GUNTOWN, Miss. (AP) — Heavily armed FBI agents and authorities from Mississippi and Tennessee were searching woods and back roads for what they said was a dangerous man suspected of killing a Tennessee woman and her teenage daughter and fleeing with her two younger girls.
Authorities released a surveillance video that showed Adam Mayes, 35, at a convenience store in Union County, Miss., about three days after the alleged kidnapping. In the video, Mayes appeared calm when he approached the counter and had a fresh haircut.
Meanwhile, a community mourned the slain mother and daughter and the loss of the girls.
Authorities canvassed roads Tuesday and searched tree lines near the home where Mayes lived in Union County, Miss. Authorities have been tight-lipped about the details of the search, hoping to avoid releasing information that puts the girls’ lives in jeopardy.
The FBI said Tuesday that authorities were hopeful the two young girls — Alexandra Bain, 12, and Kyliyah Bain, 8 — were still alive, but declined to say why. Investigators believed the two youngest daughters were still with Mayes, FBI spokesman Joel Siskovic said.
Authorities have said Mayes was a family friend who was staying with the Bains on April 27, the day the mother and children disappeared. Before he fled, he admitted to authorities that he was the last person to see Jo Ann Bain and her daughters before the disappearance, according to an affidavit filed with the court.
The bodies of Jo Ann Bain, 31, and Adrienne Bain, 14, were found last week behind the mobile home in northern Mississippi where Mayes lived. The affidavit provides the first clue that the victims may have been killed soon after they were abducted. It said his wife and mother saw him digging a hole in the yard on April 27 or soon after.
On Tuesday, those women were charged in connection with the abduction.
Teresa Mayes, 30, was charged with especially aggravated kidnapping and Mary Mayes, 65, was charged with conspiracy to commit kidnapping.
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