KS KS - Kathryn Adam, 35, Salina, 29 April 1993

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OkieGranny

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On April 29th, 1993, 35-year-old Kathryn Adam went missing.

Adam was last seen at 4:30 in the morning that day, at the Kwik Shop in the 1700 block of West Crawford Street. She was preparing to head out on her job delivering hosiery. She was driving a full-sized Ford van with "She has Legg's" written on the sides in blue lettering.

She was reported missing the next day by her 16-year-old daughter. Her van turned up abandoned at 5:45 that evening at the nearby Russel's Restaurant in the 600 block of Westport Boulevard. The restaurant was closed for remodeling at the time.

The van was spattered with mud on the outside, and had blood in the inside. Blood was also found at a storage unit in West Salina on Centennial Road where Adam picked up stock each day.

Police speculate someone attacked Adam when she went inside the storage unit. It appeared they interrupted her in the process of loading the merchandise in her van, leaving the door of the unit opened.

Adam was going through a divorce with her husband at the time, and had the one teenage daughter.
Click to expand...

http://www.ksallink.com/?cmd=displaystory&story_id=26900&format=html

https://www.findthemissing.org/cases/show/13061

https://www.facebook.com/FindKathrynAdam
 
Kathryn Adam - April 29, 1993 - Salina, Kansas (Saline County) - Foul Play Suspected!

Age 35 at Disappearance
White Female
5’4”; 120 lbs.
Brown hair; brown eyes
Wears eye-glasses

She was last seen wearing a light-colored shirt, dark slacks, and a blue and white Kansas City Royals jacket.

Investigating Agency:
Salina Police Department
Investigator Jeremy Watkins
785-826-7210
Case # 93-10253
NamUs MP # 13061
 
[h=1]Missing Woman Case Approaching 25th Anniversary[/h]
Though it is a cold case, it is still open. And though no body has ever been recovered, it is classified as a homicide.

Investigators periodically review the case, go over it, and remain hopeful in solving it. Things like changes in modern technology, and tips that trickle in help keep it active.

Police encourage anyone with any possible information, no matter how small or insignificant they think it may be, to come forward. They can call Crimestoppers at 825-TIPS, text SATIPS to CRIMES (274637), or visit Salina Police Department and follow the Crimestoppers link to submit a web tip.
The Kathryn Adam case is being featured on several social media sites dedicated to missing person cases. It is featured on Kansas Missing And Unsolved on Facebook, and also has its own Find Kathryn Adam page.
Click to expand...
kathryn-adam-psoter.jpg

https://www.ksal.com/missing-woman-case-approaching-25th-anniversary/
 
Unsolved murders leave loved ones in limbo



http://www.kake.com/story/38083310/unsolved-murders-leave-loved-ones-in-limbo

Twenty-five years ago, someone was there with a gun when Kathryn Adam went to a storage unit in west Salina to load her L’eggs van with an inventory of hosiery for her regular delivery route.

Twenty-five years ago, her 16-year-old daughter called police to report that Adam had not returned to their apartment all night. Investigating officers found evidence of foul play at the storage unit, but they didn’t find Adam or her van.

The case remains unsolved. Adam’s body has never been found, and her killer hasn’t been arrested.
Click to expand...
 
Charley Project: Kathryn Louise Adam – The Charley Project

Kathryn Louise Adam
  • kathryn_louise_adam_1.jpg
  • kathryn_louise_adam_2.jpg
  • kathryn_louise_adam_3.jpg
  • kathryn_louise_adam_6.jpg
Adam, circa 1993; Adam's van

  • Missing Since04/29/1993
  • Missing FromSalina, Kansas
  • ClassificationEndangered Missing
  • Date of Birth02/06/1958 (61)
  • Age35 years old
  • Height and Weight5'4, 120 pounds
  • Clothing/Jewelry DescriptionA light-colored shirt, dark-colored slacks, and a blue and white Kansas City Royals jacket.
  • Distinguishing CharacteristicsCaucasian female. Brown hair, brown eyes. Adam wears eyeglasses. Her maiden name is Swendson and she may use the last name Swendson-Adam. She has pierced ears, as well as a freckled complexion and dimples in her cheeks. Adam scars on her knee, left shoulder, back and right finger, and moles on her breast, neck, left ear and left cheek.
Details of Disappearance
Adam was last seen at 4:30 a.m. on April 29, 1993, at the Kwik Shop convenience store in the 1700 block of west Crawford Street in Salina, Kansas. She drove a white full-sized Ford van with "She has Legg's" written on the sides in blue lettering. A photo of it is posted with this case summary.

The van turned up abandoned at 5:45 p.m. the day after Adam's disappearance, at Russell's Restaurant in the 600 block of Westport Boulevard. The restaurant was closed for remodeling at the time. The van was spattered with mud on the outside and bloodsoaked on the inside, and it had reportedly been driven 60 miles that couldn't be accounted for.

A large amount of blood and some bullet fragments were also found at a storage unit in west Salina, along with indications that someone had tried to clean up. This was where Adam, a salesperson for the Legg's hosiery company, picked up stock each day. There was no sign of her and she has never been heard from again. Authorities stated there was enough blood to indicate probable fatality.

Authorities speculate someone attacked Adam when she went inside the storage unit. It appeared they interrupted her in the process of loading the merchandise in her van, leaving the door of the unit open. Investigators believe whoever was responsible for Adam's disappearance knew her and her routine.

Adam was separated from her husband at the time of her disappearance and in the process of a divorce. Her teenage daughter reported her missing. Her case remains unsolved and foul play is suspected.
 
I live in Salina ks. I also worked at Russells before and after the remodel. I can't believe we still don't have any answers! I was only 16 when she went missing.
 
The articles all mention her divorce; nobody mentions if the husband was fully cleared. Just that "some suspects have been eliminated".

Whoever it was was also very familiar with her daily routine.
 
After listening to the Trace Evidence Podcast coverage of this; I have a potential theory to kick around.

Could the killer have been hiding in the back of the van, and shot her (or attacked her) when she opened the door to do her normal storage facility pickup?

The diner where the van was found was about a mile away from her home.

So, the killer could have parked their car at the diner, walked to her home, and then broke into her van and hid there until she made it to the storage facility. Once she opened the doors, the killer could have attacked her and then placed her body in the van. (Between the time she was placed in the van and the time the killer took to dispose of her body is an entirely different debate of strategy for making the vehicle appear to have been driven more, appear to have been driven to different places etc.)

The killer disposes of her body then drives the van to the diner, gets out, and then gets into their parked car to leave.

Its just an idea I conjured up based on the logistics of the event.
 
I believe that the van was in the storage shed. She went there every morning and would fill the van for her orders that day. I tend to think that she was inside the storage shed and someone came in behind her. The restaurant parking lot was more like a truck stop and is right next to I-35. I wonder if there were 2 people who would have attacked her. One to pick up the person leaving the van once everything was done. I knew Kathy and I would say she was a very street smart person. She was cautious. This behavior might stem from her leaving a bad marriage. I miss her terribly and would love to have this solved.

Thanks for letting me know of the podcast. I will try to find it. She was a big sister figure to me when I was in high school and we worked together. This murder has haunted me for a very long time.

***edited I apologize-You are correct. She drove her van to the storage facility. I was mistaken! Your theory definitely sounds plausible.
 
Last edited:
I just learned about this case through the Trace Evidence podcast. We had some students from my high school go to play football at Tabor to the south.

I thought it was interesting that the podcast seemed to indicate that the husband was not believed to be involved.
 
Decades Old Disappearance Still a Mystery

missing-640x355.jpg


After nearly three decades the disappearance of a Salina woman is still a mystery. Thursday will mark another year of one of the most well-known missing person cases in Salina. It will be 28 years since Kathryn Adam was last seen.

On April 29th, 1993, 35-year-old Kathryn Adam went missing.
---
Police speculate someone attacked Adam when she went inside the storage unit. It appeared they interrupted her in the process of loading the merchandise in her van, leaving the door of the unit opened.
----
Early last week a human skull was found in an area of west Salina, in the same general area of the storage unit. Law enforcement are not able to make a positive identification of the skull at this time.

Decades Old Disappearance Still a Mystery
 
Seems logical the husband could have been involved. I agree with previous theories that someone knew her routine. It seems unlikely that an opportunist came trolling along that early in the morning and stumbled upon her in a storage unit of all places.
 
1682947092716.jpeg
Though it is a cold case, it is still open. And though no body has ever been recovered, it is classified as a homicide.

Investigators periodically review the case, go over it, and remain hopeful in solving it. Things like changes in modern technology, and tips that trickle in help keep it active.

A year ago in April a partial human skull was found in an area of west Salina, in the same general area of the storage unit. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation was able to obtain partial DNA from the skull, but it was of insufficient quality for comparison. As a result, no conclusions can be made.

Police encourage anyone with any possible information, no matter how small or insignificant they think it may be, to come forward. They can call Crimestoppers at 825-TIPS, text SATIPS to CRIMES (274637), or visit Salina Police Department and follow the Crimestoppers link to submit a web tip.

The Kathryn Adam case is featured on several social media sites dedicated to missing person cases. It is featured on Kansas Missing And Unsolved on Facebook, and also has its own Find Kathryn Adam page.
www.ksal.com

30th Anniversary Of Disappearance

KSAL is your number one source for salina local news, weather, sports, auctions.
www.ksal.com www.ksal.com
 
ADKGemini said:
Charley Project: Kathryn Louise Adam – The Charley Project

Kathryn Louise Adam
  • kathryn_louise_adam_1.jpg
  • kathryn_louise_adam_2.jpg
  • kathryn_louise_adam_3.jpg
  • kathryn_louise_adam_6.jpg
Adam, circa 1993; Adam's van

  • Missing Since04/29/1993
  • Missing FromSalina, Kansas
  • ClassificationEndangered Missing
  • Date of Birth02/06/1958 (61)
  • Age35 years old
  • Height and Weight5'4, 120 pounds
  • Clothing/Jewelry DescriptionA light-colored shirt, dark-colored slacks, and a blue and white Kansas City Royals jacket.
  • Distinguishing CharacteristicsCaucasian female. Brown hair, brown eyes. Adam wears eyeglasses. Her maiden name is Swendson and she may use the last name Swendson-Adam. She has pierced ears, as well as a freckled complexion and dimples in her cheeks. Adam scars on her knee, left shoulder, back and right finger, and moles on her breast, neck, left ear and left cheek.
Details of Disappearance
Adam was last seen at 4:30 a.m. on April 29, 1993, at the Kwik Shop convenience store in the 1700 block of west Crawford Street in Salina, Kansas. She drove a white full-sized Ford van with "She has Legg's" written on the sides in blue lettering. A photo of it is posted with this case summary.

The van turned up abandoned at 5:45 p.m. the day after Adam's disappearance, at Russell's Restaurant in the 600 block of Westport Boulevard. The restaurant was closed for remodeling at the time. The van was spattered with mud on the outside and bloodsoaked on the inside, and it had reportedly been driven 60 miles that couldn't be accounted for.

A large amount of blood and some bullet fragments were also found at a storage unit in west Salina, along with indications that someone had tried to clean up. This was where Adam, a salesperson for the Legg's hosiery company, picked up stock each day. There was no sign of her and she has never been heard from again. Authorities stated there was enough blood to indicate probable fatality.

Authorities speculate someone attacked Adam when she went inside the storage unit. It appeared they interrupted her in the process of loading the merchandise in her van, leaving the door of the unit open. Investigators believe whoever was responsible for Adam's disappearance knew her and her routine.

Adam was separated from her husband at the time of her disappearance and in the process of a divorce. Her teenage daughter reported her missing. Her case remains unsolved and foul play is suspected.
Click to expand...
Bumping up The Charley Project case, which hasn't been updated in 4 years. Interesting that this mentions bullet fragments and blood found at the storage unit. Unless Kathryn tried to resist an abduction this appears to be a case where the killer simply went in an shot her straight away. IOW, no robbery or sexually motivated crime.
 
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