well as the family dog. Overall, taking into account the length to which the investigators went to establish the kind of material used for making the carpet and the companies that manufactured and sold it, it seems right to infer that the fiber evidence in this case was valuable and reliable in determining the outcome of the case. However, a critical analysis brings to light the notion of probability and the extent to which such would imply high or low reliability of this evidence.

As for the evidential value of the fibers in Williams’ case, it can be evaluated on the basis of color and type. As Deadman (1984) agrees, the type and color of fibers recovered from a crime scene are of utmost significance during forensic examination. There are particular types of fiber or material that are so common that their evidential value in the context of forensic or crime scene investigation becomes negligible (Wiggins & Cheshire, 2004). Such would include the types used in manufacturing many different products that are usually common even in the household setting, for instance sofa sets and curtains. A good example of fibers that would be of negligible value if found in a crime scene include white cotton fibers mostly used for decorative textiles, bedding, and apparel. These fibers would usually appear colorless when viewed under a microscope. Thus, in the context of the Wayne Williams case, the fibers were of great or high evidential value that arose mainly from their uniqueness, both in terms of color and type. The acetate and nylon fibers were violet and yellow respectively, characteristics that matched those of the fibers collected from Wayne’s world. The fibers were indeed unique in terms of their lobed cross-sectional shape, and identifying manufacturers was quite problematic. The latter fact further increases the evidential value of the fibers. Indeed, as Palmer (2005) would agree, the fibers in the current case were characterized by high atypical morphology in that most of the facilities and establishments that had manufactured or sold them had long become obsolete. The investigators did well to follow through the years the fibers were manufactured and sold, and doing so only seemed to bring them closer to Williams as the murderer.

While the fibers arguably had high evidential value as demonstrated above, the extent to which they were reliable arouses curiosity. Calculations of various probabilities in the case can help determine if indeed the fibers were reliable and to what extent. According to police calculation, the probability of a house in Metropolitan Atlanta having a carpet with such fibers was 1 in 1772 (Deadman, 1984).  Concerning one of the victims, Jimmy Ray Rayne, fibers found on his body resembled those carpeting the suspect’s car, a Chevrolet station wagon. From the firm’s manufacturing and sales figures, the probability of having picked the fibers from any other vehicle apart from William’s was 1 in 3828.  To the extent that the assumptions made in arriving at these probabilities were valid, it can be deduced that the fiber evidence was indeed reliable, and to a great extent for that matter.

With no intent to express dissatisfaction with the manner in which the Wayne Williams case proceeded and was concluded, merit is found in expressing personal thoughts on what is considered relevant in relation to techniques and methodologies of crime scene investigations. Taking into account that mathematically expressed probability played a role in boosting the evidential value of the fibers in Williams’ case, the admissibility of such evidence becomes of interest. The fiber evidence in this case had many sides to it, one of which was the mathematically expressed probabilities. More often than not, such probabilities can be used as the basis for determining if a certain fact has been established or not. It is therefore important to be able to statistically interpret such evidence and determine its significance to the case. Even away from fibers, other forms of evidence collected from crime scenes can be mathematically expressed and in the process add value to or corroborate expert opinion that might seem vague sometimes. The significance of this probability evidence (obviously reliable) notwithstanding, it is not uncommon for some jurisdictions to limit its admissibility in criminal case proceedings. As this kind of evidence is usually introduced by way of expert testimonies, one would suggest that its admissibility remains limited unless it is shown that the experts applied reliable and valid methodologies in coming up with such evidence. The significance of doing this is magnified in Williams’ case because the fiber evidence in the two murders was introduced as evidence in the other murders. The probability element in this evidence cannot be ignored.

In conclusion, the Wayne Williams case represents a turning point in forensic and/or crime scene investigation procedures and a need to reconsider and re-interrogate what has traditionally been given greater attention. Indeed, the case shows that microscopic evidence (such as fiber) can be the determinant of the direction a case takes, and how it is concluded. Overall, the fiber evidence in the case was highly valuable and reliable considering its unique nature and the link established with fibers found in the suspect’s world. It is time investigators paid greater attention to this kind of evidence because criminals are now committing crimes intelligently, ensuring they leave no imperceptible traces.