ESCANABA -- As a young man Adam Campbell struggled with substance abuse, but by April of 2011, he began to make positive changes. In August that year Adam was scheduled to start classes at Bay College, with the hope of someday being a substance abuse counselor or even a lawyer.
But something went horribly wrong.
Investigators say Adam Campbell was last seen walking down Ludington Street in Escanaba at about 2:30 in the morning on April 9, 2011. An hour later, his body was discovered in a vehicle on fire in an alleyway just a few blocks away.
For Adam's mother, Carolyn Hilling, the mystery of her son's death has devastated her and her family. The loss of Adam was too much for his father. Six months after his son's death, Robert Campbell Jr. committed suicide.
Adam's mother says these losses have taken their toll.
"I had to take not one loss but two," said Hilling. "It's tough. I can only put my faith in God, and put it in his hands, cause I don't know where else to turn."
Police are not calling Campbell's death a homicide, but they do say the circumstances surrounding his death are suspicious. The car Campbell was found in was not his, however police do know who owns it.
They are not releasing that information. Police have struggled to piece together what happened during the last hour of Campbell's life, and Detective Darin Hunter believes there are witnesses who could help solve this case.
"I think the people that know or may have some of that information need to come forward," said Hunter. "They need to do the right thing. They need to do this for not only for themselves to feel better, but more importantly for Adam's mother, so she can have closure."
Campbell's mother also has a message for those who have the information police are looking for.
"Put yourself in my shoes," Hilling added. "How would you feel? Would you want closure? If it were your child would you want... to know?"
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