On Wed. March 5, a press conference was held where two indictments were made known in the Holly Bobo case.
Bobo was a Nursing student at UTM’s Parson’s Center when she was abducted from her home in April 2011.
Zachary Adams, as many have probably already heard, has been indicted with especially aggravated kidnapping and first-degree murder. When these indictments were read out loud many members of the community in attendance began weeping.
For the first time in three years, hope seemed lost. The community has been joining together for nearly three years trying to locate Holly, and hoping they would find her alive.
The sobbing of those in attendance was all I could hear when I was listening back to my recording of the press conference. The voices of those speaking were entirely lost of the loud cries of the community – a community that had lost the only thing holding it together. To witness an entire community walk into the Decatur County Jail so hopeful and walk out appearing so hopeless was heartbreaking to say the least.
While the majority of the people were emotionally torn apart, there were some members of the community who said they believe the developments will only bring the community closer. The community is evolving from Hope for Holly to Justice for Holly.
While they are only beginning to come to terms with the idea that Holly will not be coming home, the community has begun to pull itself together for the next round. While the hope of finding Holly alive has been lost, the community hope to bring justice to Holly is roaring inside the community.
What was your reaction when you found out the news of Zachary Adams’ two indictments? Do you feel like your own hope has been lost? Are there specific things you would like to see The Pacer cover regarding this case?
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As someone who knows Holly and her family and is from a surrounding county of Decatur, when the indictment was given there was an initial sense of hopelessness. We have been bonded together with the hope that for three years Holly Bobo was coming home. The rug was ripped out from under us, as we heard that Zach Adams was charged with aggravated kidnapping but also first degree murder. Yes I’m sure many felt as if hope was lost in that moment. That county and its surrounding counties are part of a different breed. We have so much pride in our own and Holly was part of our own. As we have began to process and realize that our Holly isn’t coming back, we can only settle for getting her the justice she and her family deserves. Our hope might have been at a low point in the previous days, but in the coming days of the trial our hope will have multiplied. We never lost hope in three years and we aren’t going to lose it now. We simply redirected it.
This community changed the day Holly was abducted. We became stronger as we joined together in an effort to find her, and even almost three years later, we did not give up hope on finding her alive and bringing her home. Decatur and Henderson County have both been full of pink ribbons and signs, and even after search crews subsided, groups of family and friends still went around Tennessee and surrounding states to spread the word and hand out flyers. Eighteen-wheelers had huge decals that took her image and info all over the country. Billboards were scattered throughout the interstates. Benefits in her honor helped raise money for searches, posters distribution, and for the family. We were never going to give up on her being found. Her bright and beautiful face was our hope, and honestly she has become the face of the community. I still do not want to believe that she is gone, but I also do not think that the TBI would indict someone without substantial evidence of a murder, even if they do not want to jeopardize the investigation by releasing information regarding that evidence. When the word “murder” was uttered, the entire group was obviously shaken. We want justice, but right now there is also fear. We know so little about the investigation that it leaves us questioning everything. Above all, there is sorrow. Our efforts to bring her home, our hope, it is all shot down. I do not want to accept her death, but even in this state of disbelieve we know it must be true. Right up until the indictment, there was hope, now, as this article said, it is gone, and we are all left to question “Why?”
Many people, even those who did not know Holly, feel a sense of loss from this news. Those who knew her know that the loss is earth-shattering. Our hearts are broken. I went to high school with Holly. She was a year ahead of me, but so were many of my friends as well as my boyfriend at the time. Holly was not just some pretty blonde girl. She was a beautiful soul. She was a friend to all and could always make people smile. She loved everyone. She was very intelligent and graduated with the ninth highest GPA in her class. She also was voted Most Talented in the class of 2009 because of her amazing voice. She loved to sing. She made us laugh with her funny performances with the Drama Club and Great Pretenders, and she could bring a tear to your eye as she sang beautiful songs for her church, school, and once in the State Beta Club Convention. She was so involved in the school. If you look at the 2009 yearbook, it is hard to find a page she is not on. She was on the yearbook staff, Drama club, Mu Alpha Theta, Beta club, etc. and adored basketball. Most of all, though, she is seen sharing smiles and laughs with her friends. Looking at the yearbook now, I am starting to tear up and I catch myself thinking “It’s just not fair.”
After graduation, she was so excited to start school at UTM in Parsons. She was preparing to be a nurse. That’s the kind of person she was: caring, supportive, beaming with love and understanding. She wanted a life full of family and friends, to settle down with the love of her live to start her own family, and to care for her community as a nurse. Those dreams were taken from her, and we may never know why.
Many people know the face, but few people know the girl. She was an outstanding young lady. She saw the best in everyone and wanted nothing but good for them. I am a better person for knowing her.
I’d like to see an article that remembers who she was, not just what happened to her. I know the Pacer has been good at keeping her image and story in the public eye as well as giving info about her life, and this community is grateful for that!