The Mysterious Death of Blair Adams (1996)
Blair Adams was found beaten to death and half-naked in a parking lot in Knoxville, Tennessee. Scattered around his body was German, Canadian, and U.S. currency totaling nearly $4k.
Lieutenant Jones recalled the gruesome scene:
“His pants were removed in a way not like someone would take their own pants off, but in a way that someone else would remove your pants from you. His socks were turned inside out. His shoes were off and his shirt was ripped open.”
Blair Adams was originally from British Columbia where he worked in construction. A few weeks before his death he started exhibiting strange behavior. He had severe mood swings and when confronted by his mother, he refused to tell her what was happening citing “her safety” as the reason. A few days before his death, he withdrew the $6k he had in savings along with thousands more in jewelry, and decided to cross into the U.S through the Canadian border. He then bought a one-way ticket to Washington DC. Upon his arrival, he went 500 miles south-west to Knoxville TN. He had no reason to be in the US, but his overall behavior was extremely unusual.
Upon his arrival in TN, a CCTV footage showed him renting a room in a hotel, half a mile from where his body was found. The hotel’s security camera showed that in the space of an hour, Blair went in and out of the lobby five times before finally paying for the room. After checking in, Blair pocketed the key to his room. But instead of going to his room, he marched out the front door and never came back.Â
According to the autopsy report, Blair had sustained many cuts and abrasions. Police believed some of the wounds came from fending off an attack. Blair was ultimately killed by a violent blow that ruptured his stomach. His killer was never found and there has been no evidence uncovered that explained his strange behavior and who he was running from.
