WILMINGTON — Records from the New Hanover County 911 center show that a friend of Mike Adams called after not seeing him for several days, telling a dispatcher that the UNCW professor had been ‘erratic’ for several weeks and ‘under a lot of stress.’ Dispatch records also indicate the cause of death was likely a gunshot wound.
Related: New Hanover Sheriff’s Office investigating death of UNCW Professor Mike Adams
The call came in around 12:26 p.m. on Thursday afternoon. The caller noted that Adams’ car had been parked at the residence for several days but that the caller had not seen him. [Editor’s note: New Hanover County redacts the name and identifying details of all 911 callers before releasing them to the public.]
Responding to a series of routine questions from the dispatcher, the caller noted that Adams did have firearms in his house. Asked if Adams had any physical or mental issues, the caller said friends were concerned because Adams had been “erratic for the last few weeks — not erratic ‘dangerous,’ but just he’s been under a lot of stress.”
Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) records of the incident are sparse. After calling Fire and Rescue to let them into the house, New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office (NHCSO) Deputies entered Adams’ residence at 2:06 p.m. and quickly established that the ‘rest of the house was clear, and then noting ‘gsw’ or gunshot wound. Shortly afterward, CSI and detectives were called, the medical examiner was contacted, and the crime scene log was closed around 4:50 p.m.
NHCSO is still investigating and has not released any additional information since confirming Adams’ death on Thursday evening. A cause of death has not been officially reported.
