First off, hello everyone! I'm a diehard fan, and I just signed up tonight. My post is about the case of Blair Adams (I think that was his name). He is the man who lived in Canada and went absolutely insane before he was found dead in the parking lot of a Tennessee hotel. I guess he tried to cross the border to the States a few times, told his neighbor someone was going to kill him, finally made it across the border, bought a plane ticket to Germany, switched it to a ticket to Washington, then somehow ended up in Tennessee. In Tennesee, he went to a place to get his car looked at, but the key that he had was for a totally different vehicle. He said that was the only key he had. Then they showed surveilance video of him at the hotel in Tennessee and he kept walking in and out of the building over and over. The next morning, he just ended up dead in the middle of this hotel parking lot, the cause of death being a blow to the stomach. They have absolutely ZERO evidence of anything, and they eventually just decided that he went nuts, and had a bunch of personal demons that caused him to commit suicide. But who the heck commits suicide by delivering a blow to their own stomach?

That's all I remember about the case. Anyone else remember this one? And more importantly, anyone have any additional information about it?

This case was just on a couple days ago, so yeah I've seen it too. It seems to have been repeated a lot lately. Right now I'm tired so I'll try to give you more information later. All I know is he was followed by a stalker all the way from Canada to Tennessee, or he went on this journey just to commit suicide. He also could have been paranoid and thought that someone was stalking him, and by coincidence was killed by a totally different killer in Tennessee. Nobody really knows the real answer though.

I disagree - adams wasn't being stalked by anyone I think it was all in his head. In fact, if any evidence ever surfaces that Blair did himself in, I'd buy it without a second glance - the guy seems to be a bit overdramatic from how the segment portrayed him and his mother sounds like she should be a muppet.

Later.

Oh yes!! I remember this one.

I don't know, there were a lot of weird circumstances surrounding his death. He was murdered wasn't he? But wasn't it mentioned that it could have just been a coincedence i.e., he was disoriented, disturbed and someone took advantage of his situation and then he was robbed and it went to far and he was killed.

Definitely a strange one. Was Blair Adams his name though?

Did you guys pay attention to this case?

Let's say it was all in his head. Fine. How does someone do themselves in with a violent blow to the stomach, thus rupturing it? That's what killed him you know. Why not just find some way to get shot? Run over, or stabbed? Easier than pounding your stomach until you're dead. And if he did do it, where was the murder weapon? Wouldn't it have been found somewhere around him? Had it been repeated kicks or punches, they would have said so. Something like that causes bruising on the skin.

Why were his socks and pants taken off, and turned inside out as though someone else did it? This might be too much info for some, but when I take off my pants they're usually not inside out. Thought it's a little more believeable than the whole suicide thing.

Lastly, if someone tried to rob him, why leave all the money there? He had like 6 thousand dollars in American, German, and Canadian currency. Not to mention a few thousand more in all the jewelry and everything else. NONE of it was worthless.

I'm not saying it wasn't in his head. He could have been going crazy. BUT I don't see how he could have killed himself the way he did. OH, not to mention the wounds on his arms, hands, and legs. If you look closely at the autopsy report they showed, there were notes on the paper indicating puncture wounds and what not. There were quite a bit on him.

yeah this is a weird case it should have been on the DVD set because it is truly bizarre.. there was absolutely no reason for this man to be dead. I agree with zero's comments that it would have been all but impossible for this man to have killed himself in the way he was found. Someone wanted this man dead perhaps there was more the story than Blair had told others perhaps the person stalking him was not in Canada but here in the us and maybe he was lured to his death by the killer.. that may explain is travel patterns being as strange as they were.. Still I wonder why he was found naked? and with all that money left around him.. maybe he was gay.. perhaps the killer was gay too???

Did you guys pay attention to this case?

Let's say it was all in his head. Fine. How does someone do themselves in with a violent blow to the stomach, thus rupturing it? That's what killed him you know. Why not just find some way to get shot? Run over, or stabbed? Easier than pounding your stomach until you're dead. And if he did do it, where was the murder weapon? Wouldn't it have been found somewhere around him? Had it been repeated kicks or punches, they would have said so. Something like that causes bruising on the skin.

Why were his socks and pants taken off, and turned inside out as though someone else did it? This might be too much info for some, but when I take off my pants they're usually not inside out. Thought it's a little more believeable than the whole suicide thing.

Lastly, if someone tried to rob him, why leave all the money there? He had like 6 thousand dollars in American, German, and Canadian currency. Not to mention a few thousand more in all the jewelry and everything else. NONE of it was worthless.

I'm not saying it wasn't in his head. He could have been going crazy. BUT I don't see how he could have killed himself the way he did. OH, not to mention the wounds on his arms, hands, and legs. If you look closely at the autopsy report they showed, there were notes on the paper indicating puncture wounds and what not. There were quite a bit on him.


I am glad to have found this site. I was thinking about Blair recently as my Dad and I were talking about him a few days ago. I started looking around for articles relating to him soon after his murder and could find nothing really except for a small article in the Vancouver Sun. I thought that perhaps he was a forgotten soul. For those of you that have been searching Blair was from White Rock about 20 miles south of Vancouver, BC. Normally I don't post to this kind of thing but I wanted to voice my disagreement in regards to the idea of "suicide". Blair was my friend and I saw him a few days before this happened. I was at my dad's cabin and he came to visit me. He was acting a little weird but that was not unusual for Blair. He was a bit eccentric to say the least. He was a really nice person that tried to help a lot of people.

I can explain the German $$. About six months before his death he went to work in Germany (for sure, he sent me many postcards and $100 marks for my birthday) While there he met a young gal (like 17 or 18) He had a intense fling with her and then came back to Canada. I have no idea what happened to my friend, but have always had the feeling that the people in Germany had something to do with this. The last time I saw him, he was edgy, I wish that I had noticed the signs and helped him. Anyway, I hope that someone figures this out as I totally agree with Zero that it would be fairly impossible to kill yourself in this manner.

Regards,
NG

Nerdgurl, I'm really glad you posted. This is one of the cases that seems to bother people most on this message board. It's nice to have someone shed more light on the case. What kind of job did Blair have in Germany? And do you think his death would have had something to do with this girlfriend? Do you think that someone would have followed him all the way from Germany, then stalked him as he travelled throughout the U.S.? Why?

I know it's speculation on your part, but it would be nice to read more of your thoughts.

So do you think that the girlfriend had something to do with it? Maybe not *her* but someone she knew? Very strange!!

The Blair that I knew was an amiable, fun person to be with.

Our girlfriends knew each other, so we ended up spending some time together. I knew that he didn't have a happy childhood, and that alcoholism was a demon that he was always fighting. He struck me as a good person who genuinly cared about those around him.

I hadn't seen Blair for a couple of years before he was murdered. The feeling that I've had since that time is that he'd done something to piss someone off, and that he was on the run, afraid for his life. Blair wasn't a small, wimpy guy. He'd worked in construction. I never knew him to be paranoid, or suffering from any sort of mental illness. When I had heard about the circumstances of his death, I thought the whole thing was tragic and bizarre.

If he was afraid for his life, why didn't he go to the police? I don't know. He wasn't a loner, so I can't help but thinking that someone must know something about what was happening with him.

Like I said, the Blair I knew was a decent guy, someone who deserved a lot more out of life than he ever received.

yeah

Nerdgurl, I'm really glad you posted. This is one of the cases that seems to bother people most on this message board. It's nice to have someone shed more light on the case. What kind of job did Blair have in Germany? And do you think his death would have had something to do with this girlfriend? Do you think that someone would have followed him all the way from Germany, then stalked him as he travelled throughout the U.S.? Why?

I know it's speculation on your part, but it would be nice to read more of your thoughts.

Hey,

Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to the board with additional info...too busy, ya know how it is. :happyface Anyway, to answer the questions you posed: Blair was working in construction in Germany. He was there I think about 4 months. He took with him a guy that he was trying to help get off alcohol and drugs. I think the guy that went with him soon started drinking when they got to Germany. A few of my friends think the family of the gal in Germany had something to do with his death. Although I think it would be an incredible feat to get to him, as they would have had to follow him very closely to end up in Tennessee. Especially all the attempts he made to get across the border, how would you follow someone closely if you were stuck in a few border line ups?

This is what I know about the last day or two of his life. I saw him a couple days before he started to "make an escape". Someone told me that he had a plane ticket to Germany and went to the airport, I don't know why he didn't get on the plane. I understand that he took all his valuables and tried to cross the border into the US. And because he had a lot of cash on him and was acting pretty nervous he was denied entry. So he contacted a friend to see if she would drive him across the border, she refused as she has a couple of kids and didn't want to get involved with transporting someone who was denied entry. Story goes that he tried a few more border crossings and finally got in.

I knew Blair pretty well, but he did harbour a few secrets and he had lots of trouble with drugs and alcohol. He turned his life around but I get the nagging feeling that it may have been something or someone from his past that was catching up to him. I also believe that the girlfriend in Germany was too young and perhaps something strange happened there as he was suppose to be working there for 2 years, but came home after a few months.

I would really like to know what happened to him. He was a sweet person that had a kind heart. He loved his pets, friends and lovers passionately and treated most with kindness and thoughtfulness. I really don't want to believe that he could do this to himself as some of the facts surrounding his death make it impossible that he could have killed himself. He enjoyed life and was never, ever suicidal. He was like the brother I never had as he drove me crazy and was always saying things to me like "you seem really bitchy today, why don't you drink a glass of water?" Funny, I didn't appreciate his advice... We fought, laughed, helped each other and collaborated on some fantastic meals, he made exceptionally tasty manicotti and cannelloni dishes. He gave me his stationwagon to drive around so that I could get my drivers licence. The Blair I knew wouldn't have created a big drama and then kill himself. I think he knew how to help people but not how to ask for help... I would like to see his death investigated on one of those Psychic Detective shows, those are amazing!

Bests to all those interested in what happened to Blair Adams,
NG

I would really like to know what happened to him. He was a sweet person that had a kind heart. He loved his pets, friends and lovers passionately and treated most with kindness and thoughtfulness. I really don't want to believe that he could do this to himself as some of the facts surrounding his death make it impossible that he could have killed himself. He enjoyed life and was never, ever suicidal. He was like the brother I never had as he drove me crazy and was always saying things to me like "you seem really bitchy today, why don't you drink a glass of water?" Funny, I didn't appreciate his advice... We fought, laughed, helped each other and collaborated on some fantastic meals, he made exceptionally tasty manicotti and cannelloni dishes. He gave me his stationwagon to drive around so that I could get my drivers licence. The Blair I knew wouldn't have created a big drama and then kill himself. I think he knew how to help people but not how to ask for help...

Wow. That actually brought tears to my eyes. How poignant. I hope you get the answers you're looking for.

Wow, thanks for posting NerdGurl and I hope you keep posting on this. I am glad you tell your story and tell us what Blair was truly like and details about the case that are left out of UM. We would have known none of these things about Blair or about the case had you not told us. If you bring the details about his Germany trip into play and some of these other factors, the possiblity of him killing himself becomes more and more likely.

NerdGurl,

Thanks so much for posting. I was trying to watch this episode on youtube, but the volume is poor.

I have no idea why I was thinking about this case just the other day. I'm a former investigator so some cases stick with me if I have some indirect ties to them such as if it happened near my hometown, my school, liked / disliked same things as me. But this case, for some reason, bothers me that I could not solve (even though I was never active on this case at all and happened nowhere near me).

Just to better explain, sometimes when doing this for a living, it really does bother you when you cant solve it. The Kristen Modaferri (sp) case about the girl from NC who disappeared was also profiled. That bothered me alot as thats where I live (and her best friend is friends with my girlfriend). I'm not sure if I'm making sense, but unless you did this for a living, you wouldn't understand.

I don't know Blair. Never worked this case. Yet it haunts me to this day for some reason. Not every day, but once in a blue moon. My specialty was digital forensics - finding deleted evidence of crime (credit card fraud, product diversion, trade secret theft). That was still a young field in Blair's time. I would love to have gone thru his computer and found out some info. A chat log, email, document or something to shed light on this. In fact, I bet there are a lot of cold / old cases that could be solved if someone went back to their computers and did forensics on them, as it probably wasn't available at the time.

Based on my experience, I believe you are right - his past caught up with him. Usually in suicides (aside from not hitting yourself in the stomach :) ), there are signs, letters, indirect calls for help. So either he was serious that someone was after him, or a bad drug experience that someone coerced on him to make him think so. Regardless, his past caught up with him and he certainly had 'help' dying. Whether it was his wish or not. The faqxt that you mentioned he appeared changed when he came back from Germany, should have been a red flag to the investigators.

I want to thank you for posting any information you can on this case. Helps give it that personal touch as its hard for us to see Blair for who he is just on TV.

My best to you, his family and his friends. At least his Demons cant hurt him anymore. He is in a much better place, but we are selfish - we want him back here with us.

Tellurye

just watched this on tape, almost forgot about the case

wheres the murder weapon

Blackout, it's been so long since I've seen this segment, I've forgotten a lot of the details.

In a post on the first page of this thread, someone mentions that his pants were pulled off or down and were inside out. Also something about his socks being off or inside out. (On another thread there's speculation of sexual assault that wasn't mentioned on the UM segment, I think.)

Could you give me the details on the pants situation, since you recently watched this one? I was wondering if he was dragged in a certain way that just made his pants end up in the weird position they were in.

I've heard of that kind of thing quite a few times. The way a body is dragged will sometimes pull clothing off, or pull it so out of its normal position that it's inside out and nearly pulled off.

the police said the ay his pants were removed, that it appears somebody else removed them from his body

and he was killed by a huge blow to the stomach but there's no murder weapon....weird!

just watched this on tape, almost forgot about the case

wheres the murder weapon

Still attached to the murderer(s).

It's a very strong possibility that the assailant(s) used his/their own fist(s), knee or foot.

The blow that felled Blair is consistent with the "two men stand him up and one man punches the person in the stomach" act that you always see in old gangster movies.


Blackout, it's been so long since I've seen this segment, I've forgotten a lot of the details.

In a post on the first page of this thread, someone mentions that his pants were pulled off or down and were inside out. Also something about his socks being off or inside out. (On another thread there's speculation of sexual assault that wasn't mentioned on the UM segment, I think.)

Could you give me the details on the pants situation, since you recently watched this one? I was wondering if he was dragged in a certain way that just made his pants end up in the weird position they were in.

I've heard of that kind of thing quite a few times. The way a body is dragged will sometimes pull clothing off, or pull it so out of its normal position that it's inside out and nearly pulled off.

According to the authorities, his pants and underpants were taken off in a style that indicates that someone else took his pants off while Blair was prone.

It also seems that this happened post-attack.

I have heard of similar incidents where this happened and the motive was robbery. in those incidents the pants were taken off because the subject was prone on the ground. It;s next to impossible to search someones pants while they are on the ground wearing them. You almost have to remove his pants off him.

This would be the only way that the assailant(s) could have removed Blairs money to spread it around like that.

The problem with the sexual assault theory is that:

1. nobody took any of his money or valuables. The money he had on him was nothing to sneeze at. Yet they discarded it as if it had no importance.
2. This theory can only be feasible unless Blair knew who his assailant was.
3. Blair was far from an easy target. He was a huge strapping construction worker. The scratch marks indicate a significant struggle. This would have had to have been a group of individuals or one huge individual to wind up on the winning side of this battle.
4. It overlooks the connection between Blairs flight, his appearance in such a desolate area and his ultimated death.

there was like 1,400 dollars in currency near his body


now, maybe he had more money on him and they just didn't take it all???

there was like 1,400 dollars in currency near his body


now, maybe he had more money on him and they just didn't take it all???

Are you saying he had more than $1,400 on him? If he had 3,700 on him, why would you only take half? If your gonna rob someone you might as well take the whole amount before someone else does.

Also why would you litter the dollar bills you didn;t take around him? If you found those bills they would have taken them?

Plus they didn;t even touch his valuables that he had in the bag. Those valuables could potential be worth more than the money. They also didn;t take his car either?

An interesting point is that Blair took valuables with him? The only reason that he would do so would be to potentially hock them for quick cash. Which means that Blair was either prepared to pay someone off a huge amount or that Blair knew his trip would be indefinite.

I also wonder if Blair used credit cards or ATMs on this trip. I assume he did for the rental cars and the hotels.

I also wonder if Blair used credit cards or ATMs on this trip. I assume he did for the rental cars and the hotels.


I was thinking this same thing. Also, does the hotel parking lot, where his body was found, having any surveillance videos outside? If not, how about neighboring businesses? If a place next door or across the street had cameras outside, you could potentially zoom in and try and get a plate number on Blair's assailants. I'm assuming they didn't walk over there and kill him. Plus, I doubt he was even killed at that spot. If some place around there had surveillance, a plate could have been spotted.

I doubt this is the case, but this has always reminded me of Justin Berwinkle's case. The Army guy who went MIA and told his girlfriend that the movie White Sands was basically happening to him. For those who haven't seen White Sands, it has Mickey Rourke and Willem Dafoe in it and Dafoe plays a small town sheriff who happens upon a dead body with a briefcase full of money. He then assumes the dead mans identity and tries to figure out what was going on. In the movie, Dafoe's character lives, but Bergwinkle hasn't been seen since. I wonder if something similar to this happened to Blair.

I doubt this is the case, but this has always reminded me of Justin Berwinkle's case. The Army guy who went MIA and told his girlfriend that the movie White Sands was basically happening to him. For those who haven't seen White Sands, it has Mickey Rourke and Willem Dafoe in it and Dafoe plays a small town sheriff who happens upon a dead body with a briefcase full of money. He then assumes the dead mans identity and tries to figure out what was going on. In the movie, Dafoe's character lives, but Bergwinkle hasn't been seen since. I wonder if something similar to this happened to Blair.

I find it interesting that the reason Justin couldn't leave earlier was that the border agents thought he was a money launderer. He fit their profile. Blair travelled a lot for someone in his position.

It would explain, why the money was taken out of his wallet and spread over his body. Perhaps his assailants were trying to look for the serial numbers on the money.

I have tried to read up on all the posts I can find on this case, but I can't seem to find anything mentioned about what I am going to suggest.

Firstly, I'm not so sure if he was going crazy. I think he was being followed like he suggested.

A couple of things struck me, both with the UM segment and reading other peoples thoughts.

It was mentioned that Blair had been in Germany doing some construction work. Since WWII, the US have a tremendous number of military instalments and involvement in Germany and so a lot of the construction work involving American and Canadian citizens brought in were more often than not involved in some way with the military, even if it wasn't work directly involving or on a "base". There's a high possibility therefore even if he wasn't working on a base, he had access to or frequented with soldiers or other military personnel during his time there.

The punches to the stomach, although you could say are not a big deal, smack of military training and military "roughing up".

The money - and lots of it strewn everywhere at the scene, as mentioned by Mastermind, I have also heard of being representative of organised crime. Blair doesn't seem the organised crime type, but sometimes this could/would be done if it's considered "dirty money" to signify it's unwanted and so is left strewn in a pool of the "dirty dealers" own blood, and so maybe he had become mixed up in something "dirty". It was mentioned in another post that many years back Blair had alcohol and drugs problems and I'm wondered if he didn't get involved in a drugs ring or simply found out things he shouldn't have maybe about a drugs ring or drugs running during his time in Germany and it followed him back only to surface many years later.

The trousers - being turned inside out, I have heard of in cases where the person has been an "informant" or a "snitch" - though in this case I can't quite fit the pieces of the puzzle together with all of this. Could he have "informed" to someone about the drugs issue? Being naked from the waist down would also be a shame issue, something else associated with the military which could kind of be considered like an "pledge" or "hazing" type thing letting others know that the military or some other fraternity had left their mark so that others would take notice of and realize this.

Maybe the thinking of the guys at the border who wouldn't let him in the first couple of times actually did hold water and their feelings about money laundering were closer than they thought. Or maybe Blair had intentionally made it look this way so they would remember and think back on this, maybe he wanted to draw their attention to it without saying too much.

Maybe these theories are way out there, but would be interested to hear if anyone else has thought the same.

This is a very strange case, something that should be in Bizarre Murders but wasn't, this case is very strange. it seemed like he was going nuts, but if he was going nuts why did he end up dead like he feared?? He went to Tennessee and lost his car key, then next thing you know, there's the key, right there. Very odd case.

Firstly, I'm not so sure if he was going crazy. I think he was being followed like he suggested.
my guess, maybe he was followed, maybe threatened.

The money - and lots of it strewn everywhere at the scene, as mentioned by Mastermind, I have also heard of being representative of organised crime.
that is very strange too, it seems like they killed him out of anger more than anything.

The trousers - being turned inside out, I have heard of in cases where the person has been an "informant" or a "snitch"
i agree, it could be a snitch deal.
- though in this case I can't quite fit the pieces of the puzzle together with all of this. Could he have "informed" to someone about the drugs issue? Being naked from the waist down would also be a shame issue
maybe?? or maybe they did it to insult him or maybe looking for something? Like i said, this was an odd casee and getting it solved would answer questions.

So I revisited the case (again) today to see if I could spot anything else.

Travelling to Frankfurt:
It was mentioned possibly on here or possibly by UM that Blair travelled a lot due to his foreman's job - it was mentioned in UM that he had previously travelled to Germany. Relating to what I had been saying earlier, Blair when he was trying to leave the US, bought a ticket to Frankfurt - why Frankfurt? Why not Dusseldorf, Berlin, Bremen, Cologne, Dortmund, Dresden, Hamburg, Hanover, Munich, Nuremberg or Stuttgart which were and are all other main airports in and out of Germany?

Interestingly, Frankfurt has very close to it the Rhein-Main Air Force Base which housed those all of non-German origin, mostly American and Canadian but also some British troops, civilians and contractors. During the 1990s it became the gateway for troops who were going in and out of Operation Desert Storm.

As someone mentioned previously Blair was a contractor while in Germany but left early. It's quite possible he was contracted to work here or in this surrounding area where he'd be amongst other English speaking people.

That's all again relating to military angle I had previously suggested.


Vehicles/Transport
When he eventually crossed the border into Seattle, he rented a white Nissan. Why not use the red car he had tried to take through previously? Had it been tailed and was no longer safe? Also when he visited his "friend" at 1am he said he had a car waiting in the background which does not look like the previous car he had used. Why so many different vehicles? He then ditches the White Nissan before he attempts to take his flight from Washington and ends up renting a blue Toyota, but when the mechanic tells him he can't start the car with the wrong key, he has obviously either forgotten to give the Nissan key back or kept it for some reason. Relevant - am not sure at this point but read on?

I have two thoughts about the "car not starting" incident. Firstly, he was maybe trying to ditch the Blue Toyota so he could set off on foot and he thought the mechanic would get suspicious so called him over and conversation began. Or Secondly, maybe he felt or seen someone watching him, so he purposely initiated conversation with the mechanic so that he could buy himself some time. As the key later turned up beside his body, its easily possible that he could have had the correct key down his shorts the entire time (The mechanic checked all his pockets but I don't think the mechanic was going to check in there for him).

What happened next was not shown but Blair may not have been expecting the mechanic to be so kind and offer to tow him to a hotel. I get the distinct feeling here though that for whatever reason Blair had wanted to ditch the Blue Toyota and set out on foot.

This also seems true when you consider that when Blair arrived at the hotel, he was in and out of the lobby 5 times before eventually purchasing a room. It seems he was being watched, maybe they had followed the car being towed to the hotel. Again I think the room was rented to try and throw the followers off the trail, so it could look like he was staying there while he was trying to move on and look for somewhere else.


At the Murder Scene
When his body was found, 12 hours later his socks were inside out, shoes were off, trousers down and inside out and his shirt ripped open. Do you get the feeling someone was maybe looking for something? If it was something to do with being a "snitch" maybe they were looking to see if he was "wired"?

Also odd, even from the beginning, he had $2000 worth of Jewellery, Gold and Platinum and kept these in his pack. How did he get this? Did he trade money or other artifacts for these precious metals possibly?

Again then as mentioned, the Toyota key was found less than 10 feet from his body. If as I suggested it was inside his shorts, this is easily possible as in a struggle if his pants were taken off him the key would've fallen a few feet away.

Oddly, though this may just be a fault of UM - when the body is shown, a pool of blood can be seen next to Blair's head. Are we to believe that after a blow to his stomach that after laying on the ground the blood eventually came out his ear canal?

Strangely also here, UM did not mention if the other keys were present - the hotel and Nissan key, but then again they didn't mention he had ID on him either so maybe it was just an omission on their part.

I am glad to have found this site. I was thinking about Blair recently as my Dad and I were talking about him a few days ago. I started looking around for articles relating to him soon after his murder and could find nothing really except for a small article in the Vancouver Sun. I thought that perhaps he was a forgotten soul. For those of you that have been searching Blair was from White Rock about 20 miles south of Vancouver, BC. Normally I don't post to this kind of thing but I wanted to voice my disagreement in regards to the idea of "suicide". Blair was my friend and I saw him a few days before this happened. I was at my dad's cabin and he came to visit me. He was acting a little weird but that was not unusual for Blair. He was a bit eccentric to say the least. He was a really nice person that tried to help a lot of people.

I can explain the German $$. About six months before his death he went to work in Germany (for sure, he sent me many postcards and $100 marks for my birthday) While there he met a young gal (like 17 or 18) He had a intense fling with her and then came back to Canada. I have no idea what happened to my friend, but have always had the feeling that the people in Germany had something to do with this. The last time I saw him, he was edgy, I wish that I had noticed the signs and helped him. Anyway, I hope that someone figures this out as I totally agree with Zero that it would be fairly impossible to kill yourself in this manner.

Regards,
NG


Was there anyone who held a grudge against Blair? Names, motives anything?

Hey,

Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to the board with additional info...too busy, ya know how it is. :happyface Anyway, to answer the questions you posed: Blair was working in construction in Germany. He was there I think about 4 months. He took with him a guy that he was trying to help get off alcohol and drugs. I think the guy that went with him soon started drinking when they got to Germany. A few of my friends think the family of the gal in Germany had something to do with his death. Although I think it would be an incredible feat to get to him, as they would have had to follow him very closely to end up in Tennessee. Especially all the attempts he made to get across the border, how would you follow someone closely if you were stuck in a few border line ups?

This is what I know about the last day or two of his life. I saw him a couple days before he started to "make an escape". Someone told me that he had a plane ticket to Germany and went to the airport, I don't know why he didn't get on the plane. I understand that he took all his valuables and tried to cross the border into the US. And because he had a lot of cash on him and was acting pretty nervous he was denied entry. So he contacted a friend to see if she would drive him across the border, she refused as she has a couple of kids and didn't want to get involved with transporting someone who was denied entry. Story goes that he tried a few more border crossings and finally got in.

I knew Blair pretty well, but he did harbour a few secrets and he had lots of trouble with drugs and alcohol. He turned his life around but I get the nagging feeling that it may have been something or someone from his past that was catching up to him. I also believe that the girlfriend in Germany was too young and perhaps something strange happened there as he was suppose to be working there for 2 years, but came home after a few months.

I would really like to know what happened to him. He was a sweet person that had a kind heart. He loved his pets, friends and lovers passionately and treated most with kindness and thoughtfulness. I really don't want to believe that he could do this to himself as some of the facts surrounding his death make it impossible that he could have killed himself. He enjoyed life and was never, ever suicidal. He was like the brother I never had as he drove me crazy and was always saying things to me like "you seem really bitchy today, why don't you drink a glass of water?" Funny, I didn't appreciate his advice... We fought, laughed, helped each other and collaborated on some fantastic meals, he made exceptionally tasty manicotti and cannelloni dishes. He gave me his stationwagon to drive around so that I could get my drivers licence. The Blair I knew wouldn't have created a big drama and then kill himself. I think he knew how to help people but not how to ask for help... I would like to see his death investigated on one of those Psychic Detective shows, those are amazing!

Bests to all those interested in what happened to Blair Adams,
NG

There is no way that a guy like that would commit Suicide! Plus the wounds are what shows that it's murder! I'm working on this case to find out who did it! So please tell me what ever you can!

If Blair Adams here was found out side a bank/ATM as I recall, is it possible the person running the bank/ATM could've killed him? Haven't seen this case in a while...

A fact that gets lost here in this case is that one of the reasons that Blair could not leave is that customs stopped him.

Their reasoning was that he fit the profile of a money launderer.

That always intrigued me.


Was there anyone who held a grudge against Blair? Names, motives anything?

According to a relative that posted a while ago, there was a person in Germany that Blair was very afraid of. According to the poster, the contention may have been over a woman.

When his body was found, 12 hours later his socks were inside out, shoes were off, trousers down and inside out and his shirt ripped open. Do you get the feeling someone was maybe looking for something? If it was something to do with being a "snitch" maybe they were looking to see if he was "wired"?

Yes. I originally thought it was a key. But the "wire" theory sounds intriguing.

Interestingly, Frankfurt has very close to it the Rhein-Main Air Force Base which housed those all of non-German origin, mostly American and Canadian but also some British troops, civilians and contractors. During the 1990s it became the gateway for troops who were going in and out of Operation Desert Storm.

That is interesting. The fact that Blair decided to go to Washington of all places has made me wonder if Blair was involved in espionage.

An article from 1996, in the Sunday, November 24th edition of the Knoxville News-Sentinel, for those interested. I've bolded the facts the UM segment conveniently forgot to mention:

Some people come to East Tennessee to see the mountains.

Others come to enjoy football, shopping and southern hospitality.

Robert Dennis Blair Adams came here to die.

Adams, 31, of Surrey, British Columbia, was the foreman of a family-based construction firm that worked in Canada and Germany. There was a history of mental illness in his family, and Adams had spent years battling alcohol and drug addictions.

But for a year, Adams had stayed on the wagon and insisted to friends he was happy with his job and his life. In early July, however, Adams told a friend he was feeling ``stressed out'' and depressed. He announced he was going to quit his job, but he refused to say why.

On July 9, Adams cleaned out his bank accounts. He stuffed a green duffel-bag with American, Canadian and German currency. He filled a fanny pack with gold coins, gold bars and gold jewelry. Inside a black bag, he placed a few receipts and documents, including a plane ticket to Germany.

At the Canadian border, Adams, who was traveling by ferry from Vancouver Island, was labeled by border officials as a possible drug courier and was denied passage into the United States. Hours later, he tried again, this time on foot. Once again, he was not allowed to cross over. On his third attempt, Adams rented a car to cloak his identity and finally was allowed passsage.

He traveled to a Seattle airport and checked in for his flight to Germany. But he never boarded the plane.

Instead, Adams bought a one-way plane ticket to Washington, D.C. He arrived there at 6:30 a.m. July 10. Adams rented a Toyota Camry and set out for an unknown destination.

Around 4:30 p.m., Adams arrived in Knoxville, where he left Interstate 40 at the Strawberry Plains exit and drove up to a gas station. After paying for his gas, Adams suddenly could not find the key to his rental car. He called for a wrecker driver, who towed the Camry to an East Knoxville body shop to see what, if anything, could be done to start the car without the key.

Adams left the car with the wrecker driver, who gave Adams a ride to a motel on Strawberry Plains Pike. After going in and out of the lobby five times, Adams finally rented a room. He gave the clerk $100 and left without getting nearly $50 in change.

But Adams never went inside his motel room. Less than eight hours later, Adams was found dead in a construction parking lot across the roadway from the motel. He had been beaten.

His jeans, shoes and socks had been removed from his body, and his green duffel bag was missing. Yet hundreds of dollars in both U.S. and foreign currency was scattered around Adams' body, and the fanny pack containing Adams' gold was left untouched.

The key to the Camry that Adams insisted he had lost at the gas station was found on the ground 10 feet from where he lay dead.

According to Knox County Sheriff's Department Lt. Jimmy ``J.J.'' Jones, Adams did not know anyone in East Tennessee. Witnesses and surveillance cameras at various Knoxville locations where he went during his short stay indicate that Adams appeared to be alone.

Despite Adams' history of drug abuse, a toxicology report showed he had no signs of alcohol or drugs in his system at the time of his death.

And although detectives have documented Adams' steps from the time he left his home in Surrey to the time he rented the Knoxville motel room, Jones said there have been clues about how Adams spent the hours before his death.

Jones said Adams had defensive wounds that indicated he fought with his attacker. There was no sign of sexual assault or activity, he said.

``It's amazing,'' Jones said. ``We know every move he made until he walked out that door at the motel.''

Jones said he suspected robbery as a motive and figured probable suspects included prostitutes who frequent truck stops around the Strawberry Plains exit, a truck driver or a transient.

But questions about that theory linger.

``If it's robbery, why did they take his pants off? If they robbed him, they sure left a lot (of money and gold),'' Jones said. ``All I can figure is he had a date with destiny. Some (cases) you can't solve, and this may be one.''

1.Interesting.

That only gives us the reason why he may have departed.

It doesn't explain why he;s dead or who killed him.

The question that ultimaley needs to be answered is whether Blair's departure and his death are connected.

The bizzare nature of Blair's death leads to much to his departure and his death being connected.

2. You know just because your mentally ill and a drunk..doesn;t mean people aren't out to kill you.

3. This cause is so bizarre that basically any theory should be looked into.

Y'know for all our theorizing...

This case is a perfect example where arm-chair detective work is basically useless.

mostly because The investigation involves three areas---THREE DIFFERENT CONTRIES!!

Canada, USA, Germany.

This is a case where legwork and interviews are needed to trace down the different aspects of Blair's life and to track down and look into Blair's life.

Especially considering so little is known about Blair's life in Germany.

Interesting.

That only gives us the reason why he may have departed.

It doesn't explain why he;s dead or who killed him.

True. (Thanks for the article, mozart--in a weird way it made me kind of sentimental; I miss being back home reading the News-Sentinel on a Sunday. :( )

So there's a handful of "departure" scenarios:

1. Blair is mentally ill and there is no outside threat to him; he has imagined it through an apparent psychotic episode.

2. Blair is mentally ill and there does exist an outside threat to him; however, it does not necessarily warrant leaving the country.

3. Blair is mentally ill and there exists an outside threat to him warranting leaving the country.

4. Blair is not mentally ill and there does exist an outside threat to him; however, it does not necessarily warrant leaving the country.

5. Blair is not mentally ill and there exists an outside threat to him warranting leaving the country.

6. Blair is not mentally ill and has fabricated a threat for reasons known only at least to him.

And theoretically, one could go on and on.



But "death" scenarios come down to:

1. Blair was killed by people he knew personally (or were associates of someone he knew).

2. Blair was killed by a stranger.



The answer to the first question--his reason for departure--will lend an answer to the second--who killed him.

I still believe at this point Blair had a legitimate reason to leave Canada and that his fears weren't imagined, and I think he was followed to Tennessee. It isn't so difficult to imagine--knowing the area--that a mentally ill Blair could've agitated the wrong people, or vagrant, or whomever, though.

I'm still puzzled why it was so important for Blair to cross the border to begin this adventure? :confused:


Was he that messed up that he couldn;t have just taken the flight to Germany?

or simply just drive through Canada?

This almost indicates a level of self control and patience on Blair's part.

Like he knew that despite everything, he needed to be patient and figure out a way to get into the US.

Mozart,

Do you buy the theory that Blair Adams may have being running from law enforcement? from a crime that was not yet discovered or linked to him?

i guess this one will never be solved

The question that ultimaley needs to be answered is whether Blair's departure and his death are connected. The bizzare nature of Blair's death leads to much to his departure and his death being connected.
Mastermind, i agree. I think his departure and death are connected. It seems like he was either being threatened or he made it up. I think he was threatened, but this case is VERY strange which is why i want it solved. Who was he running from, what is the motive, things like that.
3. This cause is so bizarre that basically any theory should be looked into
i know right, this case is VERY bizarre, it's one that i want solved just because it would answer questions that no one can answer.

After watching the episode again, it made me question if the gold that Blair was even his. I don't recall if UM ever said if all that money and gold actually belonged to him or not. In any case, this and the Cindy James are truly two of the most bizarre yet fascinating cases ever profiled on UM.


A bit off topic, this case would make a very compelling movie if we ever find out what really happened to Blair.

Mozart,

Do you buy the theory that Blair Adams may have being running from law enforcement? from a crime that was not yet discovered or linked to him?

Nope.

Hey,

Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to the board with additional info...too busy, ya know how it is. :happyface Anyway, to answer the questions you posed: Blair was working in construction in Germany. He was there I think about 4 months. He took with him a guy that he was trying to help get off alcohol and drugs. I think the guy that went with him soon started drinking when they got to Germany. A few of my friends think the family of the gal in Germany had something to do with his death. Although I think it would be an incredible feat to get to him, as they would have had to follow him very closely to end up in Tennessee. Especially all the attempts he made to get across the border, how would you follow someone closely if you were stuck in a few border line ups?

This is what I know about the last day or two of his life. I saw him a couple days before he started to "make an escape". Someone told me that he had a plane ticket to Germany and went to the airport, I don't know why he didn't get on the plane. I understand that he took all his valuables and tried to cross the border into the US. And because he had a lot of cash on him and was acting pretty nervous he was denied entry. So he contacted a friend to see if she would drive him across the border, she refused as she has a couple of kids and didn't want to get involved with transporting someone who was denied entry. Story goes that he tried a few more border crossings and finally got in.

I knew Blair pretty well, but he did harbour a few secrets and he had lots of trouble with drugs and alcohol. He turned his life around but I get the nagging feeling that it may have been something or someone from his past that was catching up to him. I also believe that the girlfriend in Germany was too young and perhaps something strange happened there as he was suppose to be working there for 2 years, but came home after a few months.

I don't remember anything in the UM segment about him meeting a girl in Germany, nice that they left this important piece of information out.

Anyway, is there any possibility that this girl and her family were Muslim (Germany is about 5% Muslim), and that they disapproved of her relationship with Blair and someone from her family came to the U.S. to convince him to leave her alone? Which would explain why he was killed like he was and why all the valuables were left behind.

I'm not trying to make value judgments about Islam or Muslims, but there are extremists and sometimes people don't want their children to associate with people from outside of their religious or ethnic community. And, if this is not the case then I'm back to square one.

The strange thing about this case is that why would he pick Tennessee just out of the blue? Especially when he knew no one there at all. And why he never used the airline ticket that he purchased to Washington DC, which is quite a ways from TN. Also he paid double the price for a one-way ticket which is odd since a round-trip ticket would have cost him half the price, why would anyone pay double if they didn't have to; and then not even use the ticket? Why would he quit his job if he was just planning on being out of town a couple days, and also how would someone have found him to kill him? THe US is a big place, and I don't think that him ending up dead is a coincidence. If he was being followed or suspected someone was following him, why would he drive? He would have gotten on the plane, it's faster and easier to get away that way. Definitely a weird case!

The strange thing about this case is that why would he pick Tennessee just out of the blue? Especially when he knew no one there at all. And why he never used the airline ticket that he purchased to Washington DC, which is quite a ways from TN. Also he paid double the price for a one-way ticket which is odd since a round-trip ticket would have cost him half the price, why would anyone pay double if they didn't have to; and then not even use the ticket? Why would he quit his job if he was just planning on being out of town a couple days, and also how would someone have found him to kill him? THe US is a big place, and I don't think that him ending up dead is a coincidence. If he was being followed or suspected someone was following him, why would he drive? He would have gotten on the plane, it's faster and easier to get away that way. Definitely a weird case!

Here's the scenario I'm thinking up: he gets a call from the girl in Germany who wants to run away etc. He decides to fly to her and buys the ticket to Germany. Then she says she's going to meet him and gets an international flight to one of the many international airports around D.C. and he decides to meet her there.

From there it's anyone's guess. Perhaps he really did meet her in D.C. and they decided to run away together and flee to Tennessee. But she was followed by a member of her family (or several members). They somehow get tracked down and Blair gets killed.

It's been a while since I've seen the segment so if anyone finds any wholes in what I just wrote feel free to critique as necessary.

I think Blair might have made that girl from Germany very upset. At least that's what I got from his friend's post in that previous thread.

After watching the episode again, it made me question if the gold that Blair was even his. I don't recall if UM ever said if all that money and gold actually belonged to him or not. In any case, this and the Cindy James are truly two of the most bizarre yet fascinating cases ever profiled on UM.


A bit off topic, this case would make a very compelling movie if we ever find out what really happened to Blair.


It was in his safe so presumably it was his valuables. I don't know why you're dwelling on something so minute--all that matters is that it shows he was taking all his possessions with him and going on the run.


I have a big problem with the people (police department included) who say that his fears were just imaginary. People don't just go from normal and relaxed one second to paranoid and agitated the next. Yes, I know he had a history of drug abuse, but he had been stable for years. Whatever he was running from was real, and whoever they were, they killed him.


One thing of note is how his pants and socks were all removed and turned inside out. I think Blair had something the killers wanted and those were clear indicators that they were on a rampage to find it. I don't know why the hell Blair was killed, but I'm sure its because he knew too much about something.

Just saw this case for the first time today, and I've pretty much seen everything. This is one of the most confusing and memorable cases from UM ever.

As I have said elsewhere, I think Adams might have been experiencing the onset of schizophrenia (or some similar disorder that involves paranoia and delusions) and simply fled town because he believed these delusions were reality. I would put money on this being the case.

Now as to his death, that's another matter. The medical examiner said he died from a blow to the stomach, so I guess we have to take his word for that. Can one inflict on oneself a deadly blow to the stomach? Possible but it seems unlikely. And if someone murdered him why not take the cash and precious metals?

I think this case was a self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts -- Adams' own erratic behavior ticked off the wrong guy who he just happened to come across while on the "run." Perhaps the guy panicked when he realized he had seriously injured Adams and then ran away. It probably wasn't a robbery to begin with which would explain the cash being left behind.

As I have said elsewhere, I think Adams might have been experiencing the onset of schizophrenia (or some similar disorder that involves paranoia and delusions) and simply fled town because he believed these delusions were reality. I would put money on this being the case.

Now as to his death, that's another matter. The medical examiner said he died from a blow to the stomach, so I guess we have to take his word for that. Can one inflict on oneself a deadly blow to the stomach? Possible but it seems unlikely. And if someone murdered him why not take the cash and precious metals?

I think this case was a self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts -- Adams' own erratic behavior ticked off the wrong guy who he just happened to come across while on the "run." Perhaps the guy panicked when he realized he had seriously injured Adams and then ran away. It probably wasn't a robbery to begin with which would explain the cash being left behind.

I've had years to mull over the Blair Adams case now, and the more I think about it, the more I want to lean towards this possibility. His behavior could certainly be indicative of schizophrenia. He was the right age. There's nothing in his past history to indicate he was involved in anything shady. His logic with the plane ticket seemed muddled. That part of Knoxville is not the safest, although it was less developed in 1996 than it is now.

I'd say it's possible he simply ran into the wrong dudes. The only thing that gets me is the currency, the Toyota key showing back up, and the connection with the German girlfriend.

One of the more bizarre cases on UM. I take it there were no cameras in the hotel parking lot back in the mid 90s.

I've never actually seen UM but I was reading about the Blair Adams case and i noticed that no one anywhere on the board posted my theory. There are certainly better theories than this, (unidentified's theory and the scizophrenia one) but no theory should be ignored.

"He showed up at a friend’s house in a panic, terrified that someone was trying to kill him. But his friend was unable to take him over the border" If your friend shows up at your house, terrified and delusional, you don’t just let him leave, you get him help or report it. If Blair wasn’t delusional enough to warrant suspicion or formal action (reporting it), then what reason would the friend have to be unable to bring him over the border. Once again, If your friend shows up at your house, telling you his life is in danger and asking you to bring him over the border but he seems in his right mind, then you would probably take some time out of your schedule to save your friend's life.

The friend could have told the police that Blair had showed up at his house in order to establish an alibi. He could have threatened to kill Blair then tried to become just another person who Blair talked to on his journey (eg. the border guy or the mechanic or the hotel worker). This would be an insentive for telling the police that Blair showed up at his house, terrified. However, this does not explain why he would actually want to kill Blair, who i've read was a really nice, helpful, warm person. This is why I say that my theory is not as substantial as many others on the board. Just thought i'd mention my theory. (disclaimer; i'm not making any accusations and if the aforementioned friend is reading this, these are just my musings on my reading one page of information and I know that they are most likely not correct)

The friend had small children and didn't want to get involved with transporting someone over the border who had been denied entry twice already.

I can see why he crossed into Washington, as Abbotsford is right over the border, and the ferry goes from Vancouver Island to Seattle. Though, what I don't understand is why, if he were being followed, would he want to take a 4-hour ferry ride? That seems strange to me. It's not like he could "fall" overboard and survive in that cold water. Does anyone know where he crossed? It seems strange he was denied twice, but then someone let him through when he was driving a different car. What about that car made him look like he wasn't a drug smuggler or money launderer? I also wonder, if he were being followed, why not travel to a big city like Chicago or New York, it is a lot easier to blend in there than it is in east TN. And what ever happened to his green duffel bag? Did they recover his papers and passport?

I think either he was followed and was killed by those people (the wire idea was an especially good one in my opinion), or he was mentally ill and killed by someone completely unrelated to this whole fleeing journey.

This is a strange case and it just keeps making me think I am researching it on my blog as much as I can.

Blogger Canadian-realist

Realistically I am willing to bet the mob, HA, or the cops whacked him. |Nothing else makes sense. This is a case I am 100% sure we will never honestly know the truth to. He ****ed someone and he ****ed them good the evidence is all there they wanted him dead. RIP.

Welcome to the board, Matt. Good to have the Jets back, isn't it? Though I'm a Habs fan.

I'd say you're probably right. There's just too many moving parts in the case, and though many of the posted theories make sense, there's just too much. It's too bad. This was one of the cases that I remember most vividly, and one of the ones I'd like most solved.

I had a chance to see this case again, I think he was being harassed by someone and they were threatening his life and they might have told him to bring all that money to them and they would leave him alone, but instead they just killed him. It seems like it was a personal thing, not taking the money and having him half nude maybe to humiliate him. Very weird and sad case.

Hello

Just a passer by. Came across this intriguing mystery.

Here's another theory, maybe far fetched but who knows. Adams goes to work in Germany where he comes into contact with drug dealers, maybe in the military or other sources. Now he agrees to be their Canada guy with some kind of drug distribution role so hence he comes home early. So... he somehow loses or has stolen from him a shipment of their drugs and panics, first thing he thinks to do is run away to germany but at the last minute he decides to come clean to the dealers and see if they will be reasonable. So he takes all his money and valuables for two reasons first, if he does run to germany, he will need the money but also subconsciously if he doesn't he can use them as a token gesture to the dealers. I don't know if the dealers actually come from knoxville but maybe that just a meeting point away from wash d.c. So he tells his story to the dealers and they don't buy it they think hes been busted by the cops and they have set him up to trap them hence they strip him looking for a wire tap etc... It would tick a lot of boxes.

The border guys are extremely well trained and instinctive i reckon they would know a drug dealer whether he had all that money or not, that tells a story in itself. I think this all points to drugs or a drug deal gone wrong. It's also possible that the border guys checked his reg plates on the computer or his name and that he is listed as being under police surveillance/suspicion, when he finally got through at another weaker border check they didn't check this plus he had also switched cars. Just my 2 cents.

Is it remotely possible that Blair was killed by a hit and run driver?

Perhaps he was running from something (real or imagined) and he got hit by a car, and the driver fled.
After all, he did have cuts and abrasions....and the fatal "blow" to the stomach.

I feel that regardless of whether or not he had mental illness, someone DID kill him. (accidentally or intentionally.)

Is it remotely possible that Blair was killed by a hit and run driver?

Perhaps he was running from something (real or imagined) and he got hit by a car, and the driver fled.
After all, he did have cuts and abrasions....and the fatal "blow" to the stomach.

I feel that regardless of whether or not he had mental illness, someone DID kill him. (accidentally or intentionally.)

His pants were removed and turned inside out, maybe his shirt also. His money was scattered all around him so unlikely.

I have the feeling he got into something he shouldn't have, whether that be something to do with drugs or money, and then was threatened or being followed after double-crossing whomever he was affiliated with, thus making him extremely paranoid and begging to get out of the situation. He then was killed by these people by being delt a violent blow that ruptured his stomach. Can't say why his pants would be pulled down and turned inside-out along with his socks though.

I have the feeling he got into something he shouldn't have, whether that be something to do with drugs or money, and then was threatened or being followed after double-crossing whomever he was affiliated with, thus making him extremely paranoid and begging to get out of the situation. He then was killed by these people by being delt a violent blow that ruptured his stomach. Can't say why his pants would be pulled down and turned inside-out along with his socks though.


I don't think he was followed, i mean it would be so hard to do, the pursuer only needs to lose him for 20sec and he's possibly gone. I think he was meeting people there that's the only thing that makes any sense. Just a neutral meeeting place. But if you were meeting people that far away it must have been serious like trying to explain something. The pants thing would be consistant with whoever looking for a recording device.

I wonder why whoever did this didn't just steal the money and make it look like a robbery. It's not like they ignored a wallet with just 5 bucks in it. This was a large amount of cash and valuables they left behind.

If it had appeared to be a violent robbery or was staged to look like a robbery, the case would still have gone cold, but most likely wouldn't be undergoing so much scrutiny this many years later, which is largely due to the fact that it was unusual to leave so much valuable stuff at the scene.

Many murders where nothing of value is stolen are committed by close friends or family of the victim. That doesn't seem to be the case here.

Even if Blair ran into a group of thugs who killed him for no obvious motive, they still would have taken all that money once they realized how much he had on him.

It also seems like if his clothes were removed the way they were in a search for concealed drugs or a weapon, the money would have been taken. What kind of killer is so financially secure that they won't take the opportunity to steal from their dead victim?

Or did they plan to steal from him, but were spooked by something, and fled the scene before they could grab the money? Or maybe Blair was carrying way more cash than we know about, and they did grab a lot of it, but left in a hurry, leaving some behind.

Such a confusing case, imo, with most aspects not fitting the usual known actions of criminals.

The money and valuables scattered all over leads me to believe that this was either a violent fight that had nothing to do with money, or that Blair was hit by a car, and all of his money flew out of his hands or bag he was carrying.

The ONLY reason someone would not take the money, is if they were in a hurry...like in a hit and run.

I wish we had forensic proof one way or the other as to whether or not he could have been injured by a vehicle.

The money and valuables scattered all over leads me to believe that this was either a violent fight that had nothing to do with money, or that Blair was hit by a car, and all of his money flew out of his hands or bag he was carrying.

The ONLY reason someone would not take the money, is if they were in a hurry...like in a hit and run.

I wish we had forensic proof one way or the other as to whether or not he could have been injured by a vehicle.

I've forgotten the complete nature of his injuries, but I have heard of people being hit by cars and dragged, and their clothes pull off in odd ways, similar to how Blair was found.

Didn't they say there were tire tracks at the scene and they originally thought he'd been hit by a car, or am I thinking of a different case?

I *think* there were tire tracks, but I need to watch the segment again.
I haven't seen it in a while.

I'm starting to wonder if we're missing something. That there is a piece to this puzzle that nobody knows about. So much of this case doesn't add up. I'm thinking that there is something that will start to make things make sense. Just another two cents...

I need to watch the segment again,but I thought it said he was punched in the abdomen and died from that? not that he was hit by a car at all.that's why I say,I think in his faulty mental state,he aggravated the wrong person.

Whew, I finally got to see it. I have been waiting sooo long... This episode

of UM is very telling to me. I signed up today just so's I could respond to

this and the other thread to which, I have read every post very carefully.



The answer is in what they are not saying in the broadcast. They state that

there was no drugs or homosexuallity in his past and, I beg to differ. Another

brush off is the girlfriend in Germany.


I knew Blair. One thing I can tell you is, he was not delusional or suicidal.

These theories are as ridiculous as robbery. I can imagine his demeanor was

irratic and suspicious. Heck, we crossed the border on many occasions and

learnt it was easier to get through if I was driving. They always gave him a

hard time.


I have newspaper clippings here in a keep-sake box I keep all things Blair. I

am quoting the Knoxville Police to Vancouver reporters as saying, "This was

a sex crime with no apparrent motive"


One report says that in addition to emptying his safe deposit box, he also

cashed in stocks and bonds but never returned to the bank to retrieve the

monies. Nor did he actually return to his job site to pick up his last pay

cheque.


Another key piece of information is, the car he drove to Vancouver airport in

has never been found.


He cashed in his ticket to Germany in Vancouver. then he high-tailed it out

of the airport in a rental and headed for Sea-Tac. There he boarded a plane

for Washington, DC and that is because it was the very next plane to leave

the airport - no other reason. He then rented a car and drove as far as he

could in whatever direction, and that just happened to be Knoxville.


I believe the killers were at the Vancouver airport, I believe they boarded

the plane with him in Seatle, I believe they were at that gas station in

Knoxville. I think they were waiting for him outside of that hotel and, I

believe they tortured him, beat him, sodomized him and put his body on

display. I also believe there was more evidence left behind for the

poice to track than they are saying.


Blair was clean and sober when he died but that doesn't mean his hands

weren't muddied. He was a bi-sexual, horticulturist living in Germany

where the underground sex world is notorious and BC Bud is in high demand.

I have intimate knowledge Blair, Germany's underworld, and I am also no

stranger to police corruption, to which I have not ruled out in this case, as

of yet.


One more thing, he really did make the best manicotti ever. mmm yum

Whew, I finally got to see it. I have been waiting sooo long... This episode

of UM is very telling to me. I signed up today just so's I could respond to

this and the other thread to which, I have read every post very carefully.



The answer is in what they are not saying in the broadcast. They state that

there was no drugs or homosexuallity in his past and, I beg to differ. Another

brush off is the girlfriend in Germany.


I knew Blair. One thing I can tell you is, he was not delusional or suicidal.

These theories are as ridiculous as robbery. I can imagine his demeanor was

irratic and suspicious. Heck, we crossed the border on many occasions and

learnt it was easier to get through if I was driving. They always gave him a

hard time.


I have newspaper clippings here in a keep-sake box I keep all things Blair. I

am quoting the Knoxville Police to Vancouver reporters as saying, "This was

a sex crime with no apparrent motive"


One report says that in addition to emptying his safe deposit box, he also

cashed in stocks and bonds but never returned to the bank to retrieve the

monies. Nor did he actually return to his job site to pick up his last pay

cheque.


Another key piece of information is, the car he drove to Vancouver airport in

has never been found.


He cashed in his ticket to Germany in Vancouver. then he high-tailed it out

of the airport in a rental and headed for Sea-Tac. There he boarded a plane

for Washington, DC and that is because it was the very next plane to leave

the airport - no other reason. He then rented a car and drove as far as he

could in whatever direction, and that just happened to be Knoxville.


I believe the killers were at the Vancouver airport, I believe they boarded

the plane with him in Seatle, I believe they were at that gas station in

Knoxville. I think they were waiting for him outside of that hotel and, I

believe they tortured him, beat him, sodomized him and put his body on

display. I also believe there was more evidence left behind for the

poice to track than they are saying.


Blair was clean and sober when he died but that doesn't mean his hands

weren't muddied. He was a bi-sexual, horticulturist living in Germany

where the underground sex world is notorious and BC Bud is in high demand.

I have intimate knowledge Blair, Germany's underworld, and I am also no

stranger to police corruption, to which I have not ruled out in this case, as

of yet.


One more thing, he really did make the best manicotti ever. mmm yum

and who are you in relation to him? Family or friend?

Whew, I finally got to see it. I have been waiting sooo long.......

SNIP


So your saying he was followed all the way from canada to knoxville ?

I still find that hard to believe, for starters any driver would see they are being followed your constantly looking in your rear mirror and the drive from wash dc to knoxville is like 400-500miles i think? Then did he not go to a friends house after being refused entry to the us, point i'm making here is that his route was back and forth here and there so he must have seen them following him at some point. And what could he have done to deserve that kind of scrutiny. Why did he leave the hotel in knoxville and keep ahold of all his money. It doesn't add up.


Maybe your right though that could explain why he didn't get the germany plane as he may have spotted his pursuers and i think he said to a friend after this that he was being followed. Why didn't he call the police though, i suppose cell phones wouldn't have been too available back then but still a public phone he could have used. If that's the case then maybe it was staged to look like a sex crime, i.e stripped and dumped in a car park which from what i can make out from some articles it's either near or is a place that prostitutes use.

Futile discussing it really as nothing can be done unless new evidence comes up.

It kind of reads like a movie though where you have the biggest baddest boogeyman in pursuit of his prey a bit like 'no country for old men' which is why it's so bizarre. I mean from everthing i can gather and then by looking at his photo and the comments on here by people that knew him and gut instinct, then he had no mental problems at all, quite the opposite actually, fairly stable guy but seems to have a few skeletons in the closet from years gone by and just in a matter of days (or hours) totally freaked out at something and tried to completely shut down his present life and possibly reinvent himself elsewhere.

So your saying he was followed all the way from canada to knoxville ? No, I think he was followed back to Canada from Germany.

I still find that hard to believe, for starters any driver would see they are being followed your constantly looking in your rear mirror and the drive from wash dc to knoxville is like 400-500miles i think? Then did he not go to a friends house after being refused entry to the us, point i'm making here is that his route was back and forth here and there so he must have seen them following him at some point. And what could he have done to deserve that kind of scrutiny. Why did he leave the hotel in knoxville and keep ahold of all his money. It doesn't add up. I think they made no bones about their presence to him. I think he waited in the hotel lobby long enough to give them the impression that he was in a room. In the survelience video, you see Blair crouching as if not to be spotted by a vehicle moving into possible view. Having seen the car drive away, he risked making a move. I'm confident the killers drove away, creating a ruse to draw him out.

Maybe your right though that could explain why he didn't get the germany plane as he may have spotted his pursuers and i think he said to a friend after this that he was being followed. Why didn't he call the police though, i suppose cell phones wouldn't have been too available back then but still a public phone he could have used. If that's the case then maybe it was staged to look like a sex crime, i.e stripped and dumped in a car park which from what i can make out from some articles it's either near or is a place that prostitutes use. Blair wouldn't have wanted to include the police for all kinds of reasons. His hands might have been in the thick of things, he was not a snitch and, the cops don't always have the best intentions. Nor would he have wanted to burden anyone he knew with what he was dealing with.Tight lipped and evasive.

Futile discussing it really as nothing can be done unless new evidence comes up. Not at all. I feel better discussing it. His birthday just passed, I'm living across the street to an apartment we once shared together. I think about him all the time but, don't get to share my thoughts so, thank you for this forum and allowing me to feel heard.

It kind of reads like a movie though where you have the biggest baddest boogeyman in pursuit of his prey a bit like 'no country for old men' which is why it's so bizarre. I mean from everthing i can gather and then by looking at his photo and the comments on here by people that knew him and gut instinct, then he had no mental problems at all, quite the opposite actually, fairly stable guy but seems to have a few skeletons in the closet from years gone by and just in a matter of days (or hours) totally freaked out at something and tried to completely shut down his present life and possibly reinvent himself elsewhere. I don't think he had a clear plan. He only knew to keep moving.

In resonse to 1990 UM Fan, Blair was my first boyfriend back in 1983. We remained friends throughout his life and, I consider him to be a guardian angel for me. When my mom called me to tell me what she was reading in the morning newspaper, we both said at the same time, "He saw something". He roamed into the wrong backyard, opened the wrong closet door, looked in the wrong deep-freeze. Something wasn't supposed to be privy to him and they didn't trust him to keep his mouth shut. So they shut it for him.

What he was doing in Germany besides brick-laying is beyond me. I think he intended on making a new life there, working with his step-dad, finding a girlfriend and, trying to fit into a foreign society doing what he does. I speculate that he might have been mixed up in either growing or dealing marijuana. That, or his sexual deviancies lead him into a very dark and dangerous world that he wasn't prepared for.

Kareen....thank you for your insight.
I had always wondered about him being nude from the waist down.
That just screams of sexual assault.
I wish we were privy to all aspects of this case.

If there is anything else you remember about Blair, please let us know.

Any info that Kareen1970 has about this case should be forwarded to the authorities, it might help some.

Any info that Kareen1970 has about this case should be forwarded to the authorities, it might help some.

Actually... I would really, really welcome an opportunity to speak with detectives, reporters, and/or witnesses. I'm having trouble finding official websites, news articles and such from my search engine. Would it be any trouble for someone to provide me with links that could get me in touch with the right people?

I went to Washington, DC on business. I Couldn't get Blair out of my mind. So I went to Germany. I landed in Munich and fell too ill too continue my journey. I guess I'm sayin' I'm likely to land in Tennassee next, in my persuit of answers.

I've uploaded a jpg of Blair and I so many years ago at Benny Hanna's in Seatle. I think I was 21 or 22 then so he would have been 26-27.

Well good luck, but stay safe if you do go investigating make sure people know where your going.

I had a look at the map and found the BP station, the fairifield inn and the road he was found in.

http://i44.tinypic.com/2yl5mv7.jpg
http://i39.tinypic.com/1zytwcw.jpg


I really think now it's a robbery(funny how i was convinced it was drugs - but there you go) he could have found his key and tried to make his way to wherever the car was towed too, i think it was towed from the BP station to a mechanics somewhere. Or he could have even gone out for some food and been involved in a random attack. There are varying reports on how much money was found scattered around him, could it be that most of this was german and canadian currency and they robbers picked through it to find the US currency. Also his bag was apparently found 'around the corner' from where he was found hence these valuables weren't taken. There are also articles stating he hitchhiked from the gas station to the fairfield inn or there about, but other reports say the tow truck guy gave him a lift. If he did hitchhike, maybe he found his key and hitchhiked back to the mechanic to see if he could get the car back and that's when the trouble started. I think he left the motel at 8pm and was killed at 3.30am (so they think) so that's 7.5 hours and he was not based in downtown knoxville as you can see from the map but rather in a small industrial area a few miles out of knoxville i would have thought that somebody must have seen him. Did he call a cab was that what he was waiting for in the motel lobby? He was out in a small rural area that kind of area where people remember things around them. I really think this is a local crime and the answer lies in knoxville though or at least it did back in the years gone by.

And the other thing, it is stated in an article posted on this forum that a 'fellow canadian' paid for one of the cars that was rented, it doesn't say where this was, i.e vancover or washington but it says that 'police would like to talk to this person' . What happened with that?

As for who to contact i found this Knox Sherrff (http://knoxsheriff.org/coldcase/robert_adams.php?iframe=true&width=90%&height=90%)

Well good luck, but stay safe if you do go investigating make sure people know where your going....

Thank you so much for taking that time for me. All the info I have found on this site has been enlightening. There are 3 threads, is that right? The articles, photos, maps they all have provided me with enough information to contact all that I need. Atleast for now, it's a terrific start and my gratitude is limitless. Man, I love forum boards! The internet can get ya' around the world in no time flat :)

I'm goin' on a fact finding mission. Get some straight answers. I think the universe is telling me to take that step.

btw... I'm not just involved in this mystery. I'm a huge fan of the genre. Murder and the paranormal.

If I may ask yet another favour from those who are from Knoxville or, have followed the case? Please PM me if I may ask you some questions?

The money and valuables scattered all over leads me to believe that this was either a violent fight that had nothing to do with money, or that Blair was hit by a car, and all of his money flew out of his hands or bag he was carrying.
i would agree, but if he was hit by a car, you either 1) didnt know about his pants being off or 2) didnt include it accidently. now if he were hit by a car and they wanted the scene to be set up, i could agree. i could agree with the violent fight, dont know about the car. why get out and take his pants off?? i think this was a fight and the killer wanted to humilate Blair.

I'm sure someone has mentioned this before but I think it's true that people who suffer from Hypothermia shortly before death will feel like they're too hot and will undress their clothes and I believe the temperature at the location the body was found was low enough too cause Hypothermia which is much more likely than foul play. I think he just lost his mind and that caused his death possibly after a fight but I don't think it was murder.

I'm sure someone has mentioned this before but I think it's true that people who suffer from Hypothermia shortly before death will feel like they're too hot and will undress their clothes and I believe the temperature at the location the body was found was low enough too cause Hypothermia which is much more likely than foul play. I think he just lost his mind and that caused his death possibly after a fight but I don't think it was murder.
well, when it comes to taking his pants off, the detective said that the way his pants were removed were not how someone would take their own pants off, honestly, this case is another one where it's hard for me to make a theory, is it a murder, i dont know, my best guess is yes, but i could be wrong, my only question is what was up with his pants, did he somehow take them off a different way??? or did someone else do it??

The segment shows his trousers turned inside out and on the floor which is not the natural way to remove trousers but if someone was not thinking clearly and took their own trousers off while still wearing their shoes then this would turn them inside out as the bottom of the legs get trapped over the shoes.

The segment shows his trousers turned inside out and on the floor which is not the natural way to remove trousers but if someone was not thinking clearly and took their own trousers off while still wearing their shoes then this would turn them inside out as the bottom of the legs get trapped over the shoes.
that's what i was thinking too, but like i said, this is a case that's hard to show what happened. and your theory could be right and so could others on here including mine.

that's what i was thinking too, but like i said, this is a case that's hard to show what happened. and your theory could be right and so could others on here including mine.

You're absolutely right it just seemed that all the posts were pointing in one direction and I wanted to balance things out.

You're absolutely right it just seemed that all the posts were pointing in one direction and I wanted to balance things out.
honestly, i cant see how the posts here can go in one direction. this isnt like the Hammond case where i clearly think it was an out of town loner guy, this is a case where you just dont know what happened. did he do this to himself?? that's what some think. my guessing is someone did kill him, now were they after him the whole time is a mystery i cant solve, but there are alot of different ways to look at this case. this case and the Katherine Korzeilous case are two cases that i wish we had more answers to.

I think Blair's case is similar to that of Cindy James, they both had psychological issues and in a cruel twist of fate, ended up murdered by random. The ruptured stomach that Blair sustained tells me someone either punched him hard enough there, hit him with a blunt object, or drove a car into his abdomen.

I agree with the above post. ^

(IMO) the fact that the killer(s) took extra time at the crime scene. to go out of their way to disrespect the victim by pulling his pants and trousers down indicates its someone angry and associated. another clue is the valuables left behind which (IMO) rule out random atttack for the simple reason that theres no detriment to have taken any of those valuables unless you were afraid of becoming an immediate suspect and having those valuables traced or found. the only way a random attacker would become a suspect is via eye witness but at that early in morning its highly unlikely.

i'm not sure but does anyone know if theres even any suspects or persons of interest? its gonna be next to impossible to ever get a conviction in this case (IMO). investigators need to figure out a motive for someone(s) wanting blair adam's deceased.

Couple of questions:

-Has the method of death been determined? I know he died from a blow to the chest, but is this a case of homicide, probable homicide, or undetermined? IMO, there would be no way to play up the suicide angle in the UM segment if this was in fact ruled a homicide.
-Has it been confirmed that he was suffering from mental illness, or is this just speculation?
-If Blair did get involved with some criminal underbelly and somehow embezzled funds and/or drugs, why did these people kill Blair and then not take any of his money or valuables?

If I had to guess (based off of the scant information we have), I'd say there are two possibilities:

-He had some mental breakdown and was afraid of a threat that wasn't really there. In a bizarre coincidence, he is murdered by an unknown person, the motive being robbery. It's possible that it was a prostitute or a sex crime, since he was found nude from the waist down. Also possible that it was some vagrant or junkie who's intent was to rob Adams. This could explain why the foreign currency was left behind. I don't think a vagrant or junkie would be too concerned with stealing foreign money. They may have removed his pants to see if he had more cash, and then just hightailed it out of the area. I doubt some vagrant/junkie would stick around to take all of his cash because he was found in a public parking lot. They probably would have grabbed what they could and then got out of there.

-He may not have had any mental illness/breakdown at all, and his odd behavior could have been because he was involved intimately with something he shouldn't have been in. Money laundering and drug dealing are two theories I've seen brought up earlier in this thread which seem like good possibilities, IMO. If he got involved with the wrong people, perhaps he threatened to go to the police which is why they wanted him dead. If his killers were looking for a wire, this would explain why his pants were removed and his shirt tore open. It would also explain why he was hit in the chest, as if someone was trying to silence or "rough him up" into keeping quiet.

Couple of questions:

-Has the method of death been determined? I know he died from a blow to the chest, but is this a case of homicide, probable homicide, or undetermined? IMO, there would be no way to play up the suicide angle in the UM segment if this was in fact ruled a homicide.
-Has it been confirmed that he was suffering from mental illness, or is this just speculation?.

I can answer those two. I contacted Knox Co about the case about two years ago. A deputy sergeant got back to me and said it WAS determined to be a homicide and by all accounts Blair had no mental issues or illnesses prior to his death.

I can answer those two. I contacted Knox Co about the case about two years ago. A deputy sergeant got back to me and said it WAS determined to be a homicide and by all accounts Blair had no mental issues or illnesses prior to his death.I had a feeling it was a homicide (it's kind of difficult for a suicide), but I still can't figure out how it happened or why nothing was taken.

There's an obvious link missing somewhere in this case.

I can answer those two. I contacted Knox Co about the case about two years ago. A deputy sergeant got back to me and said it WAS determined to be a homicide and by all accounts Blair had no mental issues or illnesses prior to his death.

This fits the organized crime theory to a tee then, IMO.

This fits the organized crime theory to a tee then, IMO.

I lean toward this case unfolding very much as you described in your first scenario in post #86: mental breakdown; random crime - robbery as likely motive; vagrant/homeless person/drug dealer, etc. is the killer; didn't take the cash because it was foreign.

I am not a medical doctor, but didn't his actions seem very much like someone experiencing a mental breakdown? Perhaps he had no prior history of mental illness in general; this was his first breakdown.

Yes, it is a bizarre coincidence indeed that he was killed while he was seemingly on the run, fearing for his life. But wasn't he staying in a particularly rough area? If he went off disoriented and agitated, he could have been an extremely easy mark for an opportunistic thief, who then hit him too hard, resulting in his death.

I haven't seen this segment in a while, but wasn't he from British Columbia? I know that organized crime doesn't mess around, but I find it difficult to believe that they tailed him from B.C. to eastern Tennessee.

EDIT: I just checked the Wiki page, and I am reminded that he was found dead 12 hours after he left his Knoxville hotel. This was after driving down from D.C. after arriving on a flight from Seattle. Unless the organized crime person was literally following his every move in this serpentine route, or they have "affiliates" in every corner of the nation ready to spring into action to take someone out at a moment's notice, I just can't see this having been a hit. I might be more open to the suggestion if he had been killed right off the bat in Seattle.

This one aired on tv yesterday. Another down right creepy story.

I was thinking about the case recently after having heard about it several years ago. (My apologies if something like the following has already been suggested here I tried reading through all of the comments first.) But firstly, to my mind, the conspiratorial things about the girl from Germany, being tracked around two countries by some stalker, and what have you, are just too far fetched. If we're going to such extreme measures to explain this case away, why not just invoke the supernatural and say his "demons" corporealized themselves and sucker-punched the life out of him?

If, however, we wish to stick to the more mundane, natural causes that don't otherwise ad lib a complex and improbable conspiracy to the narrative, something like this seems far more adequate and minimalistic in its assumptions: Adams, as it was noted, struggled with mental illness or drugs and perhaps both (a la stimulant-induced). He clearly evinced paranoia to those who last saw him and his erratic behavior strongly indicates psychosis. Mind you, that Adams deteriorated so quickly is not evidence against the psychosis hypothesis. People can and do develop mental conditions both later in life and in short order. (As a personal anecdote, I know a psychology professor whose family has a history of schizophrenia, of which her mother is a victim. As she tells it, her mother went to bed one evening and woke up the next day an entirely different person and she has never been the same since.) Perhaps, then, one night while Adams was in Tennessee and in throes of his condition, paranoia turned into aggression, which he directed at one or more persons who in turn responded with violence. Whether the violence directed at Adams was vindictive overkill or (at least in the moment) legitimately defensive, the perpetrators in such a scenario would have no intention to steal his money or possessions and thus did not. While the below-the-waist stripping of clothes still seems odd, it is not an inconceivable occurrence in a frenzied fight, particularly if we posit more than one person who might have been involved in trying to restrain Adams during all the commotion.
At least, this makes more sense to me…

My only issue with that theory is Blair's age at the alleged onset of schizophrenia. He died at 31, IIRC. Typically, I believe schizophrenia generally starts to make itself known in the late teens to mid twenties. Again, I'm not an expert, but this is what I recall from my numerous Psych classes.

It's been awhile since I've read this thread. I do find the remarks from one of Blair's ex-girlfriends pretty compelling. From the comments of everyone that knew him, he wasn't mentally ill. I wish the ex-girlfriend would come back and post more if she felt comfortable-- I think she may be on to something with the German sex/drug angle...

My only issue with that theory is Blair's age at the alleged onset of schizophrenia. He died at 31, IIRC. Typically, I believe schizophrenia generally starts to make itself known in the late teens to mid twenties. Again, I'm not an expert, but this is what I recall from my numerous Psych classes.

It's been awhile since I've read this thread. I do find the remarks from one of Blair's ex-girlfriends pretty compelling. From the comments of everyone that knew him, he wasn't mentally ill. I wish the ex-girlfriend would come back and post more if she felt comfortable-- I think she may be on to something with the German sex/drug angle...
Hello LooksLikeCRicci,

Thanks for the timely feedback to my hypothesis. I anticipated the objection you bring up, although in an effort to keep things brief I decided to forgo its inclusion. First, I didn't mean to suggest that Adams' psychosis was schizophrenia. From a probability standpoint (i.e., considering what conditions are the primary causes of psychosis) it surely belongs near the top; but it isn't the only cause of psychosis and I wouldn't dare restrict it to that given our limited information, hence my additional allusion to stimulant psychosis. Surely if we grant some possibility to all reasonable causes for Adams apparent psychosis, we must also permit underlying medical conditions, such as a brain tumor. But whatever the cause, psychosis does appear to be the better explanation of the facts as we know them to be. Also, just to clarify on the course of schizophrenia, the DSM-5 states that "The psychotic features of schizophrenia typically emerge between the late teens and the mid-30s." Moreover, while the "majority of individuals manifest a slow and gradual development of clinically significant symptoms," nevertheless "onset may be abrupt or insidious" (102).

As with a consideration of all hypotheses, both explanatory power and prior probability should be taken into consideration. The thing is, just about anyone can make up a hypothesis about something that has explanatory power that works, just as an infinite number of lines can be drawn through a limited number data points on a graph. And a stalker/German conspiracy does just this. Yet to my mind it shirks any consideration of prior probability and ad hoc-ness and therefore throws caution to the wind. What are the chances that such a conspiracy, if it occurred, left not a shred of evidence pointing to it veracity? No one saw anyone chasing Adams, though a lot of people saw Adams. Adams could never say who or what was pursuing him, though he had ample opportunity to tell and if nothing else drop a hint to the several people he crossed paths with during his trek, which anyone in a normal mental state would at some point bother to do. The literal trail of evidence Adams left behind tells us a few things about where and what he did; but it tells us nothing of anyone accompanying or following him until his untimely demise. Video footage—namely the hotel lobby footage—shows nothing but a man that at best looks and acts delirious. No disrespect to the alleged ex-girlfriend, especially if she is who she claims, but until her testimony and claims become part of the canonical police and family testimony and interview transcripts that presently exist and we know represent our current pool of testimonial evidence, is it not reasonable to limit such claims to internet apocrypha?

if he were running away from someone, why did he go to the states? Canada is big enough where he could have easily hid somewhere here. Unsolved also left the german aspect out which seems strange.

Speculation but western Europe in general can be a mecca for people with drinking problems. No need for a cab or a car to go on a binge because there are pubs every where and even stores that are shelved to the sky, which leads me to believe he ran into the wrong crowd.

Perhaps he had an unpaid debt and the money was left by his body because he did not have all of it? Similarly, maybe he did not want the bad company after him near where he and his family lives so he decided to travel down south.

seems strange overall.

Just saw this case again today and had a random thought. If Blair was having trouble with staying sober, maybe he fell off the wagon and went drinking that night. Perhaps he picked up a woman at a bar, and they went to a motel together. The woman's boyfriend somehow finds them, and beats Blair to death before hightailing it out of the area. It would explain the pants being pulled down, the money being scattered around (probably during the fight), and it would explain why nothing was taken. The only problem with this theory is why did the woman never come forward? Really bizarre case.

So I finally rewatched this case after not having seen it in nearly a decade and realized I never posted on it.

My thoughts:

-The money was in a combination of American, German and Canadian, though it is not known how much of each type of currency there was. I'm thinking the killer either a) didn't want to bother with exchanging the currency and there wasn't enough American to interest him/her, or b) was worried about it being traced back to him/her. I'm guessing exchanging German currency into American probably isn't too common in TN and would have sent up red flags.

-This happened at 3:30 in the morning in a major city and reportedly a sketchy area of said big city. I think there's a very real possibility that Blair encountered some random wacko. The only problem is, what was he doing for the 8 hours between getting a room and dying in the parking lot? He didn't even go to the room. It doesn't make sense, but then again, nothing in this case does.

As a hotel worker, I know that people sometimes "check-in", but don't go to the room right away, but they usually have some other engagement. Blair apparently didn't know anyone in Tennessee.

The gay sex angle I figured came from cocytus, but was surprised to hear them talking about it in the segment. But wouldn't they have just done it in Blair's motel room? Interesting to hear Kareen say Blair was a bisexual, but traveling all that way for one encounter?

I think it's possible Blair had the right key all along, but just didn't realize it.

I think it's possible Blair had the right key all along, but just didn't realize it.

I think this is pretty much exactly what happened, especially since the other key eventually turned up at the scene, right?

As for the area, it is the general North Knoxville vicinity, which is statistically more prone to violent crime than say, the west side of the city. However, I would feel no apprehension eating at the Cracker Barrel that sits directly across the street from the hotel, or filling up my gas tank at that very station where Blair attempted to fuel his rental vehicle. I realize this is anecdotal, but as a native of the Knoxville metro area it's not a place I feel so uncomfortable I wouldn't exit my vehicle, although I do feel less safe there than in other parts of the city. Just a little two cents.

Another interesting point about the hotel area is that is that it is so close to I-40 you can easily walk to it from the parking lot--the hotel is quite literally right off the exit. I wager that he may have decided to stop there because the hotel is so clearly visible from the interstate. That exit is also only a few miles from the Sevier County line and is probably the first Knoxville exit you encounter if you're traveling westbound on I-40, as Blair was.

I too wonder what on earth he was doing for all that time between checking in and his death. There wasn't a whole heck of a lot on Strawberry Plains Pike back in the mid-90s.

I think this is pretty much exactly what happened, especially since the other key eventually turned up at the scene, right?

As for the area, it is the general North Knoxville vicinity, which is statistically more prone to violent crime than say, the west side of the city. However, I would feel no apprehension eating at the Cracker Barrel that sits directly across the street from the hotel, or filling up my gas tank at that very station where Blair attempted to fuel his rental vehicle. I realize this is anecdotal, but as a native of the Knoxville metro area it's not a place I feel so uncomfortable I wouldn't exit my vehicle, although I do feel less safe there than in other parts of the city. Just a little two cents.

Another interesting point about the hotel area is that is that it is so close to I-40 you can easily walk to it from the parking lot--the hotel is quite literally right off the exit. I wager that he may have decided to stop there because the hotel is so clearly visible from the interstate. That exit is also only a few miles from the Sevier County line and is probably the first Knoxville exit you encounter if you're traveling westbound on I-40, as Blair was.

I too wonder what on earth he was doing for all that time between checking in and his death. There wasn't a whole heck of a lot on Strawberry Plains Pike back in the mid-90s.

Are there or were there any bars within the vicinity of where he was staying at?

Are there or were there any bars within the vicinity of where he was staying at?

Oh, no way--even today. I'd probably blow Pepsi out my nose if I heard anyone say they were going up to Straw Plains to go drink.

Oh, no way--even today. I'd probably blow Pepsi out my nose if I heard anyone say they were going up to Straw Plains to go drink.

What about prostitution in the area?

What about prostitution in the area?

That could be possible. Prostitution is rampant in parts of east and northeast Knoxville, and as most anywhere else it's usually connected with drugs.

Anyone ever see No Country for Old Men? The tracking device was in the fellow's duffle bag. What was the only thing of Blair's that he had on him that was not recovered from the scene? The duffel bag. That means someone put that there. When you find where the duffel bag came from and who was in the presence of Blair and that duffel bag before he left Canada, you'll know who the killer is.

This is the news paper article- I made comments in ~BOLD.

Adams, 31, of Surrey, British Columbia, was the foreman of a family-based construction firm that worked in Canada and Germany. There was a history of mental illness in his family, and Adams had spent years battling alcohol and drug addictions.

But for a year, Adams had stayed on the wagon and insisted to friends he was happy with his job and his life. In early July, however, Adams told a friend he was feeling ``stressed out'' and depressed. He announced he was going to quit his job, but he refused to say why.

On July 9, Adams cleaned out his bank accounts. He stuffed a green duffel-bag with American, Canadian and German currency. He filled a fanny pack with gold coins, gold bars and gold jewelry. Inside a black bag, he placed a few receipts and documents, including a plane ticket to Germany.
~ How do they know what was in the duffel bag it was never recovered? Also this was the One thing that he carried with him the whole journey. People will go/leave start over out of fear or love.

At the Canadian border, Adams, who was traveling by ferry from Vancouver Island, was labeled by border officials as a possible drug courier and was denied passage into the United States. Hours later, he tried again, this time on foot. Once again, he was not allowed to cross over. On his third attempt, Adams rented a car to cloak his identity and finally was allowed passsage.
~ Who was with Adams before leaving Canada? Surly he didn't walk all the way to the border alone did he, he was in hurry ..no?


He traveled to a Seattle airport and checked in for his flight to Germany. But he never boarded the plane.
~ Did anyone follow up on this ticket was it reused like exchanged for instance from Germany to the U.S.? They use to do this back in 1996.

Instead, Adams bought a one-way plane ticket to Washington, D.C. He arrived there at 6:30 a.m. July 10. Adams rented a Toyota Camry and set out for an unknown destination.
~Washington and Knoxville are 7 hours 15 mins far apart (by car). Over 3 hours what transpired and with whom?



Around 4:30 p.m., Adams arrived in Knoxville, where he left Interstate 40 at the Strawberry Plains exit and drove up to a gas station. After paying for his gas, Adams suddenly could not find the key to his rental car. He called for a wrecker driver, who towed the Camry to an East Knoxville body shop to see what, if anything, could be done to start the car without the key.
~ Why wouldn't a Car Rental company replace another car for him? Or a car rental comp. Have it towed for him, why did he call? Adams hid the key for himself, maybe?

Adams left the car with the wrecker driver, who gave Adams a ride to a motel on Strawberry Plains Pike.


After going in and out of the lobby five times, Adams finally rented a room. He gave the clerk $100 and left without getting nearly $50 in change.

~Did he have his duffel bag on this video or did he leave it in the car? It would seem to me that he wanted to be Remembered here and now.. The coming and going and extra money given.

But Adams never went inside his motel room. Less than eight hours later, Adams was found dead in a construction parking lot across the roadway from the motel. He had been beaten.
~ 8 hrs. Later, who when where did he meet in an area that was unfamiliar to Him but maybe not the person He was meeting with.

His jeans, shoes and socks had been removed from his body, and his green duffel bag was missing. Yet hundreds of dollars in both U.S. and foreign currency was scattered around Adams' body, and the fanny pack containing Adams' gold was left untouched.

~ this statement says alot it’s personal not a thief.

The key to the Camry that Adams insisted he had lost at the gas station was found on the ground 10 feet from where he lay dead.

According to Knox County Sheriff's Department Lt. Jimmy ``J.J.'' Jones, Adams did not know anyone in East Tennessee. Witnesses and surveillance cameras at various Knoxville locations where he went during his short stay indicate that Adams appeared to be alone.
~ would luv to see these tapes, (appear to be alone..hummm)

Despite Adams' history of drug abuse, a toxicology report showed he had no signs of alcohol or drugs in his system at the time of his death.

And although detectives have documented Adams' steps from the time he left his home in Surrey to the time he rented the Knoxville motel room, Jones said there have been clues about how Adams spent the hours before his death.

Jones said Adams had defensive wounds that indicated he fought with his attacker. There was no sign of sexual assault or activity, he said.
~ Defensive wounds- Yes and yet some people say otherwise.

``It's amazing,'' Jones said. ``We know every move he made until he walked out that door at the motel.''

Jones said he suspected robbery as a motive and figured probable suspects included prostitutes who frequent truck stops around the Strawberry Plains exit, a truck driver or a transient.
~this statement so contradictory to everything hence the $ and Jewels left behind.

My question is where is this duffel bag? I'm guessing in the trunk of that rental car that was towed away and we never here from it again... Also did he have it with him when he was in and out of that hotel 5 different times.. no?

Anyone ever see No Country for Old Men? The tracking device was in the fellow's duffle bag. What was the only thing of Blair's that he had on him that was not recovered from the scene? The duffel bag. That means someone put that there. When you find where the duffel bag came from and who was in the presence of Blair and that duffel bag before he left Canada, you'll know who the killer is.

Whaa?

I'm sorry-- I perhaps need a bit more coffee this morning. To me, reading this post is like trying to make sense out of a David Lynch movie.


If we find the duffel bag, we'll find his killer? Is that what you're saying?

yeah because...

Was the duffel bag with him when he entered the hotel 5 different times?

Adams still had the car rental key, was the bag left in the trunk and why didn't the car company replace his car and why did he call his own tow truck?

Btw it only takes 7 hrs to travel from DC to knoxsville and that strawberry plains exit as far as I know is not off I-40

Whaa?

I'm sorry-- I perhaps need a bit more coffee this morning. To me, reading this post is like trying to make sense out of a David Lynch movie.


If we find the duffel bag, we'll find his killer? Is that what you're saying?

Nice one, lol. I totally agree. That post confused me as well, and I've had quite a bit of caffeine today. :)

Nope I think you guys figured it out. The only thing apparently missing from the scene was the green duffel bag. Why? And if he left it in the car, why make a note that it was missing? I find it interesting that it was not recovered.

I never actually considered the duffel bag before.

Neither did I. This could definitely twist the investigation angle if we knew the contents of the bag. Drugs, letters,etc. for example. It might finally shed light on a motive rather than "let's just rupture this guy's stomach in a parking lot and not take his money."

This is a truly baffling case. We can speculate on Blair's mental health, but at the end of the day, this was a homicide. Was it a random attack or was it someone he knew?