December 22, 2009

SCREVEN COUNTY, Ga -- The Sheriff says it's the biggest mystery Screven County has seen in more than 40 years. They are trying to figure out if a killer, killed again.

This after investigators say they heard screaming then a gun shot in the woods; they just don't know who or where the victim is.

If there is a body, investigators say they've solved the who-dunnit -- convicted killer Herman Adamson. And that "if" is a big question with so much ground to cover.

It all started with a domestic call after midnight to a home on Buttermilk Drive, that's off Highway 301outside of Sylvania.

News 12 to Bud Hughes, "Are you surprised to hear that deputies think there may be a dead woman in your woods back here?"
Hughes,"That would surprise me."

Bud Hughes' nephew Herman Adamson lives on the family property. The same spot where screven county deputies spent the night investigatng after they got a 911 call reporting a violent domestic dispute.

"They heard a woman screaming in the woods and they heard a shot." says Sheriff Bill Kile. Then, he says his deputies heard nothing more.

A full day of searching later, investigators have found nothing. Adamson's home is surrounded on all four sides by these dense woods, making the search for a victim like finding a needle in a haystack.

"Just hard to find something sometimes." Adds Sheriff Kile. "If there is anything, we just don't know."

Deputies did find Adamson hiding in an abandoned home a mile away after a nine hour manhunt.

"He's not a good citizen. He's definitely not a good citizen." explains the Sheriff.

A manslaughter conviction in Miami the 1980's, plus a host of other crimes dating back to the 1970's, including one against a police officer have kept Adamson in and out of jail both in Florida and in Screven County. "It's an odd situation. You go out there hear a shot, he runs for a reason. Has to run for a reason. You don't run through thick woods in freezing cold weather and hideout. You don't do that for nothing. You have a purpose for leaving."

News 12 to Hughes, "Do you think it's possible that he could have killed someone?"
Hughes, "Well, now you can't ever really tell about people."

"What's your gut feeling telling you?" News 12 asked Sheriff Kile.
Kile, "My gut feeling is something is bad wrong."

Adamson is undergoing questioning and the sheriff says he's not saying much other than denying any wrongdoing.

K-9 units and a Georgia State Patrol Chopper were brought in, but the Sheriff adds there is a lot more ground to cover.

As for who the alleged woman could be, the sheriff says they've tracked down three women believed to have connections to Adamson and they are all alive.

They are asking anyone who may know of a missing person to call them at 912-564-2013.