When we first saw images of 26-year-old Edwin Hall on Target surveillance video he was just a person of interest in the disappearance of 18-year-old Kelsey Smith.

His former adoptive mother in Emporia saw the video too.

"She had said that she saw the film of him walking out of Target but did not recognize him then," Bobbi Mlynar, Emporia Gazette Reporter, said.

But when the Johnson County District Attorney's Office charged Hall with kidnapping and killing Smith, things became more clear.

"She knew that's who it was and she just feels horrible," Mlynar said.

Mlynar spoke exclusively with Don and Carol Hall. They adopted Edwin when he was seven years old, but later gave him up at 15. Court records show Edwin made multiple juvenile court appearances. Also, Edwin and his adoptive parents were taken to civil court after he was accused of hitting a seven year old over the head with a baseball bat. The breaking point came when according to court papers Edwin threatened one of his adoptive sisters with a knife.

"The family tried to get him the help that he needed and apparently he just didn't respond to it," Mlynar said.

And when the Hall family heard the news about Edwin's arrest, Mlynar says it was a heartbreaking experience for all of them.

"After you love a child even if things go wrong it tears your heart out if you have to give them back essentially into SRS custody, and I don't think you stop loving somebody because you couldn't fix them," Mlynar said.

In a statement released shortly after Edwin's arrest the Hall family said their thoughts and prayers are with the family of 18-year-old Kelsey Smith.