Blair Adams left his home on July 5, 1996. He withdrew all his savings that totaled about $6,000, as well as retrieved his belongings in his safety deposit box, which included jewelry, platinum, and gold. He attempted to enter the United States through the Canadian-U.S. border, but officials stopped him from passing through, as he looked suspicious with all the cash and valuables that he carried with him, per Historic Mysteries. It was at that time that he quit his job and purchased a plane ticket to Germany. However, on the day of the flight, Adams refunded his plane ticket, rented a vehicle, and again attempted to travel to the U.S. through the border. This time, he was able to pass without issues.

Adams headed to the Seattle Airport and purchased a one-way ticket to Washington D.C. He arrived on July 10 and rented a car that he drove to Knoxville, Tennessee. He went to a hotel, and the manager distinctly remembered Adams because he exhibited odd behavior; he went in and out of the hotel’s lobby five times before he asked for a room. An employee, Ticca Hartsfield, said, “The best way to describe him would be paranoid. He just was very nervous, agitated, expecting someone to come in on him even though there wasn’t anybody there.” After getting a room, he left the hotel at about 7:37 p.m., as reported by Medium. That was the last time Adams was last seen alive.