In the late autumn of 2014, the life of 37-year-old Damaris Rainwater Hawes was tragically cut short in Atlanta, Georgia. A Black female and a mother to five children, her body was discovered on the morning of November 14, 2014. She was found inside a sleeping bag on the first level of a parking garage located at Kimball Way and Decatur Street, near the campus of Georgia State University. An autopsy would later confirm that Hawes died from blunt force trauma to her head, indicating a violent and brutal end to her life.
At the time of her death, Damaris was facing a period of hardship and was experiencing homelessness, a circumstance that added a layer of vulnerability to her life. Friends and family remembered her as a woman who had fallen on difficult times but was striving to improve her situation for the sake of her children, who ranged in age from one to 20 years old. Her loved ones were left devastated by the senseless act of violence that took her from them. While most reports indicated she was homeless, her sister disputed this, stating that Hawes was working and a productive member of society.
In the immediate aftermath of the discovery, the Atlanta Police Department launched a homicide investigation into her death. Detectives on the case expressed hope that surveillance footage from the numerous cameras in the downtown area would provide crucial leads in identifying a suspect and bringing them to justice. They urged the public to come forward with any information that might be relevant to the case.
Despite the initial investigation and the hopes of her family, the case of Damaris Rainwater Hawes's murder has grown cold. To date, there have been no arrests made in connection with her death, and no suspects have been publicly identified. Her killing remains an unsolved mystery, a tragic story of a mother's life taken too soon, leaving behind a family still waiting for answers and for justice to be served.
