Family Of Missing NSU Student Hoping For Closure

The search for an NSU student came to an end on Friday without finding his body. Stephen Adams has been missing for nearly a decade and new leads led authorities to search a rural area of Cherokee County this week.

Ten long years of waiting came down to crews from multiple Cherokee County agencies working together to find him.

3/14/2014 Related Story: Forensic Teams Excavate Near Keys In Search For Missing NSU Student

Older brother Chris Adams said, "I just want to know whether or not he's there and if he is that would be a really good jump on maybe getting these people."

Chris Adams' little brother disappeared in 2004, after he told his girlfriend he was giving someone a ride to Keys. Since then, there have been a number of theories of what happened to him.

"It's a letdown. You get built up. You hope something will happen, and when it doesn't, it's kind of deflating," Adams said.

The Adams family has renewed hope after a tip led investigators to land near Keys.

"This is the most movement we've had in years," Adams said.

On Thursday, crews used a radar system to pinpoint two areas where Stephen might be buried. On Friday, searchers used a backhoe, and dug about six feet deep to look for his body.

"It's a slow process. It's not a full scale, scoop out large chunks of dirt at a time. It's, peal back very gradually inches at a time, instead of bucket fills at a time," said District Attorney Brian Kuester.

Although it is a tedious process, Chris said he intends to watch until his little brother is found.

"It would give us a place to go mourn. The evidence his body may contain will hopefully break this case open, and would give us some real closure, or at least give me some real closure," Adams said.

The DA said they entered the search with cautious optimism, and that they will not give up until Adams' body is found.