Millie Adams woke up in her vehicle and it was dark outside. The next thing she knew her car went into the water. She tried to get the seat belt off but she couldn't. She tried to use her cell phone to call 911 and it was dead. She screamed for help but no one heard her. Finally she took her last breath and that was it.
Sheriff Opie Taylor got a call from Betty Miller concerned that her friend hadn't returned from a church meeting. He had looked around her house and had found nothing out of place. He went ahead and filed a missing person's report and also issued a BOLO for Millie Adams. He also made a phone call to Aaron Hotchner, her great-nephew.
Former Sheriff Andy Taylor was listening to the police scanner and had heard the news. It was about midnight when the call came in. He got into his vehicle and started driving around. He noticed that the gate to the Mount Airy Lake looked like a car had crashed through it.
The former Sheriff stayed on the phone with his son as he entered the parking lot of the boat ramp. He was concerned about his father going down there alone.
"I'm now walking down the observation deck. Oh, my God."
"Dad, what is it?"
"Opie, I think I've found Millie Adam's car and it's in the water. I can hope that she got out of the car but that is unlikely."
The back bumper of the car and the license plate was visible but just barely.
"Looks like a Lincoln Towncar but I can't read the license."
Opie arrived with a couple of minutes as did several Mt. Airy Police vehicles.
Within minutes, it was clear to everyone that Millie Adams had somehow driven her car into the lake and had drowned.