Officials with the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office say they do not expect more arrests in the murder of a 16-year-old Highlands teen whose body was found on Tuesday, March 24, at a property on CR 3015 in Tarkington. DNA testing will have to confirm the identity of the body, but authorities have good reason to believe it was Cody Bryan Adams.
Adams was a sophomore at Goose Creek High School in Baytown.
According to Capt. Billy Knox, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, it appears that Adams was killed around March 12 by his half-brother, Cade Cates, 23, of Tarkington, and Cates’ accomplice, Randy Salinas, 26, of Channelview. Knox said that the body was stabbed multiple times, causing the young man’s death. Afterward, Cates and Salinas reportedly buried him on the property.
After Adams disappeared, other family members launched a search for him, which ultimately led authorities to the Tarkington property where Cates lived in a cabin behind his grandfather.
Cade Cates 
Randy Norlan Salinas 
Katheryn Ivy Alexander
As the investigation into Adams’ disappearance began to center around the Tarkington property, Cates and Salinas, along with Cates’ girlfriend, Katheryn Ivy Alexander, 19, of Tomball, reportedly dug up the body and attempted to burn his remains in a fire pit.
Knox described a horrific scene where the trio allegedly used an ATV to move the body to the fire pit.
The motive for the killing appears to be drugs, according to Knox.
“The young man had pills on him. Nothing major. It wasn’t a large amount of prescription pills, but he was killed for it,” he said.
The Liberty County Sheriff’s Office was aided in the investigation by Texas Rangers Brandon Bess, Ryan Clendennen, Joe Dreaden and Joshua Benson.
Cates and Salinas have reportedly confessed to the murder.
Bond for Salinas has been set at $1 million while bond for Cates is $500,000. At this time, both men remain in the Liberty County Jail. Alexander has been charged with murder, according to the booking information from the County Jail. The jail also has her bond listed at $100,000,000, which Bluebonnet News plans to verify on Saturday as this may be a typographical error.
Cody Brian Adams is his name not James
https://gofund.me/81d354ed Please Attach this to your article. It is the Official Gofundme for Cody Brian Adams!
Save our tax payer money and just hang all three soon. gks
You know what GREG! if you aint got nothing nice to say then don’t say it at all. We are all here to support cody and his family. So if that’s not what your here for then go some place else. Your words mean nothing here.
I’m so beyond mad and upset right now. Cody was an amazing boy. I remember his cotton top head running around so full of life and energy. He was such a awesome child and this is so unfair. He truly was meant to so much good on this Earth and these sorry ass individuals took that away from us all. God bless u Dawn and Brian Adams. If u guys need anything please get with me.
Something isnt right about these bonds 🤔 how is the brother going to have a less bond than all of them? Dude that’s YOUR BROTHER!! NONE of them should even have a bond!! Life without parole or the DEATH SENTENCE PERIOD!!
Rip my brother Cody man me and him were bsf since the 5th grade never in a million years would I be thinking I wouldn’t be walking the graduation stage without my hb Cody don’t worry Ik you watching from up above ima graduate for us famm🤞💙