Adam Radford's character on Absentia created one of the central mysteries on the show. His growing involvement in Emily Byrne's case made him a cruvial part of the story's moral maze,a nd his death hit just as hard, particularly because of the mystery surrounding it.Adam’s fate becomes less of a plot detail and more of a question mark hanging over the entire series. If you need to revisit his character arc, you're at the right place. Here's what happened to Adam Radford on Absentia, and who caused his death.The circumstances of Adam's death on Absentia View this post on Instagram Instagram PostWhen the evidence against Emily piles up, both the FBI and Boston Police push her to surrender. Instead, chaos cracks open old emotions between her and Nick, and she chooses to run, determined to untangle the nightmare consuming her life. Adam, meanwhile, knows she broke into his house. Emily convinces Nick that Adam is hiding something, but he tells her a warrant is already out. Alice starts doubting Emily’s intentions. Nick and Emily briefly fall back into old intimacy at her motel before she slips away the moment he turns his back.Adam suspends Nick for helping her, and Gibbs tries prying answers from Emily’s father, Warren, himself a former agent. Emily calls Warren, and he urges her to keep fighting. She then kidnaps Adam, calling Nick as she transports him. Nick and Gibbs track her down, arriving just as Adam confesses he took bribes from Semerov and Regina and became obsessed with the Bleeding Eye case while searching for her.Emily still believes Harlow is the real killer and worked with an accomplice tied to the two new murders. Her search points back to Adam, especially after she finds his notebook filled with Bleeding Eye sketches. But just as she prepares to release him, shots erupt from a dark corridor, and Adam is killed.So who killed Adam?Adam Radford on Absentia (Image via Prime Video)The truth about who actually shoots Adam Radford remains deliberately hidden, because the episode never reveals the person behind the gun. The scene is shot and delivered in a way to suggest Emily Byrne might be responsible, turning the pressure on her up to its highest point. Later developments in the season, however, link Adam’s murder to the larger web controlled by Logan Brandt, who moves through the story under the alias Laurie Colson.As the season unfolds, the conspiracy surrounding Logan Brandt and her associates offers the clearest explanation for Adam’s assassination. The show embraces that uncertainty, using Adam’s death to fracture alliances, heighten mistrust, and drive every character deeper into the series’ maze of manipulation.The ambiguity is what has made Adam's death one of the biggest twists and red herrings on the show. It's a question that has haunted long time fans for years, and will probably continue to do so, given the show's cancellation after three seasons.Absentia is available to stream Prime Video.