AJC Investigations

Latest investigations

Credit: Philip Robibero

Discovery of lost evidence is stunning twist in decades-old sex assault case

Sandeep “Sonny” Bharadia spent two decades behind bars for a crime he says he didn’t commit. A stunning discovery of missing evidence has led Savannah DA to reopen the case.

Credit: Illustration by Jonathan Reyes

Federal judge questions Georgia’s parole system, lets woman’s lawsuit proceed

A federal judge, citing an AJC investigation into juvenile lifers, found Georgia’s parole system may be so hollow it amounts to a constitutional violation.

Credit: Chris Skinner

Whistleblowers’ plea rocked Atlanta City Hall, then fizzled

A year after Atlanta IG staff whistleblower letter, inspector general found evidence of criminal wrongdoing in one case, but many were closed with no serious findings.

Credit: Atlanta Police Department

6 years after Rayshard Brooks, Atlanta begins public review of police shootings

Years after Rashard Brooks' death shook Atlanta, the Citizen Review Board issues first police shooting investigation ruling.

Credit: Harden Creative

Cox commits to preserving thousands of acres on Atlantic coast

The deal ensures a 5,600-acre tract called Clarendon Farms in fast-growing Beaufort, S.C., will not be developed.

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

Rick Jackson promises to ‘unwind’ his company’s state contracts if elected

Republican Rick Jackson's lucrative health care contracts with the state have come under fire now that he is running for governor in Georgia.

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

Bill to criminalize clergy sexual misconduct in Georgia gains momentum

A bill to criminalize clergy sexual abuse in Georgia gains momentum in the state senate. The legislation follows AJC reporting on allegations of abuse at a Baptist college.

DeKalb County mother sues after son dies in police restraint

The family of a DeKalb County man who died after being restrained on his stomach by police said in a federal lawsuit this week that his civil rights were violated.

Georgia judge denies new trial for man whose case was lost for 22 years

Despite acknowledging a “systemic failure of due process,” Fulton judge ruled that the delay did not ultimately prejudice Leslie Singleton’s case

Ga. lawmakers take step toward banning NDAs for child sexual abuse victims

The bill, called "Trey's Law," would ban settlements in Georgia that keep survivors from speaking freely and make existing nondisclosure agreements harder to enforce.

Chases Unchecked

Credit: Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com

Part 1: How state patrol pursuits endanger Georgians

An AJC investigation of 6,700 GSP pursuits found more than half ended in crashes, often injuring bystanders.

Part 2: GSP tactic meant to end chases leads to death at high speeds

State troopers face few limits in using the PIT maneuver at high speeds, leading to 19 deaths and hundreds of injuries.

Part 3: A GSP chase left a bystander with $124K in medical bills. State law said he couldn't sue

Georgia's Department of Public Safety is often shielded from lawsuits, giving the agency wide discretion in chases.

Georgia Prisons

Credit: AP

Georgia prison system engages in deception as crisis builds

Response to a 2019 prison lawsuit settlement exposes how Georgia Department of Corrections officials block potentially damaging information and present falsified documents.

Georgia prison corruption series: Inside Job

Deaths at record level in Georgia state prisons as crisis deepens

The number of deaths inside Georgia prisons in the first half of 2024 exceeds the number of prisoner deaths during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Police Deadly Force

OTHER CASES

Atlanta police held him down for 17 minutes before he died; citizen board failed to review

AJC investigation finds 39 police shootings and in-custody deaths awaiting review by the panel since 2020, including the fatal arrest of Ricardo Dorado Jr.

Citizen board yields to council demands for more police oversight

Changes eyed to handling of Atlanta police deadly force

City Council members ask sharp questions about lack of police deadly force investigations

City Council members grill official on failure to investigate police deadly force cases.

Senior Care

Credit: Marietta Police Department

89-year-old wandered away and died after Marietta senior care home failed to check on her

New report says assisted living facility with previous staffing citation didn't notify police for nearly two hours after she went missing.

Still unprotected: Senior care homes skate by with few fines

In 2020, Georgia passed reforms to better hold assisted living and personal care homes accountable for violations — four years later, the sector looks much the same.

Dozens go missing from Georgia senior care homes, some with deadly results

AJC investigation: Three residents wandering off from senior care facilities have died since November 2023. Such "elopements" often result in low fines from state regulators.

Data Journalism

Credit: Miguel Martinez

How Georgia counties shifted in the 2024 election

Most Georgia counties have shifted to the right, setting the stage for Donald Trump's victory. Here is deep look at county-level results for the recent presidential elections.

See how Cobb County and Gwinnett county precincts voted on transit referendums

In both counties, “yes” votes were more likely in neighborhoods along the busy interstate corridors of I-75 and I-85, according to analysis of voting by precinct.

The STD epidemic has slowed dramatically in the U.S. but not in Georgia

The U.S. syphilis epidemic slowed dramatically last year, gonorrhea cases fell and chlamydia cases remained below prepandemic levels.

American Dream for Rent

Credit: Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com

Investors elbow out individual home buyers

Investors slam tenants with fees, evictions

Investors zero in on Black neighborhoods

911 Calls

Credit: Miguel Martinez

911 callers left waiting on hold across metro Atlanta

How metro Atlanta’s 911 systems evolved after series of tragedies

Fewer emergency callers are placed on long holds as metro Atlanta 911 agencies improve staffing problems and technology breakdowns.

Gwinnett County and a 911 call nightmare

Dangerous Dwellings

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

At violent apartment complexes, business model thrives on housing shortage, government inaction

AJC INVESTIGATION: The Atlanta area’s most dangerous apartments increasingly are owned by private equity firms and other absentee investors whose business model traps tens of ...

Dangerous Dwellings Part 2: Making money from misery

Dangerous Dwellings Part 3: Georgia’s renter protections among nation’s weakest

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