Taken After Dawn Holly Bobo

 

    Holly Bobo was last seen Darden, Tennessee on April 13, 2011 just after 7:30am on a Wednesday. She lived on Swan Johnson Road and was a nursing student at the University of Tennessee's Martin Campus. She woke up early that morning to study for a test. A neighbor heard a scream coming from the Bobo home at 7:40am and had someone call Holly's mother, Karen, at work. Meanwhile at 7:50, Holly's 25 year old bother Clint woke up because he heard the dogs barking. He noticed Holly's car was still parked at the home, and he checked her room but she was not there. Karen called the house to ask if everything was okay, and when she found out Holly's car was still in at home she realized some thing was wrong and called 911.

     After Clint spoke with his mother, he looked out the window and saw Holly and a man dressed all in camouflage walking towards the woods. He called Holly's cell phone, but no one answered and it went to her voice mail. It was opening day of turkey hunting season and Clint knew Holly's boyfriend, Drew Scott, would be turkey hunting. Because the man with Holly was dressed like a turky hunter, he thought the man must be Scott. When Karen called the house, Clint said the he'd seen his sister with Scott. However, Karen knew Scott was in fact hunting on the other side of Decatur County. She told Clint to take a gun and go after the man. Clint took a pistol and went to the garage, and noticed a puddle of blood near Holly's car. He thought it was from a turkey Scott had shot and he wasn't alarmed until a neighbor came and said her son had heard screams. Only then did he call 911. As he was calling the police arrived, responding to Karen's call.

   Clint described the man with Holly as 5'10 to 6'0 tall, 180 to 200 pounds, dressed in non-insulated comauflage clothing . He couldn't see the man's face or hands but thought he might have been wearing gloves and a cap. Investigators believe he was a member of the local community and familiar with the rugged terrain. They think he abducted Holly as she was about to get into her car. Searcher found several items of interest, including Holly's lunch box found on the side of the road on Friday about eight miles from her home and her cell phone was found

    Victor George Wall, a convicted sex offender, was questioned in Holly's case on August 4 2011 after he was arrested in Minnesota on unrelated charges. He had been convited of molesting a child in Washington state in the 1980s. Wall dropped out of sight just after Holly disappeared and were inable to locate him for months. They haven't named him or anyone else as a suspect in Holly's abduction. they stated both her brother and her boyfirend were both being cooperative and they were treating Clint as an eyewitness, not a suspect.

    Holly is a first cousin of the Country music star Whitney Duncan, and Duncan has been active in publicizing her disappearance.

    Holly's family believes her kidnapper was waiting around the corner in the car port watching the reflection on Holly's car. And when Holly rounded the corner, that's when they think he struck. Dana Bobo, Holly's father, said camouflaged man who kidnapped his daughter from their Darden home knew the family’s daily routines. "It might have been somebody close that kind of knew our routine when I left, and when she left, and when my daughter left to go to school," Dana Bobo said.

    This year the search was renewed after a neighborhood dog reportedly dug up a purse that is believed to belong to Holly Bobo on Wednesday, but it is unclear exactly where the purse was found just a mile from Holly Bobo's home but after seeing it in person Karen Bobo said it wasn't Holly's.

UPDATE

One week before her abduction Holly Bobo was singing at a coon hunt and there is video of it and as it turns out there were 21 sex offender there in attendance that day. Now two years later a new clue has came to light. When Holly Bobo seemingly vanished from the face of the earth, Then without warning well turns out maybe not, because whomever took Holly Bobo forgot to turn off the victim's cell phone after leaving her house. Through the use of GPS tracking, a map has been composed of the abductor's route. It's a map that, astonishingly, leads back near the scene of the crime.

UPDATE

Clint Bobo was the only witness to his sister Holly Bobo's abduction and he has been interrogated for more than 17 hours, strip searched, polygraphed and even hypnotized to find out exactly what he knows and remembers. He also turned over his hard drive and cell phone, yet some outsiders still think he had something to do with the crime. Clint Bobo said he never felt hated until his sister was abducted. He had never been called a criminal, much less a killer, until his sister disappeared but since Holly's  he has received death threats and has been accused of planning or actually killing his sister Holly Bobo. Now it's  Clint Bobo's role as an eyewitness that made him a suspect. Sound asleep that April day, Clint Bobo woke up to the sound of his dog barking then heard voices.

I slightly raised the blinds and looked out this window and saw Holly," Clint Bobo said. "It appeared to be Holly kneeling down and [Holly's boyfriend] Drew. They looked like they were kneeled down, facing each other in the garage, and they were talking back and forth. Holly sounded very upset and heated. He was doing much of the talking, and she would answer back and things like that. I couldn't make out hardly any of the words. The only words I could make out from here were Holly saying, 'No, why?'"

Clint Bobo said he figured Holly and her boyfriend Drew were breaking up.
At this time, Karen Bobo called home after she heard from a neighbor that there was a scream.
It's important to note that Clint Bobo didn't hear that scream, and Karen Bobo didn't tell her son there was a scream.

They were not on the same page. "I said, 'Clint, that's not Drew. Get a gun and shoot him.' And I remember him saying, 'You want me to shoot Drew?' So I hung the phone up again, and I think at that point I fell on the floor," Karen Bobo said.

Clint Bobo knew that Holly's boyfriend Drew was turkey hunting that morning, so he thought it was obviously Drew he saw wearing camouflage and talking with his sister. He said it appeared to be a serious conversation and maybe even a break-up talk. "And I don't want to call 911 and say, 'My sister and her boyfriend are breaking up,'" Clint Bobo said.

So, Clint Bobo didn't act, but went to check again. This time, he saw Holly walking into the woods with the man in camouflage. "The only thing I could see was his right arm, which was hanging down," Clint Bobo said. "I saw them up to about where those two trees are, and from that point I never saw them again."

Holly Bobo walked into the woods with the man in camouflage who Clint Bobo was sure was Drew,  who was hunting that morning and it is now believed he may have had a gun or knife, and they continued up this path. On the other side of these woods there is a logging road where you can easily park a vehicle. The dogs, we know, pursued and then stopped. Why would they stop right there? Because the odds are she got into a vehicle

This is a theory backed up by, of all things, a map. Holly Bobo's abductor forgot to turn off her cell phone, so with GPS tracking, that phone can be tracked along a strange, back roads journey that ends in a surprising and upsetting possibility. The map shows that if police had immediately blocked four roads near the Bobo home, like Karen Bobo had begged them to do, they would have likely caught the abductor in the act.

UPDATE

Nashville, Tenn. – The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has determined that the non-profit organization “Without Warning” did not investigate the case of missing Tennessee woman, Holly Bobo, to law enforcement standards as reported by Nashville television station WSMV which aired several stories during newscasts this month as well as a special documentary which aired May 12, 2013.
While speaking to TBI Special Agents, each member of the private investigative team admitted that they regurgitated information they had heard and read in order to talk about the case on television.  In addition, the founder of “Without Warning,” Sheila Wysocki, wrote in an email to a TBI Special Agent, “You all have to realize that we have been able to make any story surrounding this case a ratings winner and online success which was the goal. In return, someone may come forward to be the hero and give you all the right information to resolve this case.” Each member of the team stated the information provided to them came from the victim’s family.
Since the stories aired, TBI has gone through the appropriate legal channels to obtain the information provided to “Without Warning” as well as video footage from WSMV. No information contained in the documents and video has led to any new evidence in the two year old investigation. The majority of documents contained in the binders are print outs of social media sites, comments posted on various internet websites, personal notes, public records, news articles and a production shooting schedule.
By their own admission, members of “Without Warning” said they had no geolocation information about Holly Bobo’s cell phone after her disappearance including the exact locations and times the phone “pinged” as reported by WSMV. The source of the incorrect and unofficial cell phone information has stated that he told “Without Warning” members the information was not accurate when he provided it to them. TBI has obtained emails exchanged between members of the “Without Warning” team where they discuss the inaccuracy of the times, but used them as factual information regardless.
“The erroneous television reports have led to false leads, public concern and have wasted valuable state resources,” said TBI Director Mark Gwyn. “The most important thing, after finding Holly Bobo and the person responsible for her disappearance, is maintaining the integrity of this investigation should it ever go to trial. In addition, TBI is concerned that WSMV never confirmed any facts reported in the stories with our agency. Never have we seen such irresponsible and unprofessional journalism on an active and open TBI investigation that has been so harmful to the case.”
The 24th Judicial District Attorney General Hansel McAdams, the prosecutor responsible for handling the case, stated, “Without Warning and WSMV have had no regard for the truth and their careless use of misleading information has been detrimental to this case.”
TBI refutes several other allegations made in the reports including that the crime scene was contaminated by people, horses and helicopters, that there is dash cam video from a law enforcement vehicle of the subject, and that there were 21 sex offenders registered at the coon hunt that Holly attended shortly before her disappearance, and that an eyewitness was stripped searched. Further, there is no evidence to suggest that Holly Bobo is a victim of sex trafficking.
TBI’s Criminal Investigation Division Deputy Director Jeff Puckett said, “In 31 years of working at TBI, there has never been a case where this amount of local, state and federal resources have been dedicated to a single investigation. A typical TBI case file for a complicated homicide contains two volumes. The Holly Bobo case file is currently 27 volumes and contains more than 1500 investigative reports. There are more than a 100 judicial documents, including search warrants, subpoenas and court orders, and law enforcement has organized in excess of 100 ground searches. A dollar amount of resources dedicated to this case by law enforcement is too large to estimate.”
TBI’s investigation into Holly Bobo’s disappearance is open and ongoing. Multiple TBI Special Agents are assigned to work on the case which they do not consider to be a cold case. There is a $85,000 government and private citizen reward fund for information leading the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for Holly Bobo’s disappearance as well as a reward being offered by a Memphis citizen urging the subject turn himself into authorities for $100,000 and a $250,000 reward for Holly Bobo’s safe return. Information about Holly Bobo’s disappearance should be reported to 1-800-TBI-FIND (1-800-824-3463)

UPDATE

The family of missing Tennessean Holly Bobo on Tuesday accused the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation of ignoring their pain after what they call a “very inappropriate, very unprofessional” tweet by the agency’s spokeswoman.
The tweet, by TBI spokeswoman Kristin Helm, referred to a story on Saturday detailing the TBI’s criticism of a Brentwood nonprofit’s involvement in the investigation and WSMV-Channel 4 reports on the group’s findings.
Helm posted a picture on Twitter showing The Tennessean’s story about the controversy with the caption, “Great way to start off my day and the coffee is brewing.”
Bobo’s mother said Tuesday that the tweet appeared to be “sounding victorious,” while her daughter remains missing.
“I do feel like the big picture has been lost and that picture is finding my daughter,” said Karen Bobo, standing on the steps of the state Capitol. “If this is an example of how TBI feels about my daughter’s case, then I do think there is a conflict of interest.”
Helm later apologized and said the tweet was from her personal account. The tweet has since been deleted.
“The tweet from my personal account was referring to the content of the article, not directed at the case,” she said in an email. “If it was construed as hurtful which was not its intention, I apologize. It does not reflect any opinion of TBI or my work, only my own personal thoughts after hours.”
Helm’s personal account does not indicate her connection to the TBI, though her more than 400 followers include many members of the media, government agencies and police departments.
Bobo went missing from her Decatur County home April 13, 2011, after she was last seen walking into the woods with an unidentified man wearing camouflage. Her family has consulted with private investigators to provide outside opinions and they have begun an online petition drive to form a statewide task force that deals solely with missing persons cases.
The Channel 4 story purported to reveal new details about the case, including information about Bobo’s cell phone, the strip searching of her brother and possible video footage of the suspect after her disappearance, details the TBI said were false.
Bobo’s mother said she expects the TBI to take action on the “very inappropriate, very unprofessional” tweet.
“I did take this personal,” she said. “I do feel that this was put out without regard for the feelings of Holly’s family.”

Update 2013
The frustrating search for missing nursing student has Holly Bobo heated up again with startling new revelations from private investigators.
Bobo's cell phone emitted a signal near her Tennessee home approximately two hours after her brother saw a camouflaged man leading her into the woods in 2011, according to WSMV.
When charted across on a map, Bobo's cell phone indicates a path through her hometown of Parsons on April 11, 2011 after 8 a.m. Stunningly, the signal pops up again at 9:58 less than a quarter mile from her home, according to investigators from Without Warning Fight Back who spoke to the station.
That raises the hope that the missing 20-year-old's kidnapper or his car might have been recorded on a police car's dashboard camera as he passed near the crime scene.
The potential breakthrough comes amid growing pressure on the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations from Bobo's family. Her relatives want a new task force to investigate all missing persons cases in the state, WREG reported.
Police had already found her cell phone in perfect condition discarded along a highway north of Parsons.
Bobo's 25-year-old brother Clint has been interrogated for more than 17 hours, because he was the last person to see Holly. He recently spoke to the media for the first time about his experience, noting that he has received death threats from strangers who accuse him of killing his sister.

UPDATE

Feb 28, 2014

The director of the TBI, Mark Gwyn, addressed the media on Friday afternoon in connection to the search efforts for Holly Bobo.

Gwyn said that the searches are going on in not only Decatur County, but surrounding areas as well.

Gwyn would not release any particulars about what is happening during the search Friday, but he also said that he is "hoping to return Holly home safely to her home."

Gwyn said that the search effort is going to continue into the night and will last into Saturday and possibly the next few days.

Gwyn says that he thinks that the information that has been revealed in this case recently is "vital".

Gwyn also said that it took investigators a "long time" to make it to where they are and will not release any details that can jeopardize the case.

Currently, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating.

UPDATE

Posted: Mar 03, 2014 10:13 AM PST Updated: Mar 03, 2014 10:15 AM PST

Reported by Carley Gordon

DECATURVILLE, TN (WSMV) -
The man whose property is at the center of a TBI search in connection with the disappearance of nursing student Holly Bobo had bond set at $1 million Monday in an unrelated aggravated assault charge.
appeared in Decatur County General Sessions Court on Monday after his arrest on Friday hours after TBI and FBI agents began searching his property.
Decatur County General Sessions Judge Rick Woods raised the bail from $250,000 that was set by the county's judicial commissioner on Friday night.
Adams was upset at a reporter who took a photo of him as he was led from the courtroom after the arraignment.
"Don't take picture of me, man," Adams said to a reporter from The Jackson Sun newspaper. "I'm not the one."
According to reports, the Bobo investigation was not mentioned in court. Authorities have not said whether the assault charge is related to the disappearance of Bobo in April 2011.
According to the arrest warrant, Adams held a black revolver to the head of Amber Bray at his Holladay home and threatened to kill her. The affidavit also said that Adams pulled a knife on her while threatening to "gut" her.
Bobo was last seen on the morning of April 13, 2011, where she was seen by her brother being led away from her Darden, TN home.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and Federal Bureau of Investigation began executing search warrants on Adams' home and property off Highway 69 south of Interstate 40 on Friday afternoon.
Adams had been released from the Benton County jail on Feb. 26 on drug charges.
The Jackson Sun reported that Adams did not have a lawyer at the arraignment hearing. He said he needed to contact his grandfather to arrange to hire a lawyer but had not been able to make a telephone call since Saturday night.
Decatur County officials transferred Adams to the jail in Chester County. Officials said the Decatur County jail was overcrowded.

Copyright 2014 WSMV (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.


UPDATE

(CNN) -- Friends and family of Holly Bobo, last seen in 2011, waited three years for news. Their worst fears have now been confirmed.

A man has been indicted on charges of kidnapping and murder in the case of the Tennessee woman, authorities announced Wednesday.

Zachary Adams, 29, is being held without bond.

A Decatur County grand jury handed down a two-count indictment of especially aggravated kidnapping and first-degree murder.

"As this investigation continues, we are still asking for the public's help and support to help us continue to seek out justice regarding the disappearance of Holly Bobo," Mark Gwyn, director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, told reporters.

Because the investigation is ongoing, Gwyn declined to comment on whether any human remains have been found.

Bobo, a nursing student, was last seen in April 2011. She was 20 years old.

Her brother told authorities he saw a man in camouflage leading her away from their home in the small town of Darden.

The Bobo case rocked the largely rural swath of central Tennessee, from those who knew the young woman to others who rallied behind the effort to find her.

Hundreds of volunteers -- some on horseback and foot, others on all-terrain vehicles -- turned out to hunt for clues in Decatur, Henderson, Henry, Carroll and Benton counties. Many more attended memorial services or offered supportive thoughts online via groups on Facebook.

The TBI and local and federal authorities have spent hundreds of manpower hours on the case, Gwyn said. More than $450,000 has been offered in reward money.

Adams, who is being held at the Chester County jail, is set to appear in court on Tuesday. Prosecutors are evaluating whether they will seek the death penalty.

"Obviously, they're devastated," Gwyn said of the Bobo family.

"They've been devastated for three years. But, hopefully, this is the beginning of closure for the Bobo family, and they deserve that.".


UPDATE:  From the Chattanooga Times Free Press

DECATURVILLE, Tenn. — A grand jury indicted a second person Tuesday on murder and kidnapping charges in the disappearance of 20-year-old nursing student Holly Bobo three years ago.
Jason Autry, 39, was indicted by a special grand jury on charges of first-degree murder and especially aggravated kidnapping.
Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director Mark Gwyn said at a Tuesday news conference in Decaturville that authorities have not found Bobo's body. However, he said they have sworn statements from witnesses who saw Bobo alive with Autry and Zachary Adams after Bobo disappeared from her home near Parsons in Decatur County on April 13, 2011.
Adams was indicted in March on the same charges that Autry now faces, and is currently being held without bond in the Chester County Jail.
Autry is currently serving a three-year sentence in Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in a separate case.
Gwyn said Adams and Autry were longtime friends. He declined to say whether there was any previous connection between Bobo and Autry.
District Attorney General Hansel McCadams said prosecutors could seek the death penalty in both cases.
Gwyn hinted that still others could be charged in the case.
"We believe there are other individuals out there with information about possible involvement," he said. "They can expect a knock at their door soon."
Bobo family friend Tammy Ramey attended the news conference wearing a "Justice for Holly" T-shirt and spoke afterward with reporters. She said she was not surprised to hear that Autry was charged because rumors that he was involved have been going around town ever since Bobo disappeared.
Ramey said she did not know Autry personally but has read about him in the newspaper.
She said she was encouraged to hear from Gwyn that they are still investigating other people as well.
"We want all that's involved," she said.
The family's pastor, Don Franks, also spoke with reporters after the news conference. He said he was with Bobo's parents earlier in the day when they were informed of the new charges.
"It's tough. And as more facts are revealed it gets even tougher," he said. But he added, "They are more determined than ever to have justice for Holly."
Gwyn also said that the grand jury on Tuesday indicted Adams on an additional charge of coercing a witness.
An affidavit of a TBI agent filed earlier this month with the Decatur General Sessions Court says Adams told another inmate to relay a message to his brother to keep quiet.
Adams said "tell my brother he is the one who started this ... and if he doesn't shut his mouth he will be in the hole beside her," the affidavit states.