What Happened to Holly Bobo?: The Breaking Point
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Hi, I'm Debra Roberts, here with another weekly episode of What Happened to Holly Bobo? Remember, you can get new episodes early if you follow What Happened to Holly Bobo on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. Now, here's the episode.

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In Tennessee, September is ginseng hunting season. The plant and its roots are coveted around the world for their health benefits. And for generations, ginseng hunters in the area have foraged the woods to find the plant, to sell it, or to make their own tinctures or teas.

But wild ginseng is hard to spot. It typically only grows on the shady side of a hill, and it blends right in with other plants like poison ivy and Virginia creeper. But if you can spot ginseng in the wild, you can make a small fortune.

And that's why Larry Stone was foraging along Interstate 40 in Decatur County, Tennessee in September 2014. It was the first week of ginseng hunting season, and this was one of his usual routes. Here he is in court a few years later recounting that day, showing the courtroom where he was on a map near the highway. He's a big guy, outdoorsy and tough-looking, with short hair and a salt-and-pepper goatee.

Larry brought his cousin with him that day. They went down for a ways before Larry turned back around to get something from his car.

On his way back, he spotted a ginseng plant and then another one. But then something caught my eye. It was a three-gallon water bucket. So I walk over to the bucket. I picked it up, but then a feeling come over me. The sun just told me, turn around. And I'm sitting there thinking the whole time in my head, why is a three-gallon bucket sitting here upside down in the woods?

So I went with my instinct. When the filling hit me, he said, turn around. And then that's when I found what I found. Leary tried to yell for his cousin, who was about 300 yards away. Because at first I couldn't get nothing out of my mouth. I was so stunned. And I finally got his name out of my mouth. I said, Timmy, get up here now. And he's like, what? And I said, I found remains.

And he said, "No, you're lying." And I said, "Get up here now. I'm being serious now. Get up here." I just started bawling. So finally, he come up there and I looked at him. I said, "Please tell me that's one of the things they use in school. It's not real." And he kind of looked at it and he said, "It's real." - Well, what specifically did you find? - The skull. And then that's when I looked at him. I said, "You know who this could be, right?"

And he looked back at me. He said, who do you think it is? So that's when I said, I think this is Holly. After almost three and a half years, the remains of Holly Bobo have been found right off the interstate near a giant cell tower. Larry and his cousin called 911. Agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation showed up shortly after.

What they found was a few bones, including several human ribs and teeth, as well as a skull. Forensic examiners saw evidence of animals scavenging the remains, but they were able to determine a cause of death: gunshot wound to the right side of the back of the head. Along with the human remains, they also found an earring, chapstick, and a purse.

After comparing the teeth that were found with Holly's dental records, they told the Bobo family that they'd found her remains. Then they broke the news to the public. The Jackson Sun newspaper was there to cover it. TBI has been able to confirm through the findings of an odontologist that the remains are of Holly Bobo. My name is

TBI agents and the Decatur County Sheriff's Department have continued to work tirelessly over three years to thoroughly follow leads and bring those responsible to justice. Just a few days after Holly's remains were found, TBI received a call that would provide a much-needed break in the investigation. Would Holly Bobo finally receive justice?

I'm ABC News Senior National Correspondent Eva Pilgrim. From ABC Audio and 2020, this is What Happened to Holly Bobo? Episode 4, The Breaking Point. We are those people. We became those people that no one ever wants to be. Karen Bobo had waited more than three years to find out what happened to her daughter.

When her daughter's remains were found in September 2014, she finally knew. She spoke to ABC News in 2017 about what that meant. Closure is sure not a good word because in this situation, there's never closure. But I just, I have spoken with many parents who have never, to this day, still don't have their child's remains found.

And I truly believe I was at my breaking point. I don't think I could have lived much longer with the not knowing. A few months prior, before they even found Holly's remains, agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation began making their first charges in the Holly Bobo case. One after another, TBI began rounding up the A-Train, a group of local young men known for their drug use.

Zach Adams was the first to be arrested in March of 2014. He was charged with kidnapping and murder. Holly's remains were found about six miles from his home. The following month, a friend of his, Jason Autry, was charged with the same thing. Remember, Jason is the older friend in that group. In his mid-30s, when the rest of the guys were in their 20s,

But Zach and Jason both denied any involvement. So even after they were arrested, police still didn't know for sure what happened to Holly Bobo. Around the time these arrests were happening, agents were continuing to speak with another young man, someone TBI had hoped would become the linchpin to TBI's case, Zach's younger brother, Dylan Adams.

In 2014, Dylan was incarcerated on a gun charge unrelated to the Holly Bobo case. During this time, investigators spoke to him at least six times over eight months. Over the course of these interviews, Dylan appeared to implicate his brother, Zach Adams, and Jason Autry in the kidnapping and murder of Holly Bobo. Dylan's family says he has intellectual disabilities.

He would have a hard time completing a simple task. This is Cindy Adams, Dylan's mother. Maybe a little slow in reading, comprehending, things like that. His grandfather, Dick Adams, agrees. And Dylan was, he was slow. He really was.

Later, prosecutors would push back on Dylan's family's claims about his intellectual abilities. They pointed out that Dylan was able to drive and that he could read even if he had trouble. They said it's not like he needed a babysitter to help him all day. According to TBI, in March of 2014, Zach told a fellow inmate heading to Dylan's jail to give his brother a message. Quote,

Tell my brother he is the one who started this expletive, and if you don't shut his mouth, he will be in the hole beside her. Then, the following August, according to court documents, Dylan was released from jail after pleading guilty to lesser federal charges. Ten days after Holly's remains were found in September, TBI received a call.

They were told that Dylan had just confessed to taking part in the kidnapping and murder of Holly Bobo. Today's date is the 17th day of September 2014. The time is approximately 6.50 p.m. This will be an interview with Dylan Adams.

In the video obtained by ABC News, Dylan is sitting across from TBI agent Brent Booth. Next to Dylan is TBI agent Jeff Jackson, just a couple feet away from him. The three are sitting in a small, brightly lit room around a table covered with papers and a couple of soda bottles.

Dylan is slim with short, dark hair. He's wearing a black T-shirt and sunglasses tucked behind his ears and over his head. Remember, this wasn't the first time Dylan had spoken with investigators. This was the latest in a series of conversations they'd had over that year. Agent Jackson leads the interview. Let's back up to the day before all this happened.

And don't leave any detail of any kind out. I'm not mad at you. They're not going to raise my voice or anything like that. I'm not mad at you. I'm very glad that you're doing the right thing and coming forward. The agents begin with a light tone. But as you'll learn, they're about to conduct an interview that would later be criticized by members of Dylan's family.

In this recording, Agent Jackson tells Dylan to walk him through everything, starting from the day before Holly went missing. How did all y'all get together the night before this happened? I was out with that officer coming up. We were done though. We were done though. And they ended up leaving. I mean, they left about 10 minutes.

12, 1 o'clock. Dylan alleges they did some drugs together at his and Zach's house. Then he says Zach and Jason Autry left. TBI agent Jeff Jackson asks Dylan for more details on what the group talked about. This is one of the most obviously traumatic few days of your life. I'm sure that it's stuck in your head like permanently. So try to come up with

Every detail that you can for me about anything that they were talking about, because here's what I'm getting at. There had to be some kind of discussion, whether you're a part of it or not, you're sitting there with them shooting up some dope. There had to be some discussion about what was fixing to happen and why her, why Holly, why, how did she get picked? Which one of you knew her the most? Which one of you...

Dylan nods in agreement. Agent Jackson tells him to not leave anything out. I mean...

Dylan, again, nods. Dylan nods his head. He says that all four men sexually assaulted Holly Bobo.

Throughout much of the interview, Dylan appears alert, looking directly at each agent as he speaks to them, at times nodding along as they speak to him. Dylan says Zach and Jason left the night before in Dylan's truck and that they returned the following morning around 9.30 or 10 with Holly in the truck. Describe what was she doing? What did she look like? What was she wearing?

Agent Jackson continues to question Dylan on what happens next. Dylan says the men brought Holly into the living room

which is where he says she was assaulted. Who did what first to Holly when she got in the house? As in Jason Autry. Dylan says Jason was the first one to assault her. Agent Jackson asks him what happens next. Dylan claims his brother Zach put a gun to his head and told him to rape Holly or else he'd kill him.

Dylan says he raped Holly. Then Zach raped her. Nearly an hour into the interview, the agent's tone shifts. He asks Dylan whether Shane Austin had also been at the house the evening before Holly's abduction. Dylan says yes. A few minutes later, Agent Jackson asks Dylan about why he didn't mention Shane earlier.

We agreed that you weren't going to leave anything out when we started talking. You told me that Zach and Autry left. You didn't say nothing about Shane Autry until I specifically asked you, and then you say, well, yeah, he was. And then you say, well, oh, yeah, Zach carried him somewhere. Why didn't you tell me that when we first started talking? Do you agree that's a problem? Dylan Knotts.

I'm not trying to jump on you, Dylan. You have to tell me the truth. You have to tell me the truth for me to do anything with this information. As the interview progresses, Dylan's account continues to evolve. He adds details to events already discussed. Agent Jackson periodically tells him to not make anything up and to tell the truth.

After three hours, the TBI agent says he has problems with what Dylan is saying and begins to ask Dylan a series of questions, point blank. Truth is that while sitting around smoking dope with Shane Alston, Zach Adams, Jason Autry, and you at Zach's house, a plan got hatched out to go get Holly Bobo herself.

Dylan softly says, yes, sir. Dylan says, no, sir, and shakes his head. What do you think he's going to do?

You know what's going to happen? You've withheld information. Then you were given a chance to come in here tonight and freely spill your guts to us about what you know, and you made me sit in here and pull teeth. Then when I ask you another question or he asks you some hard questions that you don't like, the question, you're sitting here going, "Oh my God, oh my God, what am I going to say? What can I say? What can I say?"

Dylan just looks at the agent and blinks a few times. Agent Jackson continues to express frustration with how Dylan has answered his questions. He tells him, quote,

What worth are you to us as a witness if I got to sit here and go through all this hell to get an answer out of you? Because I'm not going to sit in here. You have been in here, Dylan, for hours with me tonight. Do you realize how many hours you've been in here? You got here at 5 o'clock.

It is 9.30 at night. Why are you making this this way? I'm through. I'm sick of it. In terms of who killed Holly, in one version, he says it was Zach. In another, it was Jason Autry. His problem is he's clueless. He has no concept of what is really going on right now.

And later, Dylan's family would speak out about the unusual circumstances leading up to his police interview. She's made up her mind, if pretty smart. Learned to budget responsibly right from the start. She spends a little less, puts more into savings. Keeps her blood pressure low when credit score raises. She's gotten it right out of her life.

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In the last episode, you heard Cindy Adams talk about her older son, Zach, in a 2017 interview with ABC News. She shared that Zach's criminal behavior began at a young age. Cindy says her younger son, Dylan, struggled too, in a different way.

He just was slow in some motor skills even. I could tell that Dylan would not stay focused. She says Dylan was diagnosed with a hyperactive disorder and that throughout his education, he attended special ed classes for kids with learning disabilities. He eventually also got involved in drugs, like his older brother, Zach.

When Cindy watched the video of Dylan being interviewed by agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, she didn't see a criminal. I just see someone being bullied into saying something they didn't do. I think that he was just trying to get through it.

We reached out to the two investigators, Brent Booth and Jeff Jackson, to ask them about Dylan's mother's allegation. We didn't hear back from Booth, and TBI declined to comment on Agent Jackson's behalf.

As we said earlier, prosecutors would later point out that Dylan's intellectual disabilities didn't extend to things like driving and that he was able to function throughout the day. But Cindy says she believes even before the TBI interview, there was something bigger going on with Dylan.

Remember, throughout the spring of 2014, Dylan had been in jail on that gun charge not related to the Holly Bobo case. In August of 2014, he was released. But rather than going back home to live with his mom, prosecutors arranged to have him released into the custody of a private citizen and former Memphis police officer named Dennis Benjamin.

Dylan's mother, Cindy, says she had no idea who this Dennis Benjamin was. And she says she had no way to get in touch with her son because of the conditions of his release. I was told that I would not be able to contact him or he would not be able to contact me. I think safe house was more the word that they used.

because Dylan was their precious cargo. He was the key witness, and he had to be protected. I had no idea where he was going. They told me that they would, you know, buy him all new clothes, that, you know, that he might get to work a little. This arrangement is something that has struck me as unusual since the beginning. We interviewed a former U.S. Marshal for this story, and I asked him,

Is it normal for someone to be released into the custody of someone who they don't know and who is a former law enforcement agent? He agreed that it was, quote, real strange. The circumstances of why Dylan went to live with Dennis Benjamin are unclear. The records concerning his release are still under seal.

But after Holly's remains are found in September 2014, Dennis Benjamin is the one who calls TBI to let them know Dylan has more to tell them about the Holly Bobo case. It is this call that kicks off the hours-long interview you heard earlier.

Dylan's brother's attorney, Jennifer Thompson, told us that in her experience, Dylan Adams being released into the custody of Dennis Benjamin is not standard. In my 28 years of experience as a criminal defense attorney, have never, ever come across anything as odd as what happened in Dylan Adams' federal case.

We reached out to Dennis Benjamin to ask him about this, and he declined to answer any questions. We also asked TBI for comment, as well as the office of the prosecutor who arranged for Dylan's release, and both declined to comment. Four weeks after the interview, Dylan is charged with two counts of rape in Holly's case.

And TBI comes knocking on the door of Dick Adams, Zach and Dylan's grandfather, looking for physical evidence to corroborate Dylan's story. They come to the door there and hand me a search warrant. ABC News visited Dick Adams at his home in 2024. Dylan and Zach lived together in one of the buildings on his property. He remembers that day. I couldn't do nothing.

I couldn't go out the door. They had a man sitting out there watching me, watching the door. It was awful. They left a lot of stuff there. They left spray cans of pepper spray and pouches. They was laying all in the yard and things out there. They meant to tear everything up. I mean, you can look and see they meant to tear everything up.

Dick Adams brought our team to where Zach and Dylan lived. When you first walk in, there's a huge slab of plywood where police ripped up the floor. They knocked a hole in it to see what was back there, I reckon. Tore the fan down as they was tearing the floor out. They used my pick and things to tear this out with, but they cut it out with a saw. I guess they thought the bullet went to the floor, so they cut the floor out and carried the couch.

TBI took the couch, parts of the floorboard, and hundreds of other items from the house. But no DNA was ever found connecting the men to Holly Bobo's murder. ABC News reached out to TBI. They declined to answer any specific questions about the case. So given all this, does Dick Adams think his grandsons were guilty? I don't believe either one of them was capable of killing somebody.

are raping somebody, kidnapping them. Their mother agrees. I know my boys, they're drug addicts. They're not murderers. TBI continued to pursue the case against her sons, but it wasn't just the Adams brothers who were taken up in this. Remember, they were part of a larger crew that law enforcement called the A-Train. And there was another guy in that group, a redhead named Shane Austin.

Is this his room here? Yes. In 2024, I visited the home of Shane's parents, Rita and Jimmy Austin. They showed me old photos of their son. How old is he in this one? Looks like it's probably his first Christmas, so he'd be about, I believe, about a month old. Yeah, here's some of his homegrown balls.

The Austins live in Decatur County. They were among the many volunteers who'd gone out in search of Holly Bobo the week of her disappearance in April 2011. But then they said they had to stop once TBI showed up at Shane's door the following Sunday. We was very surprised. And Shane was too when he called us that day.

He said, hey, they just come down here rolling out through here and searched my trailer and brought the dogs. And he was, you could tell he was surprised. Around this time, witnesses told investigators that Shane Austin had crossed paths with Holly at the raccoon hunt the week prior. We heard that he was trying to take a picture of her and pretending like he was talking on the phone. But now Shane only had a flip phone.

So I don't think you could hold that flip phone up to your head and take a picture of somebody. Like I mentioned in episode three, Shane said he did not remember seeing Holly at the hunt. He said he was out of his mind on drugs at the time. But Shane's name continued to be floated among investigators, along with his friend, Zach Adams.

Shane's mother, Rita, described Shane as a fun, competitive kid. He was one of the first boy children in our family. He liked football. He liked baseball. He liked playing cards. He was very competitive.

He was my partner in card playing because we're the only two that could get along. His dad plays for fun and we play to win. So we couldn't get along, but we could at cards because we understood what we wanted from each other. He always wanted to make us happy and make us proud.

But things changed in high school. Shane got hurt playing football and had two surgeries on his shoulder. He needed more and more pain medicine. And then's when I think we really knew he had a problem. His parents say he developed an addiction to the opioid morphine. Shane's parents struggled with their son.

But they didn't think that meant he was capable of abducting and murdering Holly Bobo. He was addicted to morphine. And that's what I told the TBI guy when he come to the gate down there. I said, hey, I said, if she'd been made of morphine, I'd said you come to the right place. But no, no way. You don't think your son had anything to do with it? No, no, I don't.

You would have to know Shane. He was kind. He likes dogs. He loves his dog. He would pick up strays. He didn't even like to shoot deer, okay? He wanted to be a deer hunter, but he didn't really want to shoot a deer. So I just, I don't believe that for one minute. That is a far step for somebody that's, I know Shane had a,

A lot of traffic violations and some stuff, but that's a big step to go from... And take a life. To take a life. With his bright red hair, Shane did not match the description Clint Bobo gave to police of Holly's abductor. But police continued to pursue him.

After they charged Zach Adams in March 2014, they questioned Shane again about whether he was involved. Shane accepted an immunity deal to cooperate and tell them what he knew about his friend's involvement. Shane's father said Shane did so out of fear, not fear because he was guilty, but fear over how he could possibly afford going to trial.

Shane's father says a lawyer advised them to take the deal. If you don't do it, they're going to arrest him. They've done told me they're going to arrest him. And he said it's going to cost 60 plus thousands of dollars. So us three, we talked and we agreed. Shane signed the deal.

According to authorities, Shane said Zach Adams came to pick him up at 9 or 10 a.m. on the morning of Holly's abduction. He says they drove around to get gas and pick up some pills. Shane also told authorities that he later heard Zach Adams make incriminating comments about what happened to Holly. A month and a half after the abduction, Shane says Zach told him that he killed Holly Bobo and put her in the Tennessee River.

But Shane says he didn't see Zach do anything and that he didn't believe that what Zach told him was true. Investigators believed Shane knew more than he was telling, and they revoked that immunity deal. According to Shane's parents, TBI agents kept pushing Shane for more information. If they wasn't here, they was calling him, harassing him.

So we didn't have any peace. I mean, the people that's dealing this thing have a lot of power. Throughout 2014, things took a turn for the worse for Shane.

People didn't want to have nothing to do with him. He was pretty much ostracized in this community. That's when he was, he got bad again. I don't know if it was them calling him or whatever, but anyway, his drug use just escalated. And that's from that. So, and Christmas was the last time we seen him.

In February 2015, Shane Austin's body was discovered in a hotel room. He had taken his own life. Our life will never be normal again. Karen Bobo's life will never be normal again, or Dana's. Like I said, this has affected so many lives. After his death, Shane's parents say they found an undated letter in his belongings.

In the letter, Shane writes about the frustration he feels being targeted by TBI. He writes, quote,

We asked his mom what she thought about rumors Shane had taken his own life out of guilt for his role in Holly Bobo's murder. Well, if he was going to take his life over guilt, do you think it would have happened that many years past? But I'm probably going to say he lost his job. He was coming back home to live with his mom and dad.

Flat broke, addicted to drugs. That's kind of what I think. But, you know, there wasn't a note. I don't believe for one minute it had anything to do with Holly Bobo's him killing her.

The morning of June 3rd, 2015, three men were escorted into the Decatur County Courthouse with armed guards. Brothers Dylan Adams, Zach Adams, and their friend Jason Autry were now each charged with a brand new set of crimes. Premeditated first-degree murder, aggravated rape, and aggravated kidnapping. All three would also face the death penalty.

The first trial would be the state versus Zach Adams. But in the two years before that trial began, a lot would change. Dylan Adams would go from being a key witness for TBI to being kept off the stand completely. Another witness would instead become a crucial part of the prosecution's case, Jason Autry. That's next time on What Happened to Holly Bobo.

What Happened to Holly Bobo is a production of ABC Audio and 2020.

Hosted by me, Eva Pilgrim. This series was produced by Camille Peterson, Julia Nutter, Kiara Powell, Nora Hanna, and Meg Fierro, with help from Audrey Mostek and Amira Williams. Our supervising producer is Susie Liu. Music and mixing by Evan Viola. Special thanks to Liz Alessi, Janice Johnston, Michelle Margulies, Sean Dooley, Christina Corbin, Kieran McGurl, Andrew Paparella, and Emma Pescia. Josh Cohan is our director of podcast programming.

Laura Mayer is our executive producer. Hi, I'm Brad Milkey. I'm the host of the Crime Scene Weekly, a new show from ABC Audio about the latest headlines in true crime. This week, I'm talking about a major development in the Murdoch murder trial, the allegations that a court clerk lied on the stand. Could this mean a retrial for Alec Murdoch? Listen now on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, or wherever you get your podcasts. ♪

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