2012 Bain murder-kidnappings

In Whiteville, Tennessee, United States February 2026 February 2013 Adam Christopher Mayes Adam Christopher Mayes 1976 9 2 yes birth_place 2012 5 10 1976 9 2 yes New Albany, Mississippi, U.S. Suicide (by gunshot) American White Male 6 ft 3 in 175 lb Johnny Mayes Sr.Mary Frances Mayes (charged as accomplice) Teresa Mayes (charged as accomplice) May 9, 2012 May 10, 2012 496 Deceased On April 27, 2012, Jo Ann Bain and her eldest daughter were murdered in Whiteville, Tennessee and the woman's two younger daughters were kidnapped by Adam Christopher Mayes, an Alpine, Mississippi man who had known the family for many years. On May 9, 2012, Mayes was added to the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives. The following day, he and the two girls were spotted in a heavily wooded area; during the capture attempt, Mayes reportedly shot himself in the head and later died from his wounds.Alleged Tennessee family kidnapper caught, girls found safe Fox News Channel May 10, 2012 http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/05/10/alleged-tennessee-family-kidnapper-caught-girls-found-safe-police-say/#ixzz1uWNJBSuk https://archive.today/20130123155327/http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/05/10/alleged-tennessee-family-kidnapper-caught-girls-found-safe-police-say/%23ixzz1uWNJBSuk dead January 23, 2013 May 10, 2012 The two girls were rescued unharmed. On August 9, 2013, in a plea bargain agreement, Mayes' wife, Teresa, pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of especially aggravated kidnapping and was sentenced to 35 years, minus the 460 days she had already spent in prison. His mother, Mary Mayes, pleaded guilty to two counts of especially aggravated kidnapping and was sentenced to 13 1/2 years.http://www.wmctv.com/story/23093655/teresa-mayes-reaches-plea-deal-in-murder-kidnapping-case Teresa and Mary Mayes reach plea deals in murder, kidnapping case August 9, 2013 WMC-TV August 11, 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20130810184501/http://www.wmctv.com/story/23093655/teresa-mayes-reaches-plea-deal-in-murder-kidnapping-case August 10, 2013 deadhttp://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20130809/NEWS01/130809011/Widow-mother-Adam-Mayes-reach-plea-agreements Widow, mother of Adam Mayes reach plea agreements Nichole Manna August 9, 2013 August 11, 2013 The Jackson SunAugust 2026 InternetArchiveBot Murders and kidnapping Jo Ann Bain was the mother of three daughters, Adrienne (b. 1997), Alexandria (b. 1999) https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/alexandria-bain/view Alexandria Bain FBI 2012 May 12, 2012 and Kyliyah (b. 2004).https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/kyliyah-bain/view Kyliyah Bain FBI 2012 May 12, 2012 Her first husband, Mark Johnson, the biological father of Adrienne and Alexandria, signed over his legal rights to the girls to Jo Ann's second husband, Gary Bain, in 2011.http://www.wlbt.com/story/18369813/bain-sisters-dad-on-facebook https://archive.today/20130209090155/http://www.wlbt.com/story/18369813/bain-sisters-dad-on-facebook dead February 9, 2013 Bain sisters' dad shares gratitude on Facebook Jamel Major May 14, 2012 WLBT May 14, 2012 Gary Bain had previously been married for 20 years to Adam Mayes' eldest sister, Pamela; they divorced in 2002. Mayes had stayed friendly with Bain and was a frequent visitor to the home. On April 27, 2012, a day before Adam Christopher Mayes was supposed to help the Bain family move to Arizona, Mayes allegedly killed Jo Ann Bain and her oldest daughter Adrienne and kidnapped the two younger girls, Alexandria and Kyliyah. Gary Bain came home late that night and assumed his family members were sleeping. Only when he could not reach his wife by cell phone and his daughters did not return from school the next day did he report them missing. Mayes was interviewed by police officers about the Bains' disappearance on April 29. He told police he was the last to see the mother and daughters, but police found no evidence of a crime. On April 30, Jo Ann Bain's SUV was found abandoned on a country road in Tennessee. Mayes was last seen in Guntown, Mississippi, on May 1; on May 2 he was declared a person of interest in the case, though police still did not suspect a crime. On or around May 4, Teresa Mayes reportedly told police that her husband had killed Jo Ann and Adrienne in the Bains' garage and that the bodies were buried behind his mobile home. On May 5, investigators uncovered two "badly decomposed" bodies from a shallow grave behind the mobile home; they were identified as the bodies of Jo Ann and Adrienne on May 7. On May 8, both Mayes' wife Teresa and mother, Mary Frances Mayes, were charged as accomplices and taken into custody. Mayes was added to the FBI's Most Wanted List on May 9.Kidnap-slaying suspect now on 10-most wanted list Adrian Sainz May 9, 2012 Associated Press https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iWQoTB_dA1BgWV3YXZjsolpNZjcg?docId=be266570438c46c3ac09a153303639a0 https://web.archive.org/web/20120509175240/http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iWQoTB_dA1BgWV3YXZjsolpNZjcg?docId=be266570438c46c3ac09a153303639a0 dead May 9, 2012 May 9, 2012 He was charged with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, especially aggravated kidnapping and first-degree murder.FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitive FBI May 9, 2012 https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/topten/adam-mayes FBI May 9, 2012 Recovery of Bain girls Mayes and the two girls were missing for over a week when on May 10, acting on a tip, Mississippi highway patrolmen and state fish and wildlife officers searched a heavily wooded area behind the Zion Hill Baptist Church, one and a half miles from Mayes' home in Alpine. Officers saw one of the children peeking over a ridge, then spotted the second child, then saw Mayes. The officers told him to put his hands up; he raised only one hand and officers saw a gun in the other. Mayes then shot himself in the head with a 9mm pistol.Kidnapped Girls Had No Food or Water, Could Not Speak Colleen Curry Yunji DeNies May 11, 2012 ABC News https://abcnews.go.com/US/kidnap-suspect-adam-mayes-cowards-mother-law/story?id=16327123#.T62A4ug7U1I May 11, 2012https://www.deseret.com/2012/5/12/20412411/rescued-girl-tells-sister-now-we-can-go-home#file-this-combo-of-file-photos-provided-by-the-mississippi-department-of-public-safety-shows-alexandria-bain-12-left-and-kyliyah-bain-8-adam-mayes-wanted-by-the-fbi-for-killing-jo-ann-bain-31-and-her-daughter-adrienne-bain-14-and-kidnapping-sisters-alexandria-bain-12-and-kyliyah-bain-8-shot-himself-to-death-as-officers-closed-in-thursday-evening-may-10-2012-in-guntown-miss-the-two-children-were-rescued-without-injuries-and-released-from-a-hospital-friday-ending-a-nearly-two-week-search-that-began-when-jo-ann-bain-and-her-three-daughters-disappeared-from-their-tennessee-home-april-27 Rescued girl tells sister: 'Now we can go home' Holbrook Mohr Associated Press May 12, 2012 May 12, 2012 The Union County sheriff said emergency medical technicians transported Mayes via ambulance to Baptist Memorial Hospital, New Albany, Mississippi, in critical condition.Adam Mayes dead; two girls okay WTVA News May 11, 2012 WTVA-TV http://www.wtva.com/mostpopular/story/Adam-Mayes-dead-two-girls-okay/T3AgeAueA0qJz3e-ctP_XQ.cspx https://archive.today/20130209135059/http://www.wtva.com/mostpopular/story/Adam-Mayes-dead-two-girls-okay/T3AgeAueA0qJz3e-ctP_XQ.cspx dead February 9, 2013 May 12, 2012 The county coroner pronounced Mayes dead at 8:20 p.m. When police found the trio on May 10, the girls said that they had been in the forest for three days without food or water. They were dehydrated and had rashes from poison ivy and insect bites. After Mayes' death, the girls were sent to a Memphis hospital, treated, and released. Mayes' body, after being left unclaimed and refused by family members, was donated to the University of Tennessee in Knoxville's Body Farm in June 2012.http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2012/06/accused-killers-body-donated-to-science/1 Accused killer's body donated to science USA Today June 9, 2012 June 13, 2012 Yamiche AlcindorAdam Mayes' body arrives at university's 'body farm' Kenney, Nick June 7, 2012 WMC-TV http://www.wmctv.com/story/18732748/body-of-adam-mayes-arrives-at-universitys-body-farm June 9, 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120609062954/http://www.wmctv.com/story/18732748/body-of-adam-mayes-arrives-at-universitys-body-farm June 9, 2012 dead On July 30, 2012, the FBI announced that it had paid out reward money to several individuals for information leading to the capture of Mayes.https://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/jul/30/reward-money-paid-for-tips-on-tennessee-fugitive/ Reward money paid for tips on Tennessee fugitive Adam Mayes, officials confirm Yolanda Jones July 30, 2012 August 14, 2012 The Commercial Appeal Background of perpetrators Adam Christopher Mayes (September 2, 1976 – May 10, 2012) was the youngest of six childrenhttps://www.wmcactionnews5.com/story/18503652/adam-mayes-sister-shares-family-secrets-he-was-very-much-a-mind-manipulator/ Mayes' sister shares family secrets; 'Adam wanted a family' May 17, 2012 November 13, 2020 WMC-TV of Johnny and Mary Frances Mayes. His mother described him as violent and controlling from an early age.https://www.wmcactionnews5.com/story/23981928/a-look-ahead-mayes-women-open-up-about-bain-murders-kidnappings/ ONLY ON 5: Mayes women open up about Bain murders, kidnappings November 15, 2013 November 13, 2020 WMC-TV He and his wife Teresa lived with his parents in a mobile home in Alpine, Mississippi. Mayes' mother-in-law, Josie Tate, stated that she had repeatedly called police to complain about domestic violence committed by Mayes against his wife, Teresa. Mayes' sister described him as aggressive and untrustworthy, but never thought he would commit such a serious crime. Both Mayes' mother and wife later wrote that they were afraid of him https://www.kait8.com/story/18914316/exclusive-teresa-and-mary-mayes-write-letters-from-jail/ EXCLUSIVE: Teresa and Mary Mayes write letters from jail June 29, 2012 November 13, 2020 WMC-TV and that he frequently carried a gun. Mayes was friendly with the Bain family of Whiteville, Tennessee, and was a frequent visitor to the house. During the manhunt for Mayes, his mother-in-law gave extensive interviews to media outlets and claimed Mayes believed that he was the father of the two younger girls,https://wreg.com/news/mother-in-law-says-mays-lived-sleeped-two-children/ Mother-In-Law: Mayes Obsessed With Bain Girls May 10, 2012 November 13, 2020 WREG-TV a claim for which investigators found no evidence. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/agent-abduction-of-sisters-planned-for-a-year Agent: Abduction of sisters planned for a year Washington Examiner 2012 November 11, 2020 Later interviews with his wife suggest Mayes was instead motivated by an obsession with one of the kidnapped girls. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-mississippi-abductions/man-who-kidnapped-tennessee-sisters-said-to-be-obsessed-with-girl-idUSBRE89105920121002 Man who kidnapped Tennessee sisters said to be "obsessed" with girl Reuters 2012 November 11, 2020 Mayes had been under investigation for domestic abuse and was accused of molesting a seven-year-old girl he babysat in 2010.https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/outreach/back-to-school/adam-mayes-investigated-for-sex-abuse-in-2010/527-b0991141-217d-42ce-8109-f8f8b325e21f Mayes' previously investigated for sexual and domestic abuse WMC-TV 2012 November 13, 2020 Charges against Teresa Mayes and Mary Mayes Mayes' wife Teresa was charged with murder and kidnapping and faced the death penalty. Her mother claimed that Adam had coerced and brainwashed the intellectually challenged Teresa into abetting his crimes. On May 21, the charges against Mayes' mother, Mary, were changed from four counts of conspiracy to commit especially aggravated kidnapping to two counts of especially aggravated kidnapping. Investigators believe that she "confined" the two girls after her son and his wife drove them from their Tennessee home to the Mayes' Mississippi home.http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/BRE84L19K/US-USA-MISSISSIPPI-MAYES/ Mother in Mississippi kidnap-murder case faces new charges Timothy Ghiann Reuters May 22, 2012 May 22, 2012 April 2019 InternetArchiveBot yes The court ordered a psychological evaluation of both Mary and Teresa Mayes and rescheduled their first hearing for June 19.https://www.foxnews.com/us/mom-of-man-in-sister-abduction-gets-new-charge/ Mom of man in sister abduction gets new charge Fox News Associated Press May 22, 2012 May 22, 2012 On October 1, 2012, Teresa Mayes appeared in a Hardeman County General Sessions Court hearing while a statement that she had given to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation during her husband's disappearance in May was read to the court. In the statement, Teresa claimed that Adam had planned the kidnappings and murders a year in advance due to his romantic interest in Alexandria Bain, then age 12. Adam sold his motorcycle to pay for the kidnapping and forced Teresa to remain hidden in their car during two aborted attempts to kidnap Alexandria and her younger sister, Kylilah, on April 25 and 26, 2012. On the night of April 26, she told officials that Adam attempted to kill the girls' father, Gary Bain, by giving him two Tequila Sunrise cocktails laced with Visine and other prescription drugs. On the night of the murders, Teresa told investigators that Mayes told her to drive around with the two younger girls, Alexandra and Kylilah. She said that when she returned, her husband was outside the Bain house with two bodies wrapped in a tarp. He later told Teresa that he had entered the Bain house, woke Jo Ann, and told her to come out to the shop by the house because Kylilah was sleepwalking. Once in the shop, Mayes said that he hit Jo Ann with a board and strangled her with a rope. Afterward, he smothered Adrienne, age 14. Teresa and her husband drove the two younger girls and the two corpses to Guntown, where Adam buried the bodies in his mother's backyard.http://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20121002/NEWS01/310020005/Adam-Mayes-wife-Bain-abduction-planned-year Adam Mayes' wife: Bain abduction was planned for a year October 1, 2012 October 11, 2012 Jordan Buie The Jackson Sun August 2026 InternetArchiveBot Following Teresa Mayes' and Mary Mayes' court appearances on October 1, the judge sent their cases to a grand jury scheduled to convene on January 10, 2013. On August 9, the two women were sentenced in conjunction with a plea bargain. Teresa Mayes was sentenced to 35 years and her mother-in-law, Mary Mayes, to 13 1/2 years for their parts in the kidnappings and murders. In 2016, both Mary and Teresa Mayes were moved to the Women's Therapeutic Residential Center within West Tennessee State Penitentiary due to good behavior.https://www.wmcactionnews5.com/story/33154071/women-convicted-of-murder-kidnapping-moved-to-therapeutic-program/ Women convicted of murder, kidnapping moved to therapeutic program WMC Action News 5 September 22, 2016 November 13, 2020 References Category:2010s crimes in Tennessee Category:2010s kidnappings in the United States Category:2012 in Mississippi Category:2012 in Tennessee Category:2012 murders in the United States Category:April 2012 crimes in the United States Category:Attacks in the United States in 2012 Category:Crimes in Mississippi Category:Crimes in Tennessee Category:Murder–suicides in Tennessee Category:Union County, Mississippi Category:Violence against women in Tennessee