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James Michael Coates, 56, faces multiple charges, police said Friday, including murder, aggravated assault, aggravated pedophilia, concealing the death of others and tampering with evidence, among others.
CNN contacted the Public Defender’s Office and a former Coates lawyer on Saturday morning to give them an opportunity to comment on his behalf, but did not get a response.
“Josh’s death and the fact that his killer has been free for so long is unimaginable,” Roswell Police Chief James Conroy said in a statement on Friday. “I hope this arrest will give the Harmon family a sense of closure.”
Joshua’s parents reported his disappearance 33 years ago in May 1988 when he had not returned home for dinner, police said on Friday. His body was discovered in a wooded area near his apartment building in Roswell, about 20 miles north of Atlanta, after a 48-hour search.
Despite the investigative efforts of the local police and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation – including the collection of “valuable evidence” – the case was ultimately cut short, police said.
“Investigators have regularly reviewed the case over the past years in search of justice for Joshua and his family,” police said in a statement, “and the evidence has been constantly reviewed to follow the development of leads and technological advances”.
Joshua’s body was exhumed in February 2021 in hopes of finding new evidence, police said. The following month, the Roswell Police Department received funding from the Georgia Sexual Assault Kit Initiative task force to “pursue additional DNA testing on crime scene evidence.”
Police did not detail the nature of the evidence, but said DNA test results linked Coates to Joshua’s murder. Coates was taken into custody on Wednesday, July 21, after police called a traffic stop while he was riding an Uber, Conroy confirmed at a press conference on Friday.
Georgia Corrections records show that Coates was previously convicted of child sexual assault in 1993 for a separate incident.
Speaking at Friday’s press conference on behalf of the family, Joshua’s aunt Marlene Carlisle thanked law enforcement for their dedication to solving the case, saying it was “sweet- bitter “for the family.
“These bulldogs that have been through it all and worked for 33 years to fix this problem for our family – we are forever indebted to you,” she said.
“Josh was an amazing young boy who had a strange relationship with nature and with God, so I know where he is and I know he’s at peace,” Carlisle said.
“And my sister never gave up,” Carlisle said, adding, “I know she smiles at everyone here today and thanks you all very much.”
The case is still under investigation, and part of that investigation will be to ensure Coates has not victimized other children, Conroy said. Anyone with additional information is urged to contact Roswell Police.
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