Suvechha Sarkar
The quiet community of Darden, Tennessee, was shaken when 20-year-old nursing student Holly Lynn Bobo was kidnapped from her home on April 13, 2011. Things soon took a turn when authorities uncovered her remains in northern Decatur County in September 2014 and ruled the case a homicide. The investigation soon led the detectives to Zachary Rye Adams, also known as Zach, who had a prior criminal history. The episode titled ‘A Deadly Scream’ of ABC’s ’20/20′ explores the investigation that revealed a connection to Zach’s brother, John Dylan Adams, Shayne Austin, and Jason W. Autry. The episode also features interviews with Holly’s loved ones and the officials who helped solve the crime.
Detectives Revisited Zach Adams’ History After Holly Bobo’s Kidnapping
Zachary Rye Adams, also known as Zach, was born on June 7, 1984, to Cindy and Timothy Adams. On August 9, 1988, the couple gave birth to their second son, John Dylan Adams. According to Cindy, Zach was a straight-A student and an excellent athlete. Although the brothers were quite close, things changed after Cindy and Timothy separated. Zach reportedly began doing drugs, and he was sent to rehab three times as a minor. After the divorce, Dylan had moved out to live with Timothy, but was devastated when Timothy unexpectedly passed away in a car accident. Following that, he frequently got into drug-related issues. Zach had his first run-in with the law in 2002 for driving infractions and drug possession.
By 2004, Zach was again arrested on a charge of aggravated domestic assault when he shot his mother in the knee. In that case, he pleaded guilty to aggravated assault. Zach received an 11-month, 29-day prison term, with all but 6 months suspended. In 2005, he was again taken into custody for reportedly threatening to shoot his grandparents, which was followed by his 2007 guilty plea to a charge of theft of property. Moreover, he tested positive for marijuana and methamphetamine. Just 9 days before April 13, 2011, authorities arrested Zach on charges of drug possession, resisting arrest, fabricating/tampering with evidence, and assault on an officer. Reports state that he was released the following day on a $12,500 bond.
Zach came into focus after a nursing student, Holly Lynn Bobo, went missing on April 13, 2011. Despite intensive questioning of several potential suspects, officials reportedly found no leads. According to court records, a breakthrough arrived when investigators rechecked several tips, reporting that Zach, Dylan, and two cousins, Shayne Austin and Jason W. Autry, had made incriminating statements about Holly’s disappearance. Detectives initially searched Shayne’s home but found no evidence, as per records. They reportedly offered Shayne immunity for information related to the case. Police records state that he told the officials that Zach had allegedly commented on doing something similar to what he did to Holly. However, Shayne also mentioned that he believed Zach was just boasting.
Dylan’s Statements About Holly’s Case Led Officials to Arrest Him, Zach, and Jason
Since Shayne was unable to lead the officials to Holly’s remains, his immunity was reportedly revoked. Although he was considered a suspect, he was never officially charged in the case. On February 23, 2015, Shayne died by suicide in a hotel room in Bartow, Florida. In 2014, Dylan was arrested on an unrelated charge for a firearms-related charge. According to investigative reports, he was incarcerated on those charges, and during that time, he was interrogated multiple times about Holly’s murder. Dylan eventually pleaded guilty to lesser federal charges regarding the other case and was kept under witness protection. A huge breakthrough arrived when authorities discovered Holly’s remains on September 7, 2014.
As per court records, Dylan claimed before the detectives that he, Shayne, Zach, and Jason kidnapped Holly. In his statements, Dylan claimed that he and the others then sexually assaulted Holly in Zach’s home before killing her. Records indicate that Dylan gave contradictory statements, alleging that Jason had committed the murder in one instance. In another instance, he claimed that Zach shot Holly. However, when forensic experts searched Zach’s house, they found no physical evidence. Soon after, investigators discovered the alleged murder weapon, a .32 caliber revolver owned by Shayne, from a drainage ditch. Officials reportedly noted that Jason also had a history of theft. Zach and Jason were arrested in March 2014.
On March 5, 2014, Zach was indicted on charges of first-degree felony murder and especially aggravated kidnapping. On April 29, 2014, Jason faced the same charges. Later, Dylan reportedly recanted his confession and alleged that he had given those statements under coercion. He was taken into custody on September 17, 2014, and indicted for tampering with evidence. On October 14, 2014, Dylan was additionally charged with rape. In May 2015, Dylan, Zach, and Jason were charged with aggravated rape, premeditated murder, and murder in the perpetration of aggravated kidnapping on a revised indictment.
Related
While Zach and Dylan Are Incarcerated at State Correctional Facilities, Jason is Imprisoned at a Federal Prison
Zach’s jury trial commenced in September 2017, during which the prosecution called multiple witnesses to the stand, including their star witness, Jason. Court records state that Jason testified that Zach, Shayne, and Dylan had abducted and assaulted Holly. He claimed that he and the other suspects then transported her in a pickup truck to a river bridge area and realized that she was still alive. Jason testified that he was on the lookout when Zach pulled a gun out of the car and shot Holly. On the other hand, the defense emphasized that there was no evidence connecting Zach to the crime. They contended that Zach’s cell phone data did not place him along the alleged route and insisted that Jason was fabricating the story. On September 22, 2017, Zach was found guilty of all charges against him.
Zach was facing the death penalty before he reportedly entered into a deal with prosecutors. On September 23, 2017, Zach was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for murder. He also received two consecutive sentences of 25 years each for rape and kidnapping. Jason eventually pleaded guilty to solicitation to commit murder and facilitation of especially aggravated kidnapping, and he was sentenced to eight years in prison. On January 18, 2018, Dylan entered a plea deal and pleaded guilty to facilitation of first-degree murder and especially aggravated kidnapping. He was sentenced to 35 years in prison for kidnapping and 15 years in prison for facilitating murder. Jason was released on supervision in September 2020, but was arrested on an unrelated firearms charge.
Jason later recanted his testimony in February 2024, claiming that he had made up the statements to save himself from spending his life in prison. Zach had later appealed his conviction, but the Appellate Court upheld the verdict in 2022. In January 2024, he filed a petition seeking a new trial after Jason recanted his trial testimony, but a judge denied the request in September 2024. By December 2025, the final phase of Zach’s post-conviction hearings took place. Currently, he is serving his sentence at the Morgan County Corrections Department in Wartburg, Tennessee. While Dylan is incarcerated at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville, Tennessee, Jason is serving an unrelated sentence at the United States Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri.
