Holly Bobo case drew national attention due to inconsistent witness accounts, missing forensic evidence, and shifting testimony—including a key witness who later recanted. Despite convictions, many questions remain, and the legal battle continues as the primary defendant seeks a new trial.

This timeline explores the full story of Holly Bobo from her life and disappearance to the investigation, court proceedings, and ongoing efforts to uncover the truth.

Early Life & Background

• Full name: Holly Lynn Bobo
• Born: October 12, 1990, in Tennessee, U.S.
• Family: Daughter of Dana and Karen Bobo; sister to Clint Bobo; cousin to country singer Whitney Duncan
• Personality: Described by friends as “shy and sweet,” she was a caring, devoted young woman

Education & Aspirations

• Attended University of Tennessee at Martin, Parsons Center as a nursing student, driven by a passion to help others
• Known for being empathetic and committed to service, traits consistent with her future profession

Holly Bobo Timeline: Here is a detailed timeline of the Holly Bobo case, organized chronologically with key events from her disappearance through the most recent post-conviction proceedings:

2011 – Disappearance and Initial Investigation

April 13, 2011

• 4:00 AM: Holly woke up
• 4:30 AM: Holly began studying.
• 7:30 AM: Holly’s boyfriend Drew Scott called her. He was turkey hunting that day
• 7:40 AM: Neighbor of the Bobo’s walks out of his home to go to his construction job, hears a scream from the Bobo’s’ house, tells his mother about it and goes on to work.
  
• 7:45 AM: The neighbor’s mother calls Karen Bobo at work and tells a school secretary to relay a message about the scream. This is also the time Holly Bobo usually would leave for school to arrive at 7:55 a.m.
• 7:50 AM – Holly Bobo, 20, is seen by her brother Clint walking into the woods with a man in camouflage at her home in Darden, Tennessee. He initially believes it’s her boyfriend.
• 7:50 AM: A barking dog wakes Clint Bobo up. He notices his sister’s car still in the driveway and calls his mother’s cellphone at school. His mother does not have the phone with her but receives the message from the school secretary, phones home and talks to her son, who tells her that Holly Bobo’s car is still there.
• 7:55 AM: Karen Bobo calls 911 from school; she reaches the wrong county’s emergency dispatcher. Clint Bobo looks out the window and sees a man dressed in camouflage walking with his sister toward the woods. Clint Bobo calls his sister’s phone and gets voicemail; he also calls her boyfriend’s phone and gets voicemail.
• A little before 8 a.m.: Karen Bobo calls her house again. Her son tells her that he saw his sister and her boyfriend walking toward the woods. Karen Bobo tells him that the man is not Holly Bobo’s boyfriend and to call 911.
• 8:00 AM: Clint Bobo gets a loaded pistol at his mother’s request and walks out the back door through an open garage attached to the house. He sees a puddle of blood near his sister’s car. His neighbor’s mother pulls up the driveway to say screams were heard 15 or 20 minutes ago. Clint Bobo then calls 911.
• 8:10 AM: The first deputy from Decatur County arrives at the house. Authorities come to believe that Holly Bobo was abducted as she tried to get in her car to drive to nursing school. She is not seen again.
• 8:17 AM – Holly’s cell phone pings as it travels north from the home, later turning off around I-40.

April 15, 2011

• A lunchbox belonging to Holly was found near Bible Hill Road, several miles from her home.
• Other items, including a SIM card and receipt, were recovered along routes stretching north of Darden.

April 16, 2011

• Volunteers search areas near Bible Hill, Yellow Springs, Gooche Roads, and Horney Head Creek. No new items are discovered.

April 18, 2011

• Area businesses step up to assist law enforcement and volunteers

April 19, 2011

• Twelve additional TBI agents arrive in Decatur County

April 20, 2011

• Community prayer vigils are held as it marks one week since Holly Bobo vanished.

April 18, 2013

• TBI investigators think they’ve found Holly’s pink purse on Myracle Town Road, two years after her disappearance.

April 21, 2011

• Amerawear in Lexington asked by the Bobo family to print t-shirts with her face on them

April 25, 2011

• Officials reveal that the average cost of the Bobo search is $500 a day

May 4, 2011

• Bobo family publicly thanks everyone for the help that have gotten from across the region.

May 6, 2011

• A 15-year-old Lexington girl faces criminal charges after telling police she was kidnapped at gunpoint and brought to Jackson.

August 1, 2011

• Police search for convicted sex offender Victor George Wall in connection to Bobo disappearance

October 13, 2011

• Decatur Middle School students hold a special ceremony for Holly including balloons release marking 6-month anniversary of her disappearance

November 4, 2011 –

• Decatur County Sheriff asks deer hunters for help to find Holly Bobo.

February 2, 2012

• Community members in Decatur County raise Bobo reward to a quarter of million dollars

February 13, 2012

• Holly Bobo being missing for one year, educational event held students and faculty at Riverside High School organize event to learn how to protect their privacy on social networking sites.

August 27, 2012

• Elizabeth Smart, who was abducted at age 14 from her Salt Lake City home and survived comes to Scotts Hill and speaks

February 18, 2012

• TBI says they find Holly Bobo’s purse

February 19, 2012

• Holly Bobo’s mother has tells investigators that the purse found near the site of her daughter’s disappearance was not Holly’s.

May 1, 2012

• Holly’s brother, the only witness to his sister’s abduction, says he has endured police interrogations, has been strip searched and has received death threats.

May 16, 2012

• Family petitions Governor Haslam and the Tennessee State Legislature to re-focus its efforts and resources to find all of the missing persons in Tennessee.

June 12, 2012

• An Indiana man has been arrested and accused of trying to frame a police officer from North Webster, Ind., in the Bobo’s alleged abduction.

April 19, 2013

• Karen Bobo inspects the purse and confirms that it does not belong to Holly.
• TBI and FBI investigate dozens of leads. A registered sex offender, Terry Britt, is investigated but not charged.

May 17, 2013

• TBI issued a statement regarding a family that was hired: TBI determines non-profit “Without Warning” did not conduct investigation on missing West Tennessee woman to law enforcement standards. Source

December 16, 2013

• Bobo family offers $250,000 for information leading to an arrest and changing of a suspect.

2014 – Break in the Case and Arrests

February 28, 2014: 

• A search warrant was executed at Zachary Adams’ home in Decatur County.
• The director of the TBI addresses the media about recent searches executed in connection to the search for Bobo.
• Shelby County Sheriff’s Office confirms that they have sent a cadaver dog to assist with search efforts going in connection to the Bobo case.
• Zach Adams in jail on an aggravated assault charge, and according to the DCSO, might have more charges pending.
• Zach Adams in jail on an aggravated assault charge, and according to the DCSO, might have more charges pending.

March 1, 2014

• Bobo’s home community joins to pray for the Bobo’s return and answers in her case.

March 2, 2014: 

• Search continues at Adams’ house in connection with Bobo case.

March 3, 2014

• John Dylan Adams is arrested on unrelated charges. During questioning, he claims to have witnessed Holly being raped and killed by his brother Zachary Adams.
• Zachary Adams is arrested and charged with aggravated kidnapping and first-degree murder.

March 4, 2014

• Copy of Zach Adams’ previous arrest record in Decatur County is released, includes 14 arrests with 24 charges over a span of eight years – including various drug charges and aggravated assault.

March 6, 2014: 

• The TBI announces during a news conference that a special session of the Decatur County Grand Jury indicted Zach Adams on felony first degree murder and especially aggravated kidnapping charges in Bobo’s case.  Source

March 11, 2014:

• Zach Adams pleads not guilty during his arraignment.

April 1, 2014: 

• Adams charged with coercion of a witness for allegedly threatening his own brother, who is a witness in the case. Source

April 29, 2014:

•  A grand jury also indicted Jason Autry on felony first degree murder and especially aggravated kidnapping charges. Source

April 30, 2014: 

• Third person: Shayne Austin, has been granted immunity in the Bobo case, but prosecutors want to revoke it because they said he was not truthful with them. Records

May 1, 2014: 

• Autry pleads not guilty during his arraignment.

May 16, 2014:

• Shayne Austin sues state for revoking immunity deal.

May 19-20, 2014:

• Autry speaks out from jail with Nick Beres.

May 29, 2014: 

• Half-brothers Jeffrey and Mark Pearcy are charged with tampering with evidence and accessory after the fact. TBI investigators believe they have knowledge of a video containing images of Bobo alive after her abduction.
• A judge denies to issue a gag order in the Holly Bobo case.
• Investigators with the TBI believe the Pearcys know the location of a video showing Bobo alive after her kidnapping.

June 11, 2014

• Jason Autry is arrested and charged as an accomplice.
• Shayne Austin signs immunity deal in exchange for cooperation.

June 30, 2014: 

• Zach Adams charged with assault for allegedly attacking three guards at the Chester County jail.

August 7, 2014:

• Matt Stowe is elected as the new district attorney general of the 24th Judicial District, which covers Decatur County. Keith Byrd is elected as Decatur County’s new sheriff. Both took office on September 1.

August 28, 2014

• Several terabytes of discovery, or evidence, was given to Adams’ and Autry’s defense lawyers by the state

September 7, 2014

• Skeletal remains (skull, rib, shoulder blade) are found in a wooded area in northern Decatur County, 20 miles from Holly’s home.

September 8, 2014: 

• The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced a forensic analysis confirmed the partial remains were Bobo. Source

September 9, 2014:

• Holly Bobo’s family releases a statement through their attorney during a news conference at the Decatur County Sheriff’s Office. Source

September 10, 2014

• TBI confirms remains belong to Holly Bobo. Cause of death is a gunshot wound to the back of the head

September 14, 2014:

• Zach Adams has been transferred to the Williamson County Jail from Chester County. Officials said Chester County was not equipped to handle housing him long term.

September 18, 2014:

• TBI announces arrest of Zach Adams’ brother, John Dylan Adams, on tampering with evidence charge in the Bobo case. Source

October 14, 2014:

• TBI announces John Dylan Adams has now been indicted on two counts of rape in Bobo case. Adams allegedly admitted to TBI agents that he was involved in the forcible rape of Bobo on April 13, 2011, the day she went missing from her family’s home in Darden. Source

October 15, 2014:

• Tampering with evidence charges dropped against John Dylan Adams and Mark Pearcy. 

October 22, 2014:

• Dylan Adams pleads not guilty to raping Holly the day she disappeared from her family’s home. The judge set a bond of $25,000, and set the next court date for December 17.

November 18, 2014:

• Dylan Adams has been transferred from Robertson County to the Weakley County jail.

December 16, 2014:

• TBI suspends their investigation into the case at the request of District Attorney Matt Stowe. Stowe denies those claims. Source 

December 17, 2014:

• During a hearing for Adams and Autry, Decatur County Circuit Judge Creed McGinley expressed his frustration with the case not moving forward.

December 18, 2014:

• TBI resumes investigation and requests special prosecutor to take over the case. Source

December 30, 2014: 

• Defense attorneys file motions asking all charges against the two prime suspects be dismissed due to not receiving crucial discovery in the case.

2015–2016 – Charges and Legal Preparations

January 5, 2015: 

• Defense attorneys said they plan to subpoena DA Matt Stowe as a witness in the case due to his alleged allegations of misconduct against the TBI.

January 6, 2015: 

• Judge appoints special prosecutor in the case.

January 29, 2015:

• Defense attorneys ask judge to hold hearing on motion to dismiss charge s.

February 9, 2015 

• District Attorney General Jerry Woodall, TBI Special Agents began investigating Tommy Joe Austin on January 14th. On January 11th, Austin, a former jailer in Chester County, filed a report with the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, stating he received a phone call threatening violence against him and his son for not “taking care” of Zach Adams, an indicted defendant in the Holly Bobo case who was previously in custody in Chester County. During the course of the investigation, however, Agents developed information Austin was not truthful about the reported threat. Source

February 23, 2015:

• A defense attorney for Shayne Austin confirms that his client has been found dead of an apparent suicide . 

March 25, 2015: 

• The lawyer for Dylan Adams demands his client be released from jail due to the lack of progress that’s been made in the cas e.

April 7, 2015:

• A memorial service for Bobo is planned.

May 18, 2015:

• Details released on what that led to the arrests of Zach Adams and Jason Autry.

May 19, 2015

• Formal charges filed for aggravated kidnapping, aggravated rape, and first-degree murder against Zach Adams, Dylan Adams, and Jason Autry.
• Prosecutors file notice to seek the death penalty against Zach Adams.

May 20, 2015: 

• Dylan Adams has been indicted on charges on aggravated kidnapping and first degree murde r.

June 3, 2015:

• The State will seek the death penalty against Zachary Adams, Dylan Adams and Jason Autry in the kidnapping and murder of Holly Bobo.
• Zachary Adams, Dylan Adams and Jason Autry plead not guilty on charges of rape, kidnapping and murder. 

August 2015 – February 2016

• Discovery delays, witness issues, and motions push trial dates.
• Defense alleges the state withheld exculpatory evidence.

2017 – Zach Adams Trial

September 11–22, 2017 – Trial of Zachary Adams

• Key testimony is provided by Jason Autry, who claims he helped Zach dispose of Holly’s body after witnessing her murder.
• Forensic experts testify to bone identification and cell tower data.
• Defense presents no witnesses.

September 22, 2017

• Zachary Adams is convicted of first-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping, and aggravated rape.

September 23, 2017

• Sentenced to life without parole plus 50 years.

2018–2020 – Pleas and Resolution for Other Defendants

January 22, 2018

• Dylan Adams accepts an Alford plea to avoid trial; sentenced to 35 years for facilitation of murder and kidnapping.

September 16, 2020

• Jason Autry, who testified in exchange for reduced charges, is released from prison.

2024 – Jason Autry Recants

February 28, 2024

• Jason Autry submits a sworn affidavit recanting his 2017 trial testimony. Claims it was fabricated to gain a deal.
• Autry states he learned key details in jail and constructed his story using news reports and fellow inmates.

June 24, 2024

• Jason Autry Sentenced to 228 months (19 years) in prison on the weapons-felon charge in Benton County after his release from prison on the Holly Bobo case.

2025 – Post-Conviction Proceedings

January 2025

• Zach Adams’ legal team files a petition for post-conviction relief based on recanted testimony and new evidence.

March 2025

• Subpoenas issued for new witnesses; motion hearings begin in Decatur County.

May 2025 – Post-Conviction Hearing (Four Days)

• May 19, 2024 Day 1: Autry testifies, reaffirms his recantation under oath. Defense presents alternative suspects and reviews missing forensic evidence.
• May 20, 2025 – Day 2: Former law enforcement officials testify that pressure was placed on investigators to secure convictions.
• May 21, 2025 – Day 3: Cell tower expert disputes original location evidence.
• May 22, 2025 – Day 4: Cross-examination focuses on Autry’s credibility and how critical his testimony was to the 2017 conviction.

Awaiting Decision

• Judge’s decision on whether Zach Adams will be granted a new trial is expected later in 2025.
• Defense continues to argue that the case relied on now-admitted false testimony and circumstantial evidence.

Records

April 13, 2011 – Holly Bobo Disappears

• 5:30 a.m., Holly’s father sees her awake in her room.
• 7:30–7:45 a.m., neighbor James Barnes hears Holly scream “Stop! I said stop!” followed by silence. He calls his mother, who contacts Holly’s mother, Karen Bobo.
• Clint Bobo, Holly’s brother, hears voices in the garage, sees his sister walking into the woods with a man in camouflage. He initially assumes it is her boyfriend, Drew Scott.
• Clint later notices blood on the garage floor.

The family contacts law enforcement. Massive search begins, involving:

• Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI)
• Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
• U.S. Marshals
• Local law enforcement and SWAT
• Helicopters search from above; land and air coordination begins.
• TBI confirms the blood found is Holly’s DNA.

Search and Early Evidence

Initial Crime Scene:

• Blood is discovered on the garage floor near Holly’s car. DNA later confirms it is Holly’s blood

April 14, 2011

• Gerald Stephens finds underwear and a wadded-up paper with Holly’s name near Yellow Springs Road.
• Jon Graves finds Holly’s lunchbox in a creek.

April 15, 2011 – Autry Meets with Zach Adams

• Jason Autry meets with Zach and Dylan Adams.
• Zach complains that Dylan “won’t stop running his mouth” about the incident.
• Zach asks Autry to kill Dylan in exchange for land and money in the future.

April 24, 2011 – Holly’s Cell Phone Found

• Searchers including Emily Pratt, a cousin and nursing classmate of Holly, find her cell phone five miles from her home.

May 2, 2011 – SIM Card Discovered

• Ednesha Brasher’s brother finds Holly’s SIM card while biking near the Bobo home.
• They listen to saved voicemails and hand the card to Holly’s family, who give it to investigators.
  

Early Investigation by Law Enforcement

TBI Special Agent Brent Booth and team lead the case.

• Early focus is on registered sex offenders, especially Terry Britt.
• Britt’s home is searched multiple times; surveillance and wiretaps are placed, but no link to Holly is found.

TBI Special Agent Michael Frizzell analyzes cell phone tower data.

• Holly’s phone pings show movement north, then lingering near Yellow Springs and Holladay.

THP Trooper Warren Rainey focuses on Zach Adams after multiple tips.

• Visits Zach’s home, notes Zach is “scared,” and later sees him frantically cleaning his truck.
• Assembles a surveillance and search team.

Search team members Stephen Young and Dennis McKenzie observe Zach Adam’s:

• Vacuuming his black truck
• Spraying two mattresses with a water hose behind the house

FBI Agent Matthew Ross:

• Agent Ross, sees scratches on Zach’s arm and leg. Zach claims they came from a briar patch while fleeing police earlier in April.

Months Following the Disappearance 

• Holly’s family continues their own investigation.
• Holly’s mother and brother attempt to interview Zach Adams, Dylan Adams, Jason Autry, and Shayne Austin.
• Shayne Austin was originally given an immunity deal but it was later revoked.
• Rebecca Earp, Zach Adams’s then-girlfriend, states that on April 13, Zach left early claiming to haul scrap but returned later, scratched and agitated. She describes suspicious behavior, including Adams allegedly saying “they’ll never find her.”
• Earp later testifies Adams threatened to tie her up “like [he] did Holly.

Search team members Stephen Young and Dennis McKenzie observe Zach:

• Vacuuming his black truck
• Spraying two mattresses with a water hose behind the house
• FBI Agent Matthew Ross sees scratches on Zach’s arm and leg. Zach claims they came from a briar patch while fleeing police earlier in April.

April 4, 2011 – Park Ranger Encounter

• Park Ranger Chris Hill had stopped Zach Adams for speeding inside Natchez Trace State Park.
• Zach fled on foot and was arrested after a chase. No visible arm scratches were noted at the time.
• His white pickup truck was impounded and later released.

September 7, 2014 – Holly Bobo’s Remains Discovered

• Ernest “Larry” Stone, a ginseng hunter, finds a human skull under an overturned bucket near a cell tower and Natchez Trace State Park.

A subsequent forensic search of the area uncovers:

• Skull fragments and teeth (confirmed via DNA and dental records)
• Personal items like her ring, inhaler, wallet, purse, ID, keys, and school supplies
• A .308 cartridge casing and a .410 shotgun shell
• Cause of death is ruled as a gunshot wound to the back of the head.

UT Forensic Anthropology Center:

• Skull and bones – Confirmed to be Holly via DNA
• Personal effects: inhaler, ID, camera, wallet, ring – Confirmed to be Holly’s
• A .308 rifle casing and a .410 shotgun shell

Autopsy confirms:

• Holly was shot in the back of the head at close range. Manner of death: homicide.

May 19, 2015 – Indictments Issued

• Zachary Rye Adams, Jason Wayne Autry, and John Dylan Adams indicted by Decatur County Grand Jury:
• First-degree premeditated murder
• Two counts of felony murder
• Two counts of especially aggravated kidnapping
• Three counts of aggravated rape

February 23, 2015 – Shayne Austin Dies

• Shayne Austin, who had received and then lost an immunity agreement, dies by suicide.

March 1, 2017 – Change of Venue

• Due to pretrial publicity, Judge C. Creed McGinley grants Zach Adams’s motion for a change of venue.

May 25, 2017 – Alleged Murder Weapon Recovered

• Steve Deaton, a dive team lead, recovers a .32 caliber revolver from a creek.
• Gun was linked to Shayne Austin and later traded to Victor Dinsmore, a drug dealer, for morphine.
• TBI determines the gun was functional and loaded with five rounds.

September 9, 2017 – Zach Adams Trial Begins

• Prosecutors: Jennifer Nichols, Eric Christensen, Paul Hagerman, Stephen Ragland
• Defense: Jennifer Lynn Thompson, James Simmons, Jerry Gonzales

Key Testimony:

Jason Autry: Claims he helped Zach dispose of Holly’s body.

• Says she was still alive when placed on rocks under an I-40 bridge.
• Zach retrieved Shayne’s gun and shot her in the head.
• Says motive was a botched plan to have sex with Holly and her cousin.
• Autry acted as a lookout and assisted under threat.

Victor Dinsmore testifies:

• Austin gave him the gun later found in a creek.

Rebecca Earp testifies:

• Zach threatened her and described actions toward Holly.
• No DNA or physical evidence directly ties Zach to Holly’s remains.

June 7, 2022 – Appeal Heard

Adams’s appeal claims include:

• Insufficient evidence
• Improper witness testimony
• Judicial bias
• Denial of impeachment evidence
• Cumulative error

September 9, 2022 – Appellate Court Upholds Conviction

Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals affirms:

• All charges and rulings from trial court
• Convictions remain in place

Sentence:

• Life without the possibility of parole
• Plus 50 years (25 for aggravated kidnapping + 25 for aggravated rape)

Timeline of Arrests and Charges

• February 28, 2014: A search warrant was executed at the home of Zachary Adams in Holladay, TN.
• March 5, 2014: Adams was indicted for especially aggravated kidnapping and murder.
• April 29, 2014: Jason Autry was also indicted. He later became the state’s key witness.
• May 29, 2014: Brothers Jeffrey and Mark Pearcy were charged with evidence tampering based on a rumored video showing Holly bound and alive. The video was never found.
• Shayne Austin, another person of interest who had been granted immunity, died by suicide in February 2015 after his deal was revoked.

Physical and Forensic Evidence:

• Lack of Direct Forensic Evidence:
  No DNA or fingerprint evidence directly linked Zach Adams or the others to Holly or the crime scene.
  Physical items connected to Holly (e.g., lunchbox, SIM card) were recovered in the months following her disappearance, but most lacked forensic leads.
• Digital & Circumstantial Evidence:
  Cell phone records placed Adams and others near areas associated with Holly’s movements.
  Surveillance footage (e.g., a truck believed to be Dylan Adams’ around 11:07 a.m.) was inconclusive—license plate or driver could not be confirmed.
  Witness statements, especially from jailhouse informants and Autry, formed the backbone of the prosecution’s case.

Remaining Questions and Controversies

• Why was Terry Britt ruled out so early despite a strong profile and known predatory behavior?
• How reliable were the confessions and statements from defendants with known cognitive impairments (e.g., Dylan Adams)?
• Was Autry’s testimony perjury, and if so, should his original deal be voided?
• Did pressure to secure convictions compromise the integrity of the investigation?

Conclusion

The investigation into Holly Bobo’s disappearance and murder evolved from a large-scale missing persons case to a deeply controversial legal saga. With conflicting suspect theories, a lack of direct forensic evidence, and a key witness recanting, the case remains both legally and ethically complex.

As of 2025, the court is reviewing whether to grant Zach Adams a new trial. The outcome could redefine what justice in the Holly Bobo case truly means.

Detailed testimony summary of TBI Special Agent Brent Booth, State of Tennessee v. Zachary Rye Adams:

TBI Special Agent Brent Booth – Testimony Summary

Role in the Case

• Lead TBI agent in the Holly Bobo investigation.
• Oversaw multiple phases of the investigation from the initial disappearance through the recovery of remains and subsequent arrests.

Cell Phone Data Investigation

• Early in the case, Agent Booth worked to track Holly Bobo’s cell phone using tower pings.
• Her phone was initially traced moving north from her home.
• It then appeared to linger in the Yellow Springs community, near Holladay, Tennessee.
• This area later became central to the investigation, as it was near the homes of Zach Adams, Jason Autry, Shayne Austin, and Victor Dinsmore.

Initial Focus on Terry Britt

• Agent Booth and the TBI intensely investigated registered sex offender Terry Britt:
• Conducted surveillance, placed wiretaps on Britt’s phone and inside his house.
• Executed search warrants on Britt’s house, vehicles, and outbuildings.
• Interviewed Britt’s neighbors.
• Despite extensive efforts, no connection was found between Terry Britt and Holly Bobo’s disappearance.
• Booth conceded that the investigation had focused heavily on Britt while failing to verify alibis of Adams, Autry, and Austin early on.

Refocusing on Adams and Associates

• On January 25, 2014, Booth received a phone tip that caused him to reevaluate the case file.
• After reviewing the records and interviews of Zach Adams, Jason Autry, Dylan Adams, and Shayne Austin, Booth concluded that “their stories were false.”
• Investigation shifted focus to this group from that point forward.

Searches and Evidence Collection

In February–March 2014, following Zach Adams’s arrest, the TBI:

• Searched Zach’s and his grandfather’s residences.
• Seized four vehicles: a white truck, a black truck, a pewter truck, and a red Jeep Wrangler.

Collected over 500 items for forensic testing, including:

• Carpet
• Mattresses
• Couches and furniture
• Blankets and bedding

No physical evidence (blood, hair, DNA, bullets) directly tied Zach to Holly Bobo’s remains.

Firearm and Ballistics

• Booth helped track the alleged murder weapon:
• Learned from Jason Autry and Victor Dinsmore that the gun used to kill Holly had been traded by Shayne Austin for morphine.
• Coordinated with the Dinsmores to recover the gun from a creek in May 2017.
• The revolver was a .32-caliber, loaded with five live rounds.
• Ballistics showed it was functional after cleaning.

Remains Recovery Scene

• Responded to the area where Holly’s skull and bones were found near Natchez Trace State Park on September 7, 2014.

Assisted with evidence recovery including:

• Personal items: wallet, ID, ring, camera, lipstick, inhaler
• Bones and skull fragments
• .308 rifle casing and .410 shotgun shell

The recovery location was:

• 3 miles from Shayne Austin’s home
• 5 miles from Zach Adams’s home
• 1 mile from Victor Dinsmore’s home

Scrap Yard Records

Booth reviewed Birdsong Auto Salvage records:

• Zach claimed he hauled scrap on the day Holly went missing (April 13).
• Booth found no record of a scrap transaction that day.
• Confirmed scrap was traded on April 11 and April 15, but not April 13.

Search Warrant on Bobo Family

• Booth acknowledged obtaining a search warrant for the Bobo family’s bank records in January 2013.
• Affidavit claimed that Holly’s parents and brother may have made false or misleading statements.
• He did not recall what the alleged false statements were.

Palm Print Analysis

• Testified that Zach Adams, Jason Autry, Dylan Adams, and Shayne Austin were excluded as the source of a palm print found on Holly’s car.

law enforcement testimony summaries from the State of Tennessee v. Zachary Rye Adams appellate opinion, covering all major agents and officers involved in the Holly Bobo investigation:

TBI Special Agent Brent Booth:

• Role: Lead investigator from early in the case through trial.

Key Testimony:

• Tracked Holly’s cell phone via tower pings; observed her phone lingered in the Yellow Springs community, near the homes of suspects.

Initially pursued sex offender Terry Britt with extensive:

• Surveillance, wiretaps, and search warrants (home, vehicles, outbuildings)
• Interviews with neighbors
• No link to Britt was found.
• Admitted they failed to verify alibis of Adams, Autry, Austin, and Dylan Adams early on.
• Shifted focus in January 2014 after receiving a tip; reviewed suspect statements and found they were inconsistent or false.

February–March 2014, TBI:

• Searched Zach’s home and four vehicles (white, black, pewter trucks and red Jeep).
• Seized over 500 items (furniture, flooring, bedding), but found no direct forensic evidence.
• Assisted in recovery of murder weapon from a creek in 2017 (linked to Shayne Austin and Victor Dinsmore).
• Helped process the scene where Holly’s remains were found in Sept. 2014.
• Confirmed Adams and associates were excluded from a palmprint found on Holly’s car.
• Admitted he requested the Bobo family’s bank records in 2013, suspecting false statements, but could not recall what they were.

TBI Assistant Special Agent Michael Frizzell

Role: Cell phone data analyst for TBI.

Key Testimony:

• Analyzed cell tower pings and phone records of all suspects.
• Found that between 7:30 and 8:00 a.m. on April 13, 2011 (the critical window), none of the suspects’ phones (Zach Adams, Dylan Adams, Jason Autry, or Shayne Austin) were in use.
• Helped map suspect movements through cell records later used to support the timeline of the crime.

FBI Special Agent Matthew Ross

Role: Joined the case about a week after Holly went missing.

Key Testimony:

• Interviewed Zach Adams at his home.
• Noted scratches on Zach’s arms and legs; photographed them.
• Zach claimed the scratches were from a prior escape attempt from Park Ranger Chris Hill on April 4, 2011.
• Ross described them as “reddish-pink lines”, not fresh or scabbed.
• Zach consented to a search of his house and crawl space. Nothing significant found.

THP Trooper Warren Rainey

Role: State trooper who developed Zach Adams as a suspect.

Key Testimony:

• Asked locals in Parsons area who was “the bad guy”—Zach’s name came up repeatedly.
• Noted Zach’s home was near Yellow Springs Road, matching phone ping area.
• Interviewed Zach; he appeared scared and shaky.
• After leaving, Rainey observed Zach sprint back into his house, and shortly after, Dylan Adams fled in a vehicle (stopped for reckless driving).
• Rainey organized a surveillance/search team, including cadaver dogs, after realizing the Adams property backed up to county land.
• Searched woods behind the house and watched activity.

Search Team Witnesses (Under Rainey’s Command)

Stephen Young: Member of a 6-person search team hidden in the woods. Observed Zach Adams:

• Vacuuming his black pickup truck for over an hour.
• Two mattresses leaning against the home.
• Watched for any incriminating behavior after Rainey’s departure.

Dennis McKenzie: Owner of McKenzie Tree Service and coworker of Holly’s father.

• Participated in the volunteer search and Trooper Rainey’s operation.
• Witnessed Zach:
• Vacuuming the black truck
• Washing down the two mattresses with a hose after the Trooper’s visit.

Park Ranger Chris Hill

Role: Stopped Zach Adams on April 4, 2011, nine days before Holly’s disappearance.

Key Testimony:

• Conducted a traffic stop on Zach’s white truck.
• Zach fled into the woods carrying a camouflage fanny pack, which he tried to discard.
• Ranger tackled and arrested Zach.
• Noted at that time: Zach did not have scratches on his left arm—contradicting Zach’s later explanation for the scratches observed by Agent Ross.

Tennessee Wildlife Officer (Not named)

• Participated in searches of surrounding wooded areas.

Sources:

• 2013 – 2025:  Court Records
• 2012-2014 Holly Bobo Website
• 2014:  Holly Bobo Murder Suspect Charged with Coercion 
• 2014:  Former step-father: ‘Living with Zachary Adams was like a recurring nightmare’
• March 2, 2014:  TBI Search Continues Behind House In Bobo Case
• May 11, 2013: Holly Bobo’s Family Makes New Push For Search
• April 18, 2013:  TBI: Purse Found Did Not Belong To Holly Bobo
• April 13, 2013:  Family Remains Hopeful Two Years After Bobo Disappearance
• Aug. 22, 2012:  Kidnap Survivor To Speak Up For Holly Bobo
• Aug. 11, 2012:  Volunteers Continue Search for Holly Bobo
• Feb. 29, 2012:  TBI Gets High Number Of Psychic Tips In Holly Bobo Case
• Feb. 21, 2012:  Police Using Psychics In Search For Holly Bobo
• Feb. 1, 2012:  Reward Increased To $250,000 In Holly Bobo Case
• Jan. 6, 2012:  Search Warrant Issued Against Man Hampering Bobo Case
• Dec. 31, 2011:  Community Gathers New Year’s Eve to Remember Holly Bobo
• Oct. 12, 2011:  Service Held On Holly Bobo’s 21st Birthday
• Aug. 13, 2011:  Benefit for Holly Bobo’s Family Held at Hard Rock
• Aug. 9, 2011:  Holly Bobo Family Opens Up On OpenLine
• Aug. 1, 2011:  Paragliders Join Search For Holly Bobo
• July 12, 2011:  Truck, Car Decals Hope To Raise Awareness Of Holly Bobo
• June 25, 2011:  More Than 100 Bikers Ride for Holly Bobo
• June 24, 2011:  Motorcycle Ride Held Saturday For Holly Bobo
• June 23, 2011:  Family Of Holly Bobo Speaks Out
• June 13, 2011:  Monday Marks 2 Months Since Holly Bobo Disappearance
• May 27, 2011:  Holly Bobo’s Hometown Always Hopeful
• May 20, 2011:  Prayer Walk For Holly Bobo Planned For Saturday
• May 13, 2011:  Holly Bobo Still Missing One Month Later
• May 11, 2011:  Still No Sign Of Holly Bobo Four Weeks Later
• May 5, 2011:  Community Prays For Holly Bobo’s Return On Day Of Prayer
• May 4, 2011:  Wednesday Marks 3 Weeks Since Holly Bobo Disappeared
• May 3, 2011:  Missing Student’s Family Wants Property Searches
• April 24, 2011:  Holly Bobo Search Volunteers Answer Call For Help On Easter Sunday
• April 21, 2011:  Attempted Abduction Could Be Related To Holly Bobo Case
• April 20, 2011:  Vigil Held To Mark 1-Week Since Holly Bobo’s Disappearance
• April 19, 2011:  Day 7 Of Search For Holly Bobo In Decatur County
• April 18, 2011:  $75,000 Reward Offered In Search For Holly Bobo
• April 17, 2011:  Volunteers Gather for Missing Woman Search
• April 16, 2011:  Family, Friends Continue Search for Missing Woman
• April 15, 2011:  Lunchbox Of Missing Woman Found In Decatur County
• April 14, 2011:  Family Pleads For Help Finding Missing Decatur Co. Woman
• April 13, 2011:  Authorities: 20-Year-Old Woman May Have Been Abducted
•