A 4 year old is kidnapped from her home; her body is found 9 days later On July 6, 1986, Amanda Adams, a four-year-old girl, was kidnapped and later found dead in Columbus, Ohio. Amanda's body was discovered nine days after her disappearance, near her home. She had been abducted and subsequently killed, with her body located in a remote area behind a residence at 397 S. Cewtrac Avenue. The investigation into her death revealed a deeply tragic situation, which was compounded when her mother, Carolyn Adams, was also found murdered shortly after Amanda's body was
discovered. Carolyn was found under a bridge a few miles away from where she had last been seen alive, on July 16, 1986, just ten days after Amanda’s death.
Investigators had identified a suspect at the time, but that individual committed suicide in July 1986, effectively halting the investigation. The suicide of the suspect, combined with limited forensic tools available in that era, led to the case going cold. It is noted that the police faced difficulties in maintaining surveillance of the suspect before his death, and after his suicide, the case stalled. Amanda and Carolyn’s murders remain unsolved to this day and are listed as cold cases by the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, which continues to seek public help in solving these tragic homicides.
The Columbus Police Department, in collaboration with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI), is encouraging anyone with information to come forward. The hope remains that renewed attention, modern forensic technology, and public support might finally bring justice for Amanda and Carolyn Adams and provide closure for their family after decades of uncertainty.
