Blair Adams

[Killarney Rose]

Originally Posted by jjmcgr

I think you may be reading too much into Knoxville. If you start at DC with a full tank, you'll need to get gas around Knoxville. (BTW Knoxville is nowhere near DC!) He stopped for gas but in his mental state he then couldn't find the right key so he was stuck there. Where was he headed from there? Hard to say. He would have had to take I-66 which runs near Dulles Airport runs into I-81 which ends at I-40. From Knoxville I-40 heads out west but I-75 which runs into I-40 west of Knoxville runs down to Florida via Atlanta. He could also have easily got on I-59 to New Orleans. Many roads out of Atlanta. Basically, he could have been headed anywhere. Seems he was driving in a straight but random line to me so that "they" wouldn't get him.

My personal theory is that he was acting crazy wandering around near his motel and ran into people that roll such people (there is a truck stop right across the street which was probably there then and more than one UM segment has been based on truck stop predators) or maybe a truck stpop hoooker and her support staff and that he started acting so crazy (maybe ripping his clothes off and throwing money around and making noise) that the killers just struck him hard to shut him up and after seeing the blood and his stillness fled, possibly grabbing his bag on the way out and tossing it nearby when nothing of value was found in it.

This case aired this morning. I really like the theory that Blair was only in Knoxville because he stopped for gas. It's makes perfect sense to me.

[RobinW]

I don't know how many of you are familiar with the Thinking Sideways podcast, but they covered the Blair Adams case last week:
http://thinkingsidewayspodcast.com/

One piece of info they mention which I didn't know was that Blair's duffel bag contained a bunch of receipts, one of which was the receipt for his rental car... signed with someone else's name! The signature was for a person who was apparently a friend of Blair's from Canada, but they've never been publicly named. It's unclear if this person really did sign the agreement or if Blair simply decided to forge someone else's name.

Anyway, the whole podcast is worth a listen and has a bunch of interesting theories. They even make mention of this very message board and discuss a poster named "Nerdgurl" who showed up here years ago and claimed to be a friend of Blair's before sharing some wild (but unsubstantiated) theories about Blair going to Germany for a construction job and having an affair with a young girl, which may have prompted someone to target him.

[MegtheEgg86]

Originally Posted by RobinW

Anyway, the whole podcast is worth a listen and has a bunch of interesting theories. They even make mention of this very message board and discuss a poster named "Nerdgurl" who showed up here years ago and claimed to be a friend of Blair's before sharing some wild (but unsubstantiated) theories about Blair going to Germany for a construction job and having an affair with a young girl, which may have prompted someone to target him.

Oh yeah, I remember that. It was weird, but it seemed like a few people were satisfied with at least Blair being on a job in Germany as an explanation for why the currency was on his person. Curious that it's never been confirmed or denied publicly, though.

[MegtheEgg86]

Originally Posted by Killarney Rose

This case aired this morning. I really like the theory that Blair was only in Knoxville because he stopped for gas. It's makes perfect sense to me.

Co-sign.

I think it's the simplest explanation--just like the investigator said in the segment, he had no friends, family, or ties to this area at all.

I think he was ill, and someone took advantage of him.

[SJP1313]

Originally Posted by RobinW

I don't know how many of you are familiar with the Thinking Sideways podcast, but they covered the Blair Adams case last week:
http://thinkingsidewayspodcast.com/

One piece of info they mention which I didn't know was that Blair's duffel bag contained a bunch of receipts, one of which was the receipt for his rental car... signed with someone else's name! The signature was for a person who was apparently a friend of Blair's from Canada, but they've never been publicly named. It's unclear if this person really did sign the agreement or if Blair simply decided to forge someone else's name.

Anyway, the whole podcast is worth a listen and has a bunch of interesting theories. They even make mention of this very message board and discuss a poster named "Nerdgurl" who showed up here years ago and claimed to be a friend of Blair's before sharing some wild (but unsubstantiated) theories about Blair going to Germany for a construction job and having an affair with a young girl, which may have prompted someone to target him.

I just listened to the Thinking Sideways podcast episode on this yesterday, and saw it on UM this morning. I thought the receipt for the rental car being signed with someone else's name was VERY interesting. I hadn't heard that bit of info either, but wow. That kind of changes any theory I had! Now I don't know what to think. I also hadn't heard that he died from a ruptured stomach. I cant imagine how painful that must of been.

[RobinW]

Originally Posted by SJP1313

I just listened to the Thinking Sideways podcast episode on this yesterday, and saw it on UM this morning. I thought the receipt for the rental car being signed with someone else's name was VERY interesting. I hadn't heard that bit of info either, but wow. That kind of changes any theory I had! Now I don't know what to think. I also hadn't heard that he died from a ruptured stomach. I cant imagine how painful that must of been.

Yeah, I cringe at the theory that Blair got into an altercation with someone elsewhere walked around for awhile with a painful ruptured stomach before he collapsed in the parking lot. It would be incredible if some random person struck Blair in the stomach at another location and did not even realize that they ultimately caused his death.

[jjmcgr]

Originally Posted by RobinW

Yeah, I cringe at the theory that Blair got into an altercation with someone elsewhere walked around for awhile with a painful ruptured stomach before he collapsed in the parking lot. It would be incredible if some random person struck Blair in the stomach at another location and did not even realize that they ultimately caused his death.

All signs at the murder scene point to the attack being busted, probably because Blair was making a lot of noise and the attacker(s) having to flee, leaving money behind on the ground and jettisoning the duffle bag. Killing someone by a punch in the stomach does not seem the usual way, perhaps implying a robbery, a punch to shut him up, pants pulled down to keep him from running away, and then a sudden getaway. In other words the goal was robbery not murder...

Blair was seemingly wandering around carrying the big old duffle bag, which would seem odd to anyone seeing him, even more so in a place like Knoxville. This may have made bad guys interested in robbery.

[cordwainer1453]

My theory is that if someone was really folllowing Blair around, they had to be pretty inept. Why chase him down that far, when obviously they had to be pretty close behind him to follow all his twists and turns. It seems there would have been an earlier, easier time to attack before this supposed stalker did attack.

[jjmcgr]

finally listened to the whole podcast. it was pretty good. after listening I now think Blair went somewhere and had a big meal because his stomach would only rupture if full. I think robbers saw him there acting strange carrying the duffle bag and probably paying with a hundred dollar bill and decided to roll him. After mugging him he started acting crazy so they hit him in the stomach with a brick or something and fled when he continued to act loud.
You'd have thought an autopsy would have discovered what his last meal was. Probably truck stop food.

[NYSleuth]

Originally Posted by SJP1313

I just listened to the Thinking Sideways podcast episode on this yesterday, and saw it on UM this morning. I thought the receipt for the rental car being signed with someone else's name was VERY interesting. I hadn't heard that bit of info either, but wow. That kind of changes any theory I had! Now I don't know what to think. I also hadn't heard that he died from a ruptured stomach. I cant imagine how painful that must of been.

I listened to the Thinking Sideways podcast about this case as well, and it was really good - offered several different scenarios that I have not read or heard anywhere. This case is so bizarre on so many levels, but overall the podcast was not only entertaining (three different hosts with three different perspectives, layered with funny quips), it also covered a lot of ground. I think Blair did have a reason to worry about someone stalking him, but ultimately he met his fate by a stranger in Tennessee.

[TheCars1986]

I think it's interesting that Meg brought up the autopsy report photo indicating that something was done to Blair's anal area and the detective interviewed for the segment mentioned something about Blair not being a homosexual. Granted this could just have been a dated remark from the 90's (the old stereotype about gay people being shady), or it could have been a theory that they were working on, but couldn't come up with any evidence to verify it. The fact that he wound up dead at a hotel across from the one he was staying at would lend some credence to a possible rendezvous with someone that turned deadly.

[yourhomiebrian]

There is probably a couple of things UM left out that if they mentioned it the case would not be as bizarre. Unsolved Mysteries does a good job making the cases interesting. Especially when Robert Stack was there. Stack had a cool spooky voice.

[Necco]

I drove past the Blair Adams exit last week outside of Knoxville. I agree he was probably just off the highway to get gas. The exit is basically just gas stations and hotels.

Fortunately I had listened to the Thinking Sideways podcast with my beloved so he didn't think I was completely crazy when we passed the exit and I shouted "that's the exit!"

[MegtheEgg86]

Originally Posted by TheCars1986

I think it's interesting that Meg brought up the autopsy report photo indicating that something was done to Blair's anal area and the detective interviewed for the segment mentioned something about Blair not being a homosexual. Granted this could just have been a dated remark from the 90's (the old stereotype about gay people being shady), or it could have been a theory that they were working on, but couldn't come up with any evidence to verify it. The fact that he wound up dead at a hotel across from the one he was staying at would lend some credence to a possible rendezvous with someone that turned deadly.

I just watched the segment this morning, since it's toward the end of Season 9 and I've made my way through it over the past few days. The autopsy report drawing definitely says 'Anal penetration'. It had been impossible to make out over all these years.

Dr. Elkins, the pathologist that performed the autopsy, was actually involved in an incident about ten years later in which she made some sort of suicidal gestures at her home and someone called the police. She ended up threatening to shoot one of the officers and had to be restrained. I think she retired shortly thereafter. Dr. Grindstaff, the resident who assisted during the procedure, still works at the hospital and is one of the staff pathologists.

I had to laugh at that first autopsy report sheet--the last four digits of the phone number for University Pathologists are STILL the last four digits for the pathology department. I call it nearly every day at work.

If Blair was mentally ill, I wonder why this apparent psychosis or delusion or whatever persisted as long as it did--from before July 5th to July 11th when he was ultimately killed in Knoxville. Or why, once he got into the United States, it didn't cause him any apparent problems prior to his arrival here in TN.

[RobinW]

A new article about this case was just published this morning containing a few pieces of info I never knew before:
http://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/c...hed/610262001/

I think the most bizarre revelation is that Blair's mother is now claiming that the purpose of his trip down south was to attend the Olympic games in Atlanta even though they didn't actually start until 8 days after his death and she never shared this info with the police back in 1996.