Robert Dennis Blair Adams
In 1995 Adams found himself at a job prefab construction working for his stepdad at SS Cedar Homes. The job ended up taking him to Germany where in November of 1995 he met a woman at a party, and they begin dating. To his new girlfriend he was known as gentleman and a great boyfriend, but to others he was known becoming aggressive or confrontational.
He also had a history with alcohol and substance abuse and there were times that he expressed concern of people coming at him or spreading rumors about him.
It turned out that Adams thought that someone was out to kill him, so he quit his job and made plans to skip town.
On Friday, July 5th, Adams stopped at his local bank, withdrew his savings and emptied his safe deposit box of more than $6,000 in cash and thousands more in jewelry, gold, and platinum.
He told his friend about quitting his construction job and seemed anxious and didn't want to stay at his apartment. He then told his friend that someone was out to kill him.
A friend later told authorities she saw Adams driving a blue car, not his usual Chevrolet Chevette, the day before. Adams had abandoned his Chevette at the Vancouver International Airport and rented a Nissan Altima there.
The next day, Adams went to Courtenay, BC, to visit his uncle. However, his uncle wasn't home, so Adams left.
On July 7th, he attempted to enter the United States via ferry. He was flagged as a possible drug courier due to the large amount of cash he had with him. He was asked if he had any prior convictions of drug or assault charges. He lied and said that he had none and when it was found out that he did, Adams was denied entry.
He then visited a girlfriend in Vancouver, a friend in New Westminster, and his mother, Sandra Edwards.
In the early morning hours of July 9th, Adams was discovered by Canadian border patrol officers attempting to cross the border on foot at the Pacific Highway Border Crossing. Adams had scratches covering his legs and hands and he matched the description of a man implicated in an automobile theft of a blue car. Adams had appeared dazed but proclaimed his innocence to the authorities. Police had no evidence to connect him to the stolen blue car so they released him back into Canada.
On July 10, 1996, he made it across the border to Seattle. He then ditched the rental car at the Seattle airport and purchased an overnight, one-way flight to Washington D.C. He arrived at Dulles International Airport in the early morning on Wednesday, July 10. He rented a white Toyota Camry about 6:45 a.m., and began the 7-hour drive to Knoxville, Tennessee. Later that morning, on U.S. Route 250 in Troy, Virginia, Adams backed his car into another motorist's vehicle, causing minor damage. The driver of the car told detectives that Adams "seemed nice, but was in a hurry."
Adams arrived in Strawberry Plains, on the outskirts of Knoxville, Tennessee sometime around 5 p.m. on July 10th, 1996. He was at a BP gas station calling a tow truck driver after the key to his rental car didn't work. The tow truck driver, Gerald Sapp, said that Adams appeared to be having trouble mentally. Adams was using the wrong key on his rental car.
Adams arrived in Strawberry Plains, on the outskirts of Knoxville, Tennessee sometime around 5 p.m. on July 10th, 1996. He was at a BP gas station calling a tow truck driver after the key to his rental car didn't work. The tow truck driver, Gerald Sapp, said that Adams appeared to be having trouble mentally. Adams was using the wrong key on his rental car.
The then-newly-opened Fairfield Inn was located across Interstate 40 from a construction site. There Adams purchased a room with a $100 bill about 7 p.m., then walked away without getting his change. The clerk repeatedly tried to call his room, but there was no answer. Later it was determined that Adams never entered his room.
Authorities believe that Adams then left the hotel on foot and went to get something to eat. He was supposedly spotted by two customers at a nearby Cracker Barrel, they both allegedly saw Adams with another man who was never identified. Their stories differed on what that man looked like.
If you have any information about this case, please call the Cold Case Unit of the Knox County Sheriff’s Department at 865-215-2675, or by e-mail at coldcase@knoxsheriff.org.
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