ROSWELL, Ga. —
An arrest has been made in a case that has gone unsolved for more than three decades, police say.
Roswell Police announced a major break in cold case that involves the 1988 murder of an 8-year-old boy. Joshua Randall Harmon went missing from his Roswell home on May 15 of that year. Harmon was found dead two days later in a wooded area not far from where he lived.
James Michael Coates, 56, of Woodstock, was taken into custody July 21st and booked into the Fulton County Jail on multiple charges including murder. Roswell detectives arrested Coates after DNA evidence collected from the crime scene linked him to the murder.
The suspect was in prison for about 20 years on an unrelated charge in Roswell and was recently released. Police arrested the suspect Wednesday for Harmon's murder, sources said.
You can watch a replay of the press conference here:
Here is background on the case.
The disappearance
It was a Sunday evening when Harmon went missing. His his stepdad tried to call him in for dinner and he never showed up. They lived at an apartment complex that was then known as the Roundtree Apartments on Raintree Way.
Detectives learned Harmon had been playing outside all day, with friends and alone. Family said he was in and out of the apartment all day, for various reasons. When his mom started making dinner, she asked her husband to warn the boy to stay close to home.
A neighbor told the family that Harmon stopped by their home at about 7 p.m. that night to see if their son, his friend, wanted to come outside and play. The neighbors said no – they were about to eat dinner. According to police, Harmon told his neighbor he planned to wait in the woods, at the fort, for his friend to come play with him. This was the last reported sighting of Harmon alive.
The tragic discovery
After an extensive search over the next two days, the boy’s lifeless body was found in woods behind the apartments.
Detectives said he was beaten and strangled to death. His small body was buried under loose dirt and pine straw, with logs placed on top of him to hide his remains.
The unsolved case
The person responsible for Harmon's death remained unknown for more than 30 years. Back in 2019, Roswell Police and the Fulton County District Attorney's Office said they were still hoping that someone in the community would come forward regarding the case. Detectives were reaching out to witnesses from the original investigation as well.
The arrest after 30 years
James Michael Coates, 56, of Woodstock, was taken into custody July 21st and booked into the Fulton County Jail on multiple charges including murder. Roswell detectives arrested Coates after DNA evidence collected from the crime scene linked him to the murder.
The suspect was in prison for about 20 years on an unrelated charge in Roswell and was recently released. Police arrested the suspect Wednesday for Harmon's murder, sources said.