Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Holly Bobo: Cindy Adam's Statement Analysis


The suspect's mother gave a statement.  In it, she introduced "kidnapping" to a missing person's case and did not deny her son's involvement.  
The man whose property is at the center of a TBI search in connection with the disappearance of nursing student Holly Bobo had bond set at $1 million Monday in an unrelated aggravated assault charge
Zachary Rye Adams appeared in Decatur County General Sessions Court on Monday after his arrest on Friday hours after TBI and FBI agents began searching his property.
Decatur County General Sessions Judge Rick Woods raised the bail from $250,000 that was set by the county's judicial commissioner on Friday night.
Adams was upset at a reporter who took a photo of him as he was led from the courtroom after the arraignment.
"Don't take picture of me, man," Adams said to a reporter. "I'm not the one."
Please note that he did not say he didn't do it, but "I'm not the one."  This is not a reliable denial.  
 Zachary Adam's mother, Cindy Adams, said:
"This investigation is about finding Holly Bobo, and the family does not want anyone to lose sight of that. Zachary Adams has, to my knowledge, not been questioned by the TBI regarding Holly Bobo's case, yet he is still incarcerated in the county jail with a minor assault charge and they have set his bail at $1 million. His brother, Dylan Adams, has been interrogated without an attorney present and held in federal holding.
"I am not here to justify my son's addiction or addictive behaviors, but he is my son who I love dearly and will continue to do so. There have been many who have been quick to jump to conclusions about my son's involvement. Let the TBI put together pieces of this investigation without any allegations and false reports of guilt.
"We want Holly Bobo found but do not want a witch hunt in doing so. To my knowledge, my son and Holly Bobo never were in the same circles. Being a drug addict does not make someone a kidnapper. I know of no motive on my son's part to have been involved or know anyone who was involved in the alleged kidnapping case."
Here is the statement again, with emphasis and analysis
"This investigation is about finding Holly Bobo, 
The first sentence is important.  It is where the subject chose to begin. 
The word "this" indicates closeness.  We now seek to learn if the rest of her statement supports the claim.  Note that it is about "finding" Holly, and not finding justice for her, or "who did it"...

She introduces the victim by full name:  Holly Bobo. 
and the family does not want anyone to lose sight of that.
Next, we see that she speaks, not for herself, but for "the family" and after using the word "this". she reports in the negative, what they do "not" want to happen:  lose sight.  She does not same "my family" or "our family" but "the" family, without first telling us who's family.  It may be assumed since it is she that is speaking, but the absence of the pronoun, "my" should be noted.  
Note that "lose sight of that" is to use the word "that", which is distance, versus "this" which is closer. 

 Zachary Adams has, to my knowledge, 
Note that he is "Zachary Adams" and not "my son", which is to deprive him of his title and connection to "the family", which is distancing language.  Even if she speaks only for "the family" he is given no place in the family. 
Regarding not being questioned, he is "Zachary Adams"
not been questioned by the TBI regarding Holly Bobo's case,
that he has "not" been questioned is very important.  This is to say that he has not been questioned, and not to deny involvement. Since this is the subject's own mother, we look for her to deny her son's involvement. 

She acknowledges that he may have been questioned, but to her knowledge, he has not.  Note that it is "questioned" that has "not" (negative) been done. 
 yet he is still incarcerated in the county jail with a minor assault charge 
Please note the "minor assault charge" is minimizing language, as he pointed a gun at a woman's head. The minimization from a mother is expected. 

and they have set his bail at $1 million. 
Naming the amount of the bail is in context to what she called a "minor"assault charge. 

His brother, Dylan Adams, has been interrogated without an attorney present and held in federal holding.
Dylan Adams is given his title and status in the family, which indicates a better relationship, and less distancing language.  She still does not call him "my son" or "my other son" but it is better than no title.  

Note that she does not say has been "questioned" as she did with Zachary Adams, but "interrogated", which is to be "questioned" along with accusations of guilt . 
Note the information is "without an attorney present"

The one son, Zachary, has not title or connection to the family, and was not "questioned" while Dylan is given title, and was "interrogated"
"I am not here to justify my son's addiction or addictive behaviors, 
She reports, in the negative, of why she is not there. This is more important than saying why she is there.  Always note what is said in the negative as important. 
Note he is now "my son" when it comes to "addiction" and "addictive behaviors"; the context is clear:

Zachary Adams in correlation to Holly Bobo.  When Holly's name is used, she deprives her son of his title of "son" or "brother."
It is the presence of Holly Bobo which causes distancing language. 

but he is my son who I love dearly and will continue to do so.

"but" is in comparison to what preceded it:  his addiction and addiction behaviors. 
That she loves him "dearly" is sensitive; in that she may have been questioned as to her love.  This questioning could have come from him, or from others.  It may have been while attempting to help him in his addiction that she felt, or others felt, that she did not "love" him; especially if she had to show 'tough love'; a mother will feel guilt. 

When he is connected to Holly, he is "Zachary Adams", but when Holly is not in the sentence, he is "my son" when connected to addiction.  It is likely that she has tried to help him in his addiction.  
 There have been many who have been quick to jump to conclusions about my son's involvement. Let the TBI put together pieces of this investigation without any allegations and false reports of guilt.
Note that she frames "my son's involvement" which suggests that she has accepted that he is involved.  She did not say "my son's alleged involvement"
This is a strong indicator that she has suspicion (or knowledge) about her son, of whom he is given his full name in correlation to TBI (investigators)
Note that she says to "let" TBI put together pieces.  This may suggest that she is aware of pieces that can be "put together" 
She does not want "false guilt", but still does not deny his involvement. 
"We want Holly Bobo found but do not want a witch hunt in doing so.
We note what comes after "but" as important:  not a witch hunt.  This is given more weight than finding Holly Bobo. 
"We" is expected since she is speaking for the family, yet, could she have said, in a strong manner, "I want Holly Bobo found"?  Not likely since the word "but" shows that, for the subject, what is more important than Holly being found is the witch hunt.  
 To my knowledge, my son and Holly Bobo never were in the same circles
"To my knowledge" recognizes that there are things about her son that she does not know. 
Note "in the same circles" is to avoid denying involvement.  It is not likely that an addict and Holly Bobo were in the same circles.  

Why this expression, "in the same circles"?

It is likely that she knows that her son met Holly Bobo.  People do not like to lie outright.  She can truthfully say that they were not in the same circles, but she cannot say he never knew or met Holly.   

This is a strong indication that she knows that her son met Holly Bobo. 
Being a drug addict does not make someone a kidnapper
Please note that the subject introduced the word "kidnapper" in a missing person case.  
Note that she does not call her son a drug addict. 
Note "someone" and not her son. 
Note that she does not say her son is not a kidnapper.  This is to avoid saying "my son is not a kidnapper" much in the same way Cindy Anthony said of Casey that a liar does not make a killer.  She was not able to bring herself to say "Casey did not kill Caylee"
I know of no motive on my son's part to have been involved 
This is to avoid saying her son did it, only that she does not know a motive he may have had.  This indicates that she suspects her son, but cannot figure out why he might have done it.  
or know anyone who was involved in the alleged kidnapping case."
This is the first place she uses the word "alleged."
What word has caused her to use "alleged"?  It is the word "anyone", with "or know anyone", that is, someone besides her son.
While speaking of her son, she uses possessive pronoun but not the word "alleged"; yet when bringing someone beside her son into the equation, the word "alleged" enters her vocabulary. 

Why introduce "kidnapping" in a missing person case?  This may go back to the original news reports that Holly was seen with a man leading her away from the home.  
Analysis conclusion:

There is a very strong indication that the subject, his mother, suspects or knows of his involvement.  

27 comments:

JoAnn said...

Zach Adams has been indicted for especially aggravatd kidnapping and first degree murder.

Nanna Frances said...

RIP Holly Hobo.

I noticed the mother said "to my knowledge" more than once in the statement. If a parent thought their child was innocent, wouldn't they say, "My son did not do this"?

JoAnn said...

Thank you for a detailed analysis of Cindy Adams' statement. I picked up on a couple of the obvious things, and knew that she wasn't reliably denying her son's guilt, but it is so gratifying to see her words broken down this way. So helpful, so much to learn!

GeekRad said...

Where do you see a link to Zach'snindictment JoAnn? I just read the judge was handed a sealed indictment. Cam you please post the link?

Statement Analysis Blog said...

Joann,

you are welcome.

I noted that there were some intelligent comments after Nanna posted the statement.

Peter

MemphisPat said...

Cindy's criticism of the questioning of Dylan makes me think he gave his brother up, providing new information that led to the search. He's probably in Federal holding to protect him from his brother in the small jail. All of us in the MidSouth who have prayed for this family are so sad for her parents and her brother. We also feel badly that we suspected her brother...how painful that had to be. God bless them as they face the months and years ahead.

GeekRad said...

Never mind JoAnn, I found the link to Adams' arrest. I am guessing his mother's statement was prior to the arrest? It sounded to me like an attorney wrote it and I noticed that she did refer to Zachary as her son. She did not deny his guilt.

Nanna Frances said...

Press conference here:

http://www.wsmv.com/category/213709/news-live-stream

I think it will continue to repeat.

GeekRad said...

"His brother, Dylan Adams, has been interrogated without an attorney present and held in federal holding."

MemphisPat, I think you are right. Dylan gave them information that lead to the arrest. Here starts the defense, that Dylan was interrogated without an attorney present. Note the use of attorney, not lawyer. The mom has been talking to an attorney who drafted her statement.

Peter, are you able to identiify is a statement is that of an attorney rather than the subject. I recall from the Hailey Dunn case you pointed out indicators.

GeekRad said...

Thanks Nanna Frances

Statement Analysis Blog said...

I think there may have been help with the statement. Here, the statement is being analyzed and the subject, if it is the mother, likely knows or suspects.

If the attorney helped, it is likely that they both know, or suspect, of his involvement.

Regardless, they give away information.

GeekRad said...

Ops. I meant did NOT refer to Zachary as her son in my 5:33 post!

GeekRad said...

Thanks for the clarification on the statement and the subject Peter.

lgjproduct said...

I found this information interesting: http://billwarnermyblog.wordpress.com/2014/03/02/sketch-of-suspect-in-kidnapping-attempt-on-blond-heather-sullivan-in-centerville-tn-looks-like-zach-adams-who-is-linked-to-kidnapping-of-blond-holly-bobo/

Anonymous said...

"This investigation is about finding Holly Bobo, and the family does not want anyone to lose sight of that."

Focus over there, not over here. We see this a lot, especially in a lot of the most recent missing children cases.

Lemon said...

"When he is connected to Holly, he is "Zachary Adams", but when Holly is not in the sentence, he is "my son" when connected to addiction. It is likely that she has tried to help him in his addiction." - PH
__________

Fascinating. It is amazing to see the brain choose words, and the interplay between closeness and distance. The brain knows what it knows.
Amazing, and heart breaking at the same time.

Anonymous said...

to categorize charges in comparison to bond amount, the charges would be minor, i wouldn't think usual bail would be set at one million for that charge.

Katprint said...

From http://wreg.com/2014/03/04/affidavit-reveals-why-man-was-charged-during-holly-bobo-search/

"Adams is no stranger to courtrooms and, as WREG uncovered, no stranger to violence.

His criminal record includes charges for drugs, domestic violence and assault.

His mother, Cindy Adams, said an unrelated TBI investigation on his property into the disappearance of Holly Bobo is uncalled for.

“I’m just in shock, and I think the reason they’re targeting Zach is because Zach has a rap sheet,” she said.
...
While Cindy admitted her son has been questioned before, she said she is confident he is not the one responsible for Holly’s disappearance.

“I have talked to him privately many times, and he told me ‘Mom, I don’t understand. I didn’t even know this girl.’”

Katprint said...

So, it looks like Cindy Adams has said

1) that "her son has been questioned before" (including her having personally talked to him about Holly Bobo's disappearance "many times" -- why would she do that if she didn't suspect him?) and

2) that "Zachary Adams has, to my knowledge, not been questioned by the TBI regarding Holly Bobo's case."

Anonymous said...

A "minor" assault charge-he held a gun to the woman's head, pulled out a knife & threatened to "gut" her. 25 arrests in 8 years, one in fact for shooting his own mother. Poor Zach, she says he would never harm anyone. Enabler much?

elf said...

Brilliant Peter. You know, if every law enforcement department had someone like you doing interviews, I bet the percentage of unsolved/cold cases would drop dramatically. And all you do is listen to what people are really saying! Incredible!

ima.grandma said...

Hi Katprint, perhaps I failed to notice, but it's been awhile since I've seen you around. It's nice to see you back.

IMAMOM said...

“I have talked to him privately many times, and he told me ‘Mom, I don’t understand. I didn’t even know this girl.’”

He says "this girl". THIS is close...why would he choose that word...

I'm wondering if perhaps he kidnapped her and has held her somewhere all this time.

Trigger said...

Cindy Adams calls her son's violent behavior an addiction or addiction related?

Cindy you need to educate yourself about violent behavior of this type. It is not addiction. It is a manifestation of anger and rage.

Your son uses drugs to manage his feelings of rage, not to manage his feelings of awkwardness or identity issues.

His rage has outdistanced any other feelings that he might have once felt.

Anonymous said...

Peter you had done analysis on Clint. I believe with what we know now, we can understand why he had sensitivity with what he said. I think that the Bobo's were concerned that Holly had been stalked at the coon hunt. I think it worried them enough to talk about her safety, so when Clint called his mom to tell her about what he saw, she collapsed. I think in his interview his sensitivity may be attributed to the extreme guilt he felt for not going after her immediately. Can we re-analyze? It may help to show sensitive language is not necessarily deceptive language, one just needs to keep probing and you get to the reason for the sensitive language. I think he's been given a bad rap and I feel horrible for the guilt he must be feeling. Somehow, I don't think he would have been able to save her, even if he did pursue her attacker. How scary to live knowing that you can be taken away from your own drive way, even as a grown woman. It's so unsettling knowing that you are nor really safe, anywhere.

Juli Henry said...

@ GeekRad; no attorney would have written a statement like that for a family member to recite. That's a snotty, defensive parent who thinks her son is above the law. An attorney would have told her not to say a word to anyone.

Anonymous said...

Cindy is an awesome lady. She doesnt act like her son is above the law. She has cried many times over him and been wounded herself by him. Before you go pointing fingers think of how you would feel if you were the parent. You would want to defend your son no matter what you think. You people shouldnt cast stones until you know the truth.