Tennessee law enforcement officials have filed charges against a man they believe kidnapped and murdered Holly Bobo in 2011.
District Attorney General Hansel McCadams said during a media conference on Wednesday that officers had arrested 29-year-old Zachary Rye Adams in alleged connection with the crimes.
"We believe we can prove she was taken forcefully from her home without her consent," McCadams said. "Based on the evidence before us, we feel she was killed in perpetration of that kidnapping."
Country music singer Whitney Duncan's cousin Bobo, who studied nursing at the University of Tennessee-Martin, disappeared without a trace from her Parsons home on April 13, 2011, NBC News reported. Bobo's brother told police at the time that he saw her being taken into a wooded area nearby with a man clad in camouflage.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is currently holding Adams without bond for "especially aggravated" kidnapping, along with first-degree felony murder, NBC reported.
Adams was arrested for an unrelated case on Friday, according to the Associated Press. The grand jury's indictment against Adams concerning Bobo's murder-kidnapping was announced on Wednesday.
Tennessee Bureau of Investigation director Mark Gwyn couldn't confirm whether officials found any remains, nor could he say what sort of evidence specifically was discovered during the search of Adams' home, located in Holladay, nearly 15 miles from Bobo's house.
The police force will continue searching for further clues and won't hesitate to arrest more suspects, Gwyn told AP.
Members of the Bobo family met with a representative from the TBI prior to Wednesday's press conference.
"Obviously, they're devastated," Gwyn stated.
Family friend Kelly Allen said she always believed Bobo was alive.
"I have really mixed emotions," Allen told AP. "I'm mad, I'm upset, I'm grieving for the family and friends and the whole community."
Adams is slated to stand trial on Tuesday.
