On the morning of August 14, 2025, Dennis Woodrow 'Little Denny' Adams Jr., a 39-year-old male from Erlanger, Kentucky, was found deceased in a wooded area off a country road in Dillsboro, Indiana. An autopsy later confirmed that he died from multiple gunshot wounds. The events leading to his death began earlier that morning when residents reported hearing gunshots and seeing a blue SUV stopped on U.S. 50. One witness who approached the vehicle saw a man with blood on his pants and face in the driver's seat and another man moving from the backseat to the front.
When a Dearborn County Sheriff's deputy responded to the scene, the driver of the SUV, described as a white male with a dark beard, fled in the vehicle. The SUV, registered to Adams, was later found crashed into an embankment. A search of the area led to the discovery of Adams's body in the woods with what appeared to be a gunshot wound to his upper back and shoulder. The subsequent manhunt involved multiple law enforcement agencies, including K9 units, drones, and a helicopter.
The suspect, identified as 33-year-old Brent Wellman of Seymour, Indiana, was eventually found in Laughery Creek near the crashed vehicle, wearing only his underwear. Investigators believe Wellman, the ex-boyfriend of Adams's new girlfriend, Rachel Warren, may have hidden in the backseat of Adams's vehicle and waited for him. Just days before the incident, Wellman had asked his ex-girlfriend if he could store some belongings at her home because he was homeless. The night before the shooting, Adams and Warren heard a noise they thought might be someone breaking in but dismissed it as the air conditioner. Adams left for work around 4:45 a.m., which is when the fatal encounter is believed to have occurred.
Brent Wellman was arrested and has been charged with murder, resisting law enforcement, and a felony firearm enhancement. He pleaded not guilty to the charges. Prosecutors have filed a notice of intent to seek a sentence of life in prison without parole. Wellman is being held without bond at the Dearborn County Law Enforcement Center.
