CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WCHS) — It will be 30 years in November since a Charleston cab driver disappeared, never to be seen or head from again.
His bloody taxi cab was found abandoned over a hill, but there have never been any answers on what exactly happened to Bobby Adams.
It will be 30 years in November since a Charleston cab driver disappeared, never to be seen or head from again. (WCHS)
The investigation started on Twilight Drive on Nov. 30, 1991, when a neighbor found Adams' C&H taxi cab. Adams, 31, was from Huntington but spent most of his time in Charleston.
Adams had simply vanished, leaving few clues behind.
Bobby Adams' abandoned and bloody C&H Taxi cab was found in a wooded area off of Twilight Drive in Charleston in November 1991. (WCHS)
"Not knowing where he is, that's the part that hurts," his father, Bobby Clark, told Eyewitness News in December 1991. At the time of the interview, Adams had been missing for three weeks. Clark also drove a cab for C&H.
"I hate to think that he's dead, but under the circumstances, I can't think of anything else. He wouldn't stay away this long," Clark said.
Adams was last seen driving his taxi on Washington Street East about 4 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 30, 1991. By 5 p.m. that evening, a neighbor had discovered the cab near his home in a wooded area of Twilight Drive. A parking light was broken and a large pool of blood covered the rear floor and seat.
His colleagues at C&H were at a loss to explain what happened.
"I think it's a shame that a man can't go out and make a living without getting shot or cut up," a dispatcher told WCHS at the time.
In the early stages of the investigation, police didn't know if the blood came from Adams or someone else. Investigators weren't sure if he was a victim or a suspect in a violent crime.
"Right, at that time, you had no clue because you have the cab, you have the blood, and no one around it," Charleston Police Chief of Detectives Lt. Tony Hazelett said.
Bobby Adams' abandoned and bloody C&H Taxi cab was found in a wooded area off of Twilight Drive in Charleston in November 1991. Police were able to determine that the blood matched Adams' blood type. (WCHS)
In an interview with WCHS in 1991, Lt. Pat Epperhart said Adams was a victim or someone else was a victim.
"At this point, we are treating it as if he is a victim and is a missing person. He is going to be listed as a missing person in NCIC, which is a nationwide computer system," Epperhart said.
Name: Bobby Eugene Adams
Case Classification: Endangered Missing
Missing Since: November 30, 1991
Location Last Seen: Charleston, Kanawha County, West Virginia
Physical Description
Date of Birth: September 3, 1960
Age: 31 years old
Race: Black/African American
Gender: Male
Height: 5'0"
Weight: 110 lbs.
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Brown
Nickname/Alias: Unknown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Unknown
Identifiers
Dentals: Not Available
Fingerprints: Not Available
DNA: Not Available
Clothing & Personal Items
Clothing: Blue toboggan, Blue windbreaker, Tan dress pants
Jewelry: Unknown
Additional Personal Items: Black shoes
Circumstances of Disappearance
Bobby Adams was last seen in Charleston, West Virginia on November 30, 1991. He disappeared under suspicious circumstances. Foul play is suspected in his case.
Investigating Agency(s)
Agency Name: Charleston Police Department
Agency Contact Person: Sergeant Bobby Eggleton
Agency Phone Number: 304-348-6480
Agency E-Mail: N/A
Agency Case Number: 91113026
NCIC Case Number: M-531805029
NamUs Case Number:17326
