LANCASTER, N.Y. -- More than three decades after his body was found, a team of law enforcement is working to find out what happened to James Adamski.
"From all accounts that we're aware of, he was a super-friendly guy, well-liked in high school. He was just, I guess, what we would describe as just an everyday good guy," said Jim Robinson, a detective lieutenant with the Lancaster Police Department.
Adamski was found dead in Lancaster on December 26, 1982. He was 18, and last seen nearly two months earlier.
"On the day before Halloween, there was a party at the old bar called 5 & 23. It's located on Transit Road in the village of Depew, just north of Walden Avenue," said Robinson.
After spending a good portion of the night at the party, Robinson says Adamski left the bar with a girl he knew from high school.
"They walked together, probably for about 300 or 400 yards. That person split off and went in another direction, James continued southbound on Transit Road and he was last seen in the area of Transit and Broadway sometime around 3:30 in the morning," said Robinson. He says Adamski was about a half mile to a mile away from home at that point.
Adamski's body was discovered in an old railroad track bed off Ransom Road by two hunters. The medical examiner determined he died from head trauma.
"He was in a shallow grave, covered up by a bunch of leaves and twigs," said Robinson.
While he says the initial investigation was extremely thorough, a lot has changed since then, so the case is now in the hands of a new set of detectives.
"They can offer us a new perspective, some fresh eyes, in addition to using advancements in forensic science," said Lancaster Police Chief Gerald Gill.
"We are just making every effort in order to hopefully give the remaining family members some closure," said Robinson.
That includes offering a $10,000 reward, combined with $1,000 from Crime Stoppers Buffalo for information leading to the killer's arrest.
"People who were at the bar who may not even think they know something, probably do know something," said District Attorney John Flynn, D-Erie County. "I am pleading with anyone who may have saw something that evening, who may know something about this case to please come forward."
Robinson says Adamski is survived by two brothers and a sister, and they're supportive of the effort to review the case. He says State Police have been assisting the investigation and have re-interviewed everyone they could track down during the last year.