Summary based on the NamUs case record (MP99410)
Adam “Ted” Thomas was a 47-year-old Black man when he was last seen in Memphis, Tennessee, on August 23, 1999. Official records list his name as A. D. Thomas and place his last known location in the 38106 area of Memphis, within Shelby County. He was described as approximately 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighing about 160 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.
No publicly available description identifies the clothing he was wearing, personal belongings he may have carried, or a vehicle connected to his disappearance. The absence of those details leaves only a limited picture of his appearance and movements on the day he vanished, but the available information establishes that he was known by the nickname “Ted” and that his disappearance began with what appeared to be an ordinary trip to see a relative.
Before he disappeared, Thomas reportedly contacted his cousin and said that he was on his way to the cousin’s place of business, an automotive shop called J & L Auto. The business was said to be located on “MS. Blvd.,” although the public case information does not provide a confirmed street name or address. According to Thomas’s brother, he never arrived at the shop. No further verified sighting, communication, or confirmed destination after that conversation has been publicly documented. The available record does not explain where Thomas began his journey, how he intended to travel, whether anyone saw him leave, or whether he was expected to meet anyone else along the way. With no transportation information, clothing description, or precise address for the business, investigators were left with a narrow sequence of events: Thomas said he was heading to his cousin’s workplace, set out for the location, and apparently disappeared before reaching it.
The Memphis Police Department took responsibility for the investigation under agency case number 990808956, and the disappearance was formally reported on August 30, 1999, one week after Thomas’s last known contact. His case was later entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System as MP99410, where it remains published as a missing-person record. No official resolution identifying Thomas as found alive or deceased has been reported in the publicly available case information, and no circumstances explaining what happened to him have been released. The years that have passed have not diminished the significance of the unanswered questions for those who knew him: whether he encountered trouble while traveling, changed his plans without telling his relatives, or was prevented from reaching the business remains unknown. In overview, Adam “Ted” Thomas was a 47-year-old Memphis man who vanished on August 23, 1999, during a seemingly routine journey to his cousin’s auto business; he never arrived, no later movements have been publicly confirmed, and the Memphis Police Department’s case continues to stand as an unresolved search for answers about where he went and what happened along the way.Last Seen: Aug 23, 1999
