Shayne Austin: Suspect In Holly Bobo Murder Found Dead


Shayne Austin, a suspect and key witness in the murder of Holly Bobo, was found dead in an apparent suicide. Although he was not charged with murder, authorities believe Austin was involved in Bobo’s 2011 disappearance and subsequent death.

Holly Lynn Bobo vanished without a trace on April 13, 2011. According to reports, the 20-year-old nursing student studied for an exam, ate breakfast, and left the house as usual. Unfortunately, she never made it to school.

At 7:50 a.m., Clint Bobo woke up and noticed his sister’s car was still in the driveway. He was terribly confused, as Holly generally left the house by 7:40 a.m. to make it to her first class.

Five minutes later, Clint looked out the window and observed his sister walking toward the woods with a “man dressed in camouflage.” Clint was not immediately concerned, as he thought the man was Holly’s boyfriend.

Clint eventually called his mother Karen to report the unusual events. As she was at work, Karen asked Clint to call 911 and go outside to look for his sister. Unfortunately, by the time Clint walked outside, Holly was gone.

Authorities believe Holly Bobo was abducted in the driveway and led away from her home. Although they conducted an exhaustive search of the family’s property, and the surrounding woods, the nursing student remained missing for more than three years.

In the course of investigation, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation identified several suspects in Holly’s disappearance.

As reported by The Tennessean, Zachary Adams and Jason Autry were identified as suspects in March 2014. Both men were eventually arrested and indicted on charges of first-degree murder and aggravated kidnapping.

Two months later, Jeffrey and Mark Pearcy were arrested and charged with being accessories after the fact and tampering with evidence. Authorities believe the brothers were in possession a video, which was reportedly filmed during Holly Bobo’s abduction.

Although Shayne Austin was also identified as a suspect, he was offered immunity for his cooperation. According to reports, Austin initially agreed to lead authorities to the location of Holly’s remains. However, as he later refused to cooperate, the immunity agreement was withdrawn.

As reported by Huffington Post, human remains were later “found near a home that Austin had moved into only two days before she was last seen alive.” On September 8, 2014, authorities confirmed that the remains belonged to Holly Bobo.

Shayne Austin was never indicted in Holly Bobo’s murder. However, at the time of his death he remained a suspect and was considered a key witness.

[Images via NBC News]

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