Adam Mayes Dead: Authorities Investigating Whether He Had Help Eluding Them

Authorities are investigating how kidnapping suspect Adam Mayes managed to elude them for two weeks and whether he had help doing so.

We are continuing to investigate if anyone helped or harbored him, said Kristin Helm, spokeswoman for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. Mississippi authorities are assisting that investigation.

An additional three arrests have been made in connection with the case, a law enforcement source told CNN Friday. The source said one arrest was for making a false statement and the others for illegal possession of a firearm. No identities have been released at this time. However, the CNN report said that one of the person arrested allegedly provided Mayes the gun he used to shoot himself.

Mayes, 35, died at a local hospital on Thursday night after shooting himself in the head after authorities closed in on him in a wooded area in Alpine, Miss. Authorities repeatedly asked Mayes to surrender before he commited suicide. Helm said the girls saw Mayes shoot himself and added that counseling will be provided to them.

Mayes was charged with the killings of Jo Ann Bain, 31, and her daughter, Adrienne, 14. He also allegedly kidnapped the woman's daughters Alexandria Bain, 12, and Kyliyah Bain, 8. The girls were rescued. They were found with Mayes and were suffering from exposure, dehydration and poison ivy after being rescued in northern Mississippi on Thursday.

Mayes had been on the run from FBI and state authorities for two weeks, after a search commenced after the April 27 disappearance of Jo Ann Bain and the three girls. Bain's husband reported her missing. The bodies of Jo Ann Bain and her daughter, Adrienne, 14, were found buried outside Mayes' home a week after the disappearance was reported.

Former in-laws told the media that Mayes was obsessed with the girls and thought that he was their father. However, Helm said no motive has been established at this time.

Mayes was placed on the FBI's Top 10 most-wanted list after killing the mother and daughter. A reward of more than $170,000 was offered for information leading to Mayes' whereabouts.

Tip About Cabin Suitable For Hide-out

FBI Special Agent Jason Pack on Friday said that a citizen walked into a command post in Guntown and provided a tip about a location that could have served as a suitable hide-out location. That location was in the woods, about 100 yards off a logging road.

Seventeen law enforcement agencies from two states had sought Mayes, and a grid search was being carried out when he was located.

The tip didn't mention seeing a person, just a cabin in the woods that may be suitable for hiding out and may have power, Pack said by telephone. This is a heavily wooded area. There are hundreds of cabins in the area. People say you should check this particular one.

Pack said authorities received hundreds of tips, some which were similar about checking the cabins in the woods. He added that authorities will contact the person who gave the tip if a name was given.

Helm said the case against Mayes remains open and that more evidence needs to be processed, statements need to be taken and that an autopsy must be completed.

Authorities will also be preparing the case for trial, Helm said.

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