Adam disappeared sometime during the summer of 1999 from the Pine Ride mobile home park in Towanda, where he lived with his adoptive parents. His exact missing date is unknown. In 2008, his adopted sister called the Missing Children Hotline in Wichita and police became aware of his disappearance. Adam's adoptive parents told police Adam had a history of running away and the last time he ran away, in 1999, he didn't come back. Family members say they do not believe the parents' story and believe they had something to do with Adam's disappearance. According to family members, Adam was often kept locked in a bathroom and spanked with the metal buckle of a belt. Around the time of his disappearance, his adoptive parents withdrew him from public school and began homeschooling him. In 2010, Adam's adoptive parents were charged with theft related to welfare fraud for accepting more than $50, 000 in government adoption subsidies long after he disappeared. A judge ordered them to pay restitution, a fine, and prison sentences of less than a year. Foul play is strongly suspected in Adam's disappearance and his adoptive parents are the main suspects.