July 19, 2019 • 31 mins
In October 2009, a white pick-up truck was found abandoned deep in the Sans Bois mountains in Oklahoma. The discovery would spark the beginning of one of the state's most peculiar and tragic unexplained mysteries.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
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(01:10):
It had been a relatively quiet day down at the
Latimer County Sheriff's office when the call came in. On
that unforgettable Saturday of October seventeenth, two thousand and nine,
a group of deer hunters making their way down Oklahoma's
Panola Mountain in the Sands Boys Mountain Range had spotted
a white pickup truck parked by the side of the road,
(01:33):
which hadn't moved all day. Since the area was popular
with hunters and also close to a number of gas
wells that were in need of occasional maintenance, it wasn't
unusual to see vehicles parked up there in unlikely locations,
but something about this truck just didn't quite fit. Going
over to take a closer look, they were surprised to
(01:56):
find a small black and white dog lying on the
back seat that seemed strangely lethargic. It might be nothing,
they explained to the sheriff's office, but if the dog
was left inside any longer, there was a good chance
it could be in serious trouble. Sheriff Israel Beauchamp knew
the location well as a particularly dense and rugged tract
(02:18):
of local woodland, not the sort of place you might
go for a casual hike, for example, but considering a
dog had been left on the back seat, there was
little to suggest that the truck's owners wouldn't be coming
back anytime soon. That was until a second call came
through later that afternoon confirming that an actual fact, the
(02:40):
truck hadn't been sat there for a few hours, but
rather days. You're listening to Unexplained and I'm Richard McClane smith.
It was early evening by the time patrol cars carrying
(03:01):
Sheriff Beauchamp, under Sheriff Matt Bone and several other officers
from Latimer County Sheriff's Office set off toward Panola Mountain,
making their way north, heading ever deeper into the Sandboys Mountains,
they soon found the white pickup located high into the mountain,
roughly a third of the way between the towns of
(03:22):
Panola and Kinter. Having pulled up alongside it, the officers
stepped out into the fast cooling air and made their
way over to the vehicle, with their first concern being
for the safety of the dog. They wasted little time
and breaking a window to gain access to the truck,
only to recoil immediately at the smell coming from inside,
(03:45):
clearly the dog, which they found to be severely malnourished
and dehydrated, had been trapped in there for some time.
After giving her some water and laying her gently on
to the back of a patrol vehicle, the officers proceeded
to search the rest of the abandoned truck. Though it
wasn't quite heavy jacket weather, they were surprised to see
(04:07):
a number of coats and other clothing items scattered about inside.
Having found a few kids toys in the back as well,
it was clear this wasn't a maintenance truck and not
likely to be hunters either. Most likely, they thought, given
the situation with the dog, the truck had simply been
stolen and abandoned out there for whatever reason. Only moments later,
(04:32):
officers discovered not only mobile phones and a GPS device
left abandoned on the dashboard, but also a wallet and
purse had been left inside, both complete with cash and
cards untouched. Examining the items, the officers found two sets
of identification, one for a forty year old Sherrilyn Jamieson
(04:55):
and another for forty four year old Bobby Jamieson, who
was assumed to be Sherilyn's husband, Having radioed the information
back to base, Sheriff Beauchamp soon learned that the couple
were registered owners of an address in Sandy Bass Bay,
an area located just to the northeast of the town
(05:15):
of Eufola, just under fifty miles away. However, oddly it
appeared that neither the truck nor the couple had been
reported missing in the last few days. Believing now that
the Jamisons were likely to have been the last occupants
of the truck before it was abandoned, possibly along with
(05:36):
a child, Beauchamp ordered a few of the officers to
make a cursory search of the area to see if
they could find anything. Though that part of the forest
was not ideal for an impromptu walk, being especially thick
and difficult to navigate, there was no accounting for what
people who were unfamiliar with the area might do. Perhaps
(05:56):
he thought the family had merely wandered off, got lost
or injured somehow. Fearing something worse, Beauchamp and Bone also
made sure to examine the truck and the ground around
it for any sign of a struggle or something to
suggest the occupants had been forced out against their will. However,
(06:17):
no signs of blood, dens or scratches were found on
the truck, and nor did they discover any scuff marks
or scraps of clothing on the ground, the usual signifiers
of a violent altercation. Officers searching the immediate vicinity also
failed to turn up any clues as to the whereabouts
of the vehicle's owners. With the sun having all but
(06:40):
vanished behind the mountains, there was little more they could do.
Sheriff Beauchamp took one last look at the abandoned truck,
then into the still unmoving forest beyond, and ordered the
officers back into their cars. The following day, Sunday eighteenth,
(07:06):
having confirmed that the Jamiesons were not at home, Bobby
Jamieson's mother, Starlett, was informed by the Sheriff's office that
her son's truck had been found abandoned. As the terrible
implications of this news sunk in, it was only then
that she realized it had been over a month since
she last heard from the family. Starlett would go on
(07:27):
to confirm that her son and Chyline were indeed married,
and also had a daughter together named Madison, who just
recently celebrated her sixth birthday. Struggling to contain herself, Starlett
thought hard about what they might have been doing out
there in the woods. Finally, after a long pause, she
(07:48):
remembered the couple had talked about buying some land close
to the town of Red Oak, a small community of
roughly five hundred people located at the southern foot of
Panola Mountain. Both Bobby and Sherilyn, from what the police
would soon learn, were a somewhat reclusive couple. As such,
despite being close to friends and family, they would often
(08:10):
go for weeks, even months at a time without speaking
to anyone for as yet unknown reasons. It seemed that
the family had decided to move from their present home
in the bright Sandybass Bay and set up somewhere far
more remote and ideally off grid. The couple had also
recently pulled Madison out of school in preparation for the move,
(08:34):
which also helped to explain why nobody had reported the
family missing. When officers first arrived at the Jamieson's home
in Sandybass Bay, they discovered a large shipping container sitting
on the front lawn. This, it seemed, was going to
be their new home. Once they had found a plot
of land to install it on. Strangely, they also found
(08:57):
scrawled across the container some unusual graffiti stating three cats
killed to date by people in this area, which is
don't like their black cat killed back up the mountain.
Earlier that morning, officers had returned to the truck to
continue their investigation. After conducting a second search of the vehicle,
(09:21):
they made an unexpected discovery. A money wallet stuffed full
with thirty two thousand dollars in cash, was found wedged
under a front seat. Soon after, officers had also found
a deeply personal eleven page letter written by Cheryl Lynn
and directed at Bobby. In it, she expressed her sadness,
(09:43):
anger and frustration at all the years that she and
her husband had spent fighting, and her worry that what
he really wanted was to be alone and away from
the family. Realizing the abandoned truck was now almost certainly
a crime scene, Sheriff Beauchamp ordered it to be taped
off immediately as they set about trying to piece together
(10:04):
just who Bobby and Sheril and Jamieson were exactly. It
wasn't long after that officers also learned from Starlett that
Cherrilynn kept a point twenty two pistol on her at
all times, but no sign of it was found in
the truck later that day. Realizing that Jamison's hadn't been
(10:30):
seen or heard from for at least a week, the
Latimer County Sheriff Office initiated a major search operation, recruiting
local fire and forest services to help find the missing family.
Posters were put up in nearby towns and media appeals
launched asking for people to come forward with any news
on the families possible whereabouts, and before long, a rough
(10:54):
outline was beginning to emerge. Having been searching online for
a plot of land to move to, the Jamiesons had
come across the perfect location, a secluded forty acre spot
surrounded by forest, not far from Red Oak and nearby
Panola Mountain. After setting out to visit it on October seventh,
(11:17):
the family had headed east, making a stop at a
gas station in Poorham, a town just fifteen miles from
their home, before continuing on south towards the Sands Boys Mountains.
A resident of the mountain region remembered seeing them that day,
having stopped to help them with directions. The Jamiesons were
(11:37):
then thought to have returned home before heading back out
the next day with the intention of visiting the plot again,
just as they had done on the seventh. They stopped
once more in Poorham to get gas before heading into
the mountains, and that, as far as investigators knew, was
the last time that anybody had seen them alive. There's
(12:01):
a miner break in the case when a photograph of
Madison is discovered and one of the phones left in
the truck. The photo, taken at two forty seven pm
on October the eighth, showed Madison standing in front of
a rock, with her arm folded across her chest and
a wide, toothless smile on her face. The search team
(12:21):
soon discovered the location of the photo, roughly twenty minutes
walk from where the truck was discovered, but there is
no other sign of the family to be found. For
the next week, the search continued, with hundreds of volunteers
joining in, aided by helicopters and fixed wing aircraft, as
well as cadaver and air scent dogs. For days, they
(12:44):
trekked through the thick brush, along steep cliffs and deep
craggy ravines, but all to no avail, and though the
volunteers were well meaning, many struggled with the treacherous to reign,
with police often having to take care that they themselves
didn't get lost. Meanwhile, as more and more people contacted
(13:07):
the police to help them with their inquiries and investigators
looked a little further into the family's history, things were
beginning to get a little murky. Are you always taking
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(14:11):
Download the app or visit teledoc dot com forward slash
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slash Unexplained podcast. Sherilyn Jamison born Sherilyn Duncan first met
(14:33):
Bobby in two thousand and two, and the pair became
immediately inseparable. For the thirty two year old Sherilyn, six
years since an acrimonious divorce, Bobby was a breath of
fresh air and the first boyfriend she had trusted since
separating from her first husband. Sherilyn also had a son, Colton,
(14:54):
from the previous marriage, none of which mattered to Bobby,
for whom it was also love at first sight. Before long,
the pair were expecting their first child and planning for
their perfect future together as a family. In August two
thousand and three, daughter Madison, was born. A few months later,
(15:17):
whilst making his way back from work, Bobby's car was
hit by two other vehicles simultaneously. Though Bobby survived the crash,
severe damage to his spine left him with chronic back pain,
making it impossible for him to work and forced the
family to rely on wealthfare checks to get by. The
couple's spirits were raised, however, when they decided to get
(15:39):
married in two thousand and four, before settling down together
with baby Madison in a sizeable home in Sandy Bass Bay,
a quiet, tranquil spot that backed on to Lake Eufola.
But as the Latimer County Sheriff's Office soon came to realize,
what should have marked the beginning of a settled, harmonious
(15:59):
life together was soon to be overshadowed by a series
of catastrophically destabilizing events. With the couple struggling for money
and Bobby still unable to work, they took out a
second mortgage on their home, increasing their debts significantly. To
compensate for the loss of employment, Bobby filed a lawsuit
(16:20):
against the three individuals involved in the traffic accident. To
make matters worse. However, the case was dismissed the following year,
leaving the couple even more out of pocket. As his
chronic back pain persisted, Bobby sunk in and out of depression.
One afternoon in two thousand and seven, Sherilyn received the
(16:41):
devastating news that her younger sister, Marla had died unexpectedly
after suffering a severe allergic reaction to a beasting. It
was as if the whole world were conspiring against them.
For Sherilyn, especially who suffered from bipolar depression, life was
becoming an ever steepening uphill struggle. For both Bobby and Sherlyn, however,
(17:06):
solace could always be sought in Madison In despite even
their most turbulent times, they both fought to keep the
family together as best they could for her sake, if
not always their own. It was on one morning, a
few weeks into the search, that one of the cadaver
dog handlers fell to hefty tugging at the leash, releasing
(17:28):
the dog, which had been given items of the family's
clothes to smell earlier in the day. The search team
struggled to keep up as it made its way toward
a large water tower. Having singled out the spot so emphatically,
it was clear to investigators that whatever the dog had
sensed would be significant. Later that afternoon, detectives watched expectantly
(17:54):
as bit by bit all the water was drained from
the tower until only a small puddle remained at the
bottom of it, but nothing of note was found. A
further financial blow came in two thousand and eight, when
(18:14):
Bob Senior sold a gas station he owned, but refused
to split the proceeds with his son. Bobby had spent
a great deal of time working there for free, on
the understanding that he would profit from its eventual sale.
The ensuing spat coincided with a complete breakdown in Bobby's parents' marriage.
(18:35):
Bob Senior, perhaps provoked by his son's anger, allegedly took
to threatening his wife and Bobby's family, even trying at
one point to run his son over. In May two
thousand and nine, afraid of what his father might do,
Bobby filed a restraining order against him. The order, which
(18:56):
was later dismissed, alleged that Bob Senior threatened to kill
Cherylynne and her son Colton, and also kidnapped Madison. Bobby
went on to accuse his father of associating with violent
gangs and sex workers, while also alleging that he had
recently been admitted to hospital with crystal meth in his
(19:16):
system and was showing early signs of dementia. However, at
the time of the family's disappearance, Bob Senior, who was
in progressively poor health, was also living in a nursing
home and was promptly struck off as a suspect. What
was of interest, however, were the CCTV cameras that had
(19:38):
been installed at the Jamieson family home for fear of
what Bob Senior might have done. Fortuitously, the cameras had
been recording the day the Jamisons left their home for
the final time. But if the detectives were hoping the
recordings might finally bring some clarity to the investigation, they
(19:58):
would be sorely mistaken. The case of the missing Jamison
family was about to get even more peculiar. It started
innocuously enough with footage of Sherilyn and Bobby loading various
items into the family's white pickup as Madison merrily watches on.
(20:19):
But as the footage continued, detectives noticed something a little unusual.
Neither Sherilyn or Bobby were engaging with each other at all.
Not only that, but they were loading and unloading the
same bags in and out of the truck as they
made roughly twenty trips back and forth from the house.
(20:40):
A psychologist called in to analyze the footage speculated that
the couple were under the influence of some kind of drug,
and finally it all seemed to make sense. Why else
would they have had thirty two thousand dollars of cash
in the truck. Drawing lines between Bobsy's apparent use of
(21:01):
crystal meth and Bobby's talk of violent gangs, detectives began
to wonder if whatever had taken place might have had
something to do with a drug deal gone wrong. However,
when the FBI searched the family's property, they found nothing
to suggest any involvement with this line of inquiry, and
nor was anything found in the truck connected to it either.
(21:31):
In the midst of Bobby's violent spat with his father,
to make matters even worse, Cheryl Lynne lost custody of
her son, Colton. The subsequent emotional fallout, combined with her
struggles with bipolar depression, came to an inescapable head when
in early September, a month before the family disappeared, Cheryl
(21:52):
Lynne attempted unsuccessfully to take her own life. In the
wake of Cheryl Lynne's desperate act, it appeared she and
Bobby made plans to take her survival as an opportunity
to wipe their slate clean and attempt to start again
on their own terms. It was around the same time
that Bobby was awarded thirty two thousand dollars for his
(22:15):
share of the gas station sale money after filing a
claim against his father. Many believe it was in fact
this cash and not drug money, but was found in
the Jamison's truck. With the freedom this money had afforded,
the family began preparing for a life off grid, swatting
up on what skills and materials they would need, buying
(22:37):
books and resources to home school Madison, and looking for
available plots of land. When Madison lost her two front
teeth in a school playground accident soon after, it felt
like a vindication of their plans. By October twenty fourth,
more than two weeks since the family had last been seen,
(23:00):
there remained no sign of them, and with the arrival
of the hunting season, the search was suspended as police
stepped up their efforts to look for more clues. Another
intriguing lead came to light involving a temporary lodger that
the family had taken in in June. The man named
Kenneth had been moved in to help pay some bills
(23:22):
and carry out various maintenance tasks that Bobby couldn't do
on account of his back. It was a few months later,
with Bobby out of the house, that sherrel Lynn was
sat watching t V on the sofa when Kenneth came
over to sit with her. When Sheryllyn asked him what
he wanted, he proceeded to explain in no uncertain terms
(23:44):
that he was a white supremacist and the thought of
her Native American heritage made him sick to his stomach. Horrified,
sheryl Lynn jumped straight from the sofa, grabbed her point
twenty two pistol and chased Kenneth out of the house
with it, firing two shots into the ground as he fled.
(24:05):
Police followed this inquiry up, too, wondering perhaps if the
racist Kenneth had sought some kind of retribution with the family. However,
soon after, he too was struck off as a suspect,
with one lead after another coming to a dead end.
(24:28):
Just when things couldn't have got any more convoluted, the
Latimer County Sheriff's Office were contacted by the Jamison families
pastor Gary Brandon. Brandon, who thought fondly of the family,
especially Madeline, had known the Jamison's for a number of years,
and often offered his time and counsel whenever they needed it.
(24:49):
Nothing could have prepared him, however, for what Bobby came
to see him about one morning shortly before he disappeared.
It had started, apparently sometime time earlier in the year,
when Cheryl Lynne found Madison talking to someone in their
house when there wasn't anybody else there. When Sherrilyn asked
(25:10):
who she was speaking to, Madison replied simply it was
her friend Emily. Soon after, both Bobby and Cheryl Lynn
claimed he witnessed apparitions moving about their home, often seeing
them standing on the roof of the house. Bobby had
wanted to know if the preacher knew of any special
(25:32):
bullets that could be used to get rid of the
terrifying spirits, Not quite knowing what to make of it all,
these revelations became just the latest in this mind bending
case for investigators that only seemed to get more complex
the deeper they scratched below the surface. As Latimer County
(25:52):
Sheriff Beauchamp later exclaimed, normally, you go through an investigation
and one by one start to emanate certain scenarios. But
with this family, everything seemed possible. What was needed more
than anything to piece it all together if the family
were indeed dead, as many suspected, was a body. But
(26:17):
as weeks turned into months, with absolutely nothing to show
for it, the search was eventually called off. Though the
investigation remained open. As one suspect after another was dismissed,
the peculiar case of the missing Jamison family slipped inevitably
from the list of priorities. It was early in November
(26:46):
two and thirteen when Sharry and Tim Graham from Quinton
in Oklahoma set out towards an area on the north
side of Panola Mountain known as Smokestack Hollow. The idyllic
spot had become a favorite ground for the pair ever
since their first experience there back in two thousand, just
as they had done for every opening weekend of the
(27:08):
past thirteen years. A couple, this time with their young
nephew in tow arrived early at their favorite camping spot
and promptly set up camp. With a light rain beginning
to fall, the family kitted up and headed out for
their first session of the day. A few hours later,
(27:28):
with the rain continuing to fall, the family had yet
to spot anything Just as they were about to turn back, However,
a sudden pause in the rain was followed by a
break in the cloud and the appearance of a single
ray of light shining through the canopy onto a spot
of grass just a few yards ahead of them. Gazing
(27:50):
on in wonder at the natural marvel in front of him,
Tim was instantly drawn to the spot where the sunbeam
was hitting the ground, through which something appeared to be
glinting in the light. Tim moved closer to investigate and
kicked at it with his foot, drawing back in horror,
who looked on aghast as the hard white thing rolled
(28:13):
over to reveal two large eye sockets. It was unmistakably
a human skull. Sharry rushed over to help, tripping over
something else in the ground that soon revealed itself to
be a femal bone attached to an entire human skeleton.
Then Tim spotted another one next to it. It was
(28:39):
late in the evening before officers from Latimer County Sheriff's
Office made it to the scene. The bones three skeletons
in total, two adults and one child, had been found
about seventy five yards from a dirt track, and two
and a half miles from whether Jamison's abandoned pickup had
(28:59):
first been spotted, though it would be a further eight
months before it was officially confirmed the bodies of six
year old Madison, forty year old Sheryl Lynn, and forty
four year old Bobby Jamison had finally been discovered. But
in a case that had confounded from day one that
(29:21):
the discovery of the bones might mark the beginning of
the end for the investigation, it was anything but. Excruciatingly,
forensics were unable to determine the cause of death for
any of them. A small hole found in Bobby's skull
suggesting a bullet wound, was considered equally likely to have
(29:41):
been caused by a forest animal some time after his death. Certainly,
no gun, bullets or any other possible murder weapons, including
Sheryl Lynne's point twenty two pistol, were found near the scene.
The case remains unsolved. If you enjoy listening to Unexplained
(30:09):
and would like to help support us, you can now
go to Unexplained podcast dot com forward slash support. All donations,
no matter how large or small, are massively appreciated. All
elements of Unexplained are produced by me, Richard McClain Smith.
Please subscribe and rate the show on iTunes, and feel
(30:30):
free to get in touch with any thoughts or ideas
regarding the stories you've heard on the show. Perhaps you
have an explanation of your own you'd like to share.
You can reach us online at Unexplained podcast dot com,
or Twitter at Unexplained Pod and Facebook at Facebook dot com.
Forward slash Unexplained Now, it's time to take care of yourself.
(31:02):
To make time for you. Teledoc gives you access to
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your best. Speak to a licensed therapist by phone or
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m Local time, seven days a week. Teledoc Therapy is
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(31:25):
visit teledoc dot com. Forward Slash Unexplained Podcast to day
to get Started. That's t e l a d oc
dot com Slash Unexplained Podcast
Membership, peace, apply after free trial, cancel anytime. Can I
be real with you for a second. That goal you
have to exercise and eat better? You really can do it,
but nobody is going to do it for you. Nobody
is going to push you out of bed to work out,
Nobody is going to make you eat better. But here's
the thing. Nobody has to because you can do it
if you have the right tools and a community that
(00:22):
cares about helping you get results. And that's us beach Body.
Two and a half million people each doing the Beach
Body program that fits our own goals. Over eighty to
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nutrition plans that teach you how to eat healthy and
still enjoy food. What we all have in common is
we know it's not easy, so we help each other.
(00:43):
It's as convenient as your TV or laptop, but you
need to decide that you're worth it. That's why I'm
inviting you to try our amazing Beachbody fitness and nutrition programs.
Let us help you succeed. Here's al Go to beachbody
dot com to claim your free membership and start feeling great.
(01:10):
It had been a relatively quiet day down at the
Latimer County Sheriff's office when the call came in. On
that unforgettable Saturday of October seventeenth, two thousand and nine,
a group of deer hunters making their way down Oklahoma's
Panola Mountain in the Sands Boys Mountain Range had spotted
a white pickup truck parked by the side of the road,
(01:33):
which hadn't moved all day. Since the area was popular
with hunters and also close to a number of gas
wells that were in need of occasional maintenance, it wasn't
unusual to see vehicles parked up there in unlikely locations,
but something about this truck just didn't quite fit. Going
over to take a closer look, they were surprised to
(01:56):
find a small black and white dog lying on the
back seat that seemed strangely lethargic. It might be nothing,
they explained to the sheriff's office, but if the dog
was left inside any longer, there was a good chance
it could be in serious trouble. Sheriff Israel Beauchamp knew
the location well as a particularly dense and rugged tract
(02:18):
of local woodland, not the sort of place you might
go for a casual hike, for example, but considering a
dog had been left on the back seat, there was
little to suggest that the truck's owners wouldn't be coming
back anytime soon. That was until a second call came
through later that afternoon confirming that an actual fact, the
(02:40):
truck hadn't been sat there for a few hours, but
rather days. You're listening to Unexplained and I'm Richard McClane smith.
It was early evening by the time patrol cars carrying
(03:01):
Sheriff Beauchamp, under Sheriff Matt Bone and several other officers
from Latimer County Sheriff's Office set off toward Panola Mountain,
making their way north, heading ever deeper into the Sandboys Mountains,
they soon found the white pickup located high into the mountain,
roughly a third of the way between the towns of
(03:22):
Panola and Kinter. Having pulled up alongside it, the officers
stepped out into the fast cooling air and made their
way over to the vehicle, with their first concern being
for the safety of the dog. They wasted little time
and breaking a window to gain access to the truck,
only to recoil immediately at the smell coming from inside,
(03:45):
clearly the dog, which they found to be severely malnourished
and dehydrated, had been trapped in there for some time.
After giving her some water and laying her gently on
to the back of a patrol vehicle, the officers proceeded
to search the rest of the abandoned truck. Though it
wasn't quite heavy jacket weather, they were surprised to see
(04:07):
a number of coats and other clothing items scattered about inside.
Having found a few kids toys in the back as well,
it was clear this wasn't a maintenance truck and not
likely to be hunters either. Most likely, they thought, given
the situation with the dog, the truck had simply been
stolen and abandoned out there for whatever reason. Only moments later,
(04:32):
officers discovered not only mobile phones and a GPS device
left abandoned on the dashboard, but also a wallet and
purse had been left inside, both complete with cash and
cards untouched. Examining the items, the officers found two sets
of identification, one for a forty year old Sherrilyn Jamieson
(04:55):
and another for forty four year old Bobby Jamieson, who
was assumed to be Sherilyn's husband, Having radioed the information
back to base, Sheriff Beauchamp soon learned that the couple
were registered owners of an address in Sandy Bass Bay,
an area located just to the northeast of the town
(05:15):
of Eufola, just under fifty miles away. However, oddly it
appeared that neither the truck nor the couple had been
reported missing in the last few days. Believing now that
the Jamisons were likely to have been the last occupants
of the truck before it was abandoned, possibly along with
(05:36):
a child, Beauchamp ordered a few of the officers to
make a cursory search of the area to see if
they could find anything. Though that part of the forest
was not ideal for an impromptu walk, being especially thick
and difficult to navigate, there was no accounting for what
people who were unfamiliar with the area might do. Perhaps
(05:56):
he thought the family had merely wandered off, got lost
or injured somehow. Fearing something worse, Beauchamp and Bone also
made sure to examine the truck and the ground around
it for any sign of a struggle or something to
suggest the occupants had been forced out against their will. However,
(06:17):
no signs of blood, dens or scratches were found on
the truck, and nor did they discover any scuff marks
or scraps of clothing on the ground, the usual signifiers
of a violent altercation. Officers searching the immediate vicinity also
failed to turn up any clues as to the whereabouts
of the vehicle's owners. With the sun having all but
(06:40):
vanished behind the mountains, there was little more they could do.
Sheriff Beauchamp took one last look at the abandoned truck,
then into the still unmoving forest beyond, and ordered the
officers back into their cars. The following day, Sunday eighteenth,
(07:06):
having confirmed that the Jamiesons were not at home, Bobby
Jamieson's mother, Starlett, was informed by the Sheriff's office that
her son's truck had been found abandoned. As the terrible
implications of this news sunk in, it was only then
that she realized it had been over a month since
she last heard from the family. Starlett would go on
(07:27):
to confirm that her son and Chyline were indeed married,
and also had a daughter together named Madison, who just
recently celebrated her sixth birthday. Struggling to contain herself, Starlett
thought hard about what they might have been doing out
there in the woods. Finally, after a long pause, she
(07:48):
remembered the couple had talked about buying some land close
to the town of Red Oak, a small community of
roughly five hundred people located at the southern foot of
Panola Mountain. Both Bobby and Sherilyn, from what the police
would soon learn, were a somewhat reclusive couple. As such,
despite being close to friends and family, they would often
(08:10):
go for weeks, even months at a time without speaking
to anyone for as yet unknown reasons. It seemed that
the family had decided to move from their present home
in the bright Sandybass Bay and set up somewhere far
more remote and ideally off grid. The couple had also
recently pulled Madison out of school in preparation for the move,
(08:34):
which also helped to explain why nobody had reported the
family missing. When officers first arrived at the Jamieson's home
in Sandybass Bay, they discovered a large shipping container sitting
on the front lawn. This, it seemed, was going to
be their new home. Once they had found a plot
of land to install it on. Strangely, they also found
(08:57):
scrawled across the container some unusual graffiti stating three cats
killed to date by people in this area, which is
don't like their black cat killed back up the mountain.
Earlier that morning, officers had returned to the truck to
continue their investigation. After conducting a second search of the vehicle,
(09:21):
they made an unexpected discovery. A money wallet stuffed full
with thirty two thousand dollars in cash, was found wedged
under a front seat. Soon after, officers had also found
a deeply personal eleven page letter written by Cheryl Lynn
and directed at Bobby. In it, she expressed her sadness,
(09:43):
anger and frustration at all the years that she and
her husband had spent fighting, and her worry that what
he really wanted was to be alone and away from
the family. Realizing the abandoned truck was now almost certainly
a crime scene, Sheriff Beauchamp ordered it to be taped
off immediately as they set about trying to piece together
(10:04):
just who Bobby and Sheril and Jamieson were exactly. It
wasn't long after that officers also learned from Starlett that
Cherrilynn kept a point twenty two pistol on her at
all times, but no sign of it was found in
the truck later that day. Realizing that Jamison's hadn't been
(10:30):
seen or heard from for at least a week, the
Latimer County Sheriff Office initiated a major search operation, recruiting
local fire and forest services to help find the missing family.
Posters were put up in nearby towns and media appeals
launched asking for people to come forward with any news
on the families possible whereabouts, and before long, a rough
(10:54):
outline was beginning to emerge. Having been searching online for
a plot of land to move to, the Jamiesons had
come across the perfect location, a secluded forty acre spot
surrounded by forest, not far from Red Oak and nearby
Panola Mountain. After setting out to visit it on October seventh,
(11:17):
the family had headed east, making a stop at a
gas station in Poorham, a town just fifteen miles from
their home, before continuing on south towards the Sands Boys Mountains.
A resident of the mountain region remembered seeing them that day,
having stopped to help them with directions. The Jamiesons were
(11:37):
then thought to have returned home before heading back out
the next day with the intention of visiting the plot again,
just as they had done on the seventh. They stopped
once more in Poorham to get gas before heading into
the mountains, and that, as far as investigators knew, was
the last time that anybody had seen them alive. There's
(12:01):
a miner break in the case when a photograph of
Madison is discovered and one of the phones left in
the truck. The photo, taken at two forty seven pm
on October the eighth, showed Madison standing in front of
a rock, with her arm folded across her chest and
a wide, toothless smile on her face. The search team
(12:21):
soon discovered the location of the photo, roughly twenty minutes
walk from where the truck was discovered, but there is
no other sign of the family to be found. For
the next week, the search continued, with hundreds of volunteers
joining in, aided by helicopters and fixed wing aircraft, as
well as cadaver and air scent dogs. For days, they
(12:44):
trekked through the thick brush, along steep cliffs and deep
craggy ravines, but all to no avail, and though the
volunteers were well meaning, many struggled with the treacherous to reign,
with police often having to take care that they themselves
didn't get lost. Meanwhile, as more and more people contacted
(13:07):
the police to help them with their inquiries and investigators
looked a little further into the family's history, things were
beginning to get a little murky. Are you always taking
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(14:11):
Download the app or visit teledoc dot com forward slash
Unexplained podcast today to get started. That's teladoc dot com
slash Unexplained podcast. Sherilyn Jamison born Sherilyn Duncan first met
(14:33):
Bobby in two thousand and two, and the pair became
immediately inseparable. For the thirty two year old Sherilyn, six
years since an acrimonious divorce, Bobby was a breath of
fresh air and the first boyfriend she had trusted since
separating from her first husband. Sherilyn also had a son, Colton,
(14:54):
from the previous marriage, none of which mattered to Bobby,
for whom it was also love at first sight. Before long,
the pair were expecting their first child and planning for
their perfect future together as a family. In August two
thousand and three, daughter Madison, was born. A few months later,
(15:17):
whilst making his way back from work, Bobby's car was
hit by two other vehicles simultaneously. Though Bobby survived the crash,
severe damage to his spine left him with chronic back pain,
making it impossible for him to work and forced the
family to rely on wealthfare checks to get by. The
couple's spirits were raised, however, when they decided to get
(15:39):
married in two thousand and four, before settling down together
with baby Madison in a sizeable home in Sandy Bass Bay,
a quiet, tranquil spot that backed on to Lake Eufola.
But as the Latimer County Sheriff's Office soon came to realize,
what should have marked the beginning of a settled, harmonious
(15:59):
life together was soon to be overshadowed by a series
of catastrophically destabilizing events. With the couple struggling for money
and Bobby still unable to work, they took out a
second mortgage on their home, increasing their debts significantly. To
compensate for the loss of employment, Bobby filed a lawsuit
(16:20):
against the three individuals involved in the traffic accident. To
make matters worse. However, the case was dismissed the following year,
leaving the couple even more out of pocket. As his
chronic back pain persisted, Bobby sunk in and out of depression.
One afternoon in two thousand and seven, Sherilyn received the
(16:41):
devastating news that her younger sister, Marla had died unexpectedly
after suffering a severe allergic reaction to a beasting. It
was as if the whole world were conspiring against them.
For Sherilyn, especially who suffered from bipolar depression, life was
becoming an ever steepening uphill struggle. For both Bobby and Sherlyn, however,
(17:06):
solace could always be sought in Madison In despite even
their most turbulent times, they both fought to keep the
family together as best they could for her sake, if
not always their own. It was on one morning, a
few weeks into the search, that one of the cadaver
dog handlers fell to hefty tugging at the leash, releasing
(17:28):
the dog, which had been given items of the family's
clothes to smell earlier in the day. The search team
struggled to keep up as it made its way toward
a large water tower. Having singled out the spot so emphatically,
it was clear to investigators that whatever the dog had
sensed would be significant. Later that afternoon, detectives watched expectantly
(17:54):
as bit by bit all the water was drained from
the tower until only a small puddle remained at the
bottom of it, but nothing of note was found. A
further financial blow came in two thousand and eight, when
(18:14):
Bob Senior sold a gas station he owned, but refused
to split the proceeds with his son. Bobby had spent
a great deal of time working there for free, on
the understanding that he would profit from its eventual sale.
The ensuing spat coincided with a complete breakdown in Bobby's parents' marriage.
(18:35):
Bob Senior, perhaps provoked by his son's anger, allegedly took
to threatening his wife and Bobby's family, even trying at
one point to run his son over. In May two
thousand and nine, afraid of what his father might do,
Bobby filed a restraining order against him. The order, which
(18:56):
was later dismissed, alleged that Bob Senior threatened to kill
Cherylynne and her son Colton, and also kidnapped Madison. Bobby
went on to accuse his father of associating with violent
gangs and sex workers, while also alleging that he had
recently been admitted to hospital with crystal meth in his
(19:16):
system and was showing early signs of dementia. However, at
the time of the family's disappearance, Bob Senior, who was
in progressively poor health, was also living in a nursing
home and was promptly struck off as a suspect. What
was of interest, however, were the CCTV cameras that had
(19:38):
been installed at the Jamieson family home for fear of
what Bob Senior might have done. Fortuitously, the cameras had
been recording the day the Jamisons left their home for
the final time. But if the detectives were hoping the
recordings might finally bring some clarity to the investigation, they
(19:58):
would be sorely mistaken. The case of the missing Jamison
family was about to get even more peculiar. It started
innocuously enough with footage of Sherilyn and Bobby loading various
items into the family's white pickup as Madison merrily watches on.
(20:19):
But as the footage continued, detectives noticed something a little unusual.
Neither Sherilyn or Bobby were engaging with each other at all.
Not only that, but they were loading and unloading the
same bags in and out of the truck as they
made roughly twenty trips back and forth from the house.
(20:40):
A psychologist called in to analyze the footage speculated that
the couple were under the influence of some kind of drug,
and finally it all seemed to make sense. Why else
would they have had thirty two thousand dollars of cash
in the truck. Drawing lines between Bobsy's apparent use of
(21:01):
crystal meth and Bobby's talk of violent gangs, detectives began
to wonder if whatever had taken place might have had
something to do with a drug deal gone wrong. However,
when the FBI searched the family's property, they found nothing
to suggest any involvement with this line of inquiry, and
nor was anything found in the truck connected to it either.
(21:31):
In the midst of Bobby's violent spat with his father,
to make matters even worse, Cheryl Lynne lost custody of
her son, Colton. The subsequent emotional fallout, combined with her
struggles with bipolar depression, came to an inescapable head when
in early September, a month before the family disappeared, Cheryl
(21:52):
Lynne attempted unsuccessfully to take her own life. In the
wake of Cheryl Lynne's desperate act, it appeared she and
Bobby made plans to take her survival as an opportunity
to wipe their slate clean and attempt to start again
on their own terms. It was around the same time
that Bobby was awarded thirty two thousand dollars for his
(22:15):
share of the gas station sale money after filing a
claim against his father. Many believe it was in fact
this cash and not drug money, but was found in
the Jamison's truck. With the freedom this money had afforded,
the family began preparing for a life off grid, swatting
up on what skills and materials they would need, buying
(22:37):
books and resources to home school Madison, and looking for
available plots of land. When Madison lost her two front
teeth in a school playground accident soon after, it felt
like a vindication of their plans. By October twenty fourth,
more than two weeks since the family had last been seen,
(23:00):
there remained no sign of them, and with the arrival
of the hunting season, the search was suspended as police
stepped up their efforts to look for more clues. Another
intriguing lead came to light involving a temporary lodger that
the family had taken in in June. The man named
Kenneth had been moved in to help pay some bills
(23:22):
and carry out various maintenance tasks that Bobby couldn't do
on account of his back. It was a few months later,
with Bobby out of the house, that sherrel Lynn was
sat watching t V on the sofa when Kenneth came
over to sit with her. When Sheryllyn asked him what
he wanted, he proceeded to explain in no uncertain terms
(23:44):
that he was a white supremacist and the thought of
her Native American heritage made him sick to his stomach. Horrified,
sheryl Lynn jumped straight from the sofa, grabbed her point
twenty two pistol and chased Kenneth out of the house
with it, firing two shots into the ground as he fled.
(24:05):
Police followed this inquiry up, too, wondering perhaps if the
racist Kenneth had sought some kind of retribution with the family. However,
soon after, he too was struck off as a suspect,
with one lead after another coming to a dead end.
(24:28):
Just when things couldn't have got any more convoluted, the
Latimer County Sheriff's Office were contacted by the Jamison families
pastor Gary Brandon. Brandon, who thought fondly of the family,
especially Madeline, had known the Jamison's for a number of years,
and often offered his time and counsel whenever they needed it.
(24:49):
Nothing could have prepared him, however, for what Bobby came
to see him about one morning shortly before he disappeared.
It had started, apparently sometime time earlier in the year,
when Cheryl Lynne found Madison talking to someone in their
house when there wasn't anybody else there. When Sherrilyn asked
(25:10):
who she was speaking to, Madison replied simply it was
her friend Emily. Soon after, both Bobby and Cheryl Lynn
claimed he witnessed apparitions moving about their home, often seeing
them standing on the roof of the house. Bobby had
wanted to know if the preacher knew of any special
(25:32):
bullets that could be used to get rid of the
terrifying spirits, Not quite knowing what to make of it all,
these revelations became just the latest in this mind bending
case for investigators that only seemed to get more complex
the deeper they scratched below the surface. As Latimer County
(25:52):
Sheriff Beauchamp later exclaimed, normally, you go through an investigation
and one by one start to emanate certain scenarios. But
with this family, everything seemed possible. What was needed more
than anything to piece it all together if the family
were indeed dead, as many suspected, was a body. But
(26:17):
as weeks turned into months, with absolutely nothing to show
for it, the search was eventually called off. Though the
investigation remained open. As one suspect after another was dismissed,
the peculiar case of the missing Jamison family slipped inevitably
from the list of priorities. It was early in November
(26:46):
two and thirteen when Sharry and Tim Graham from Quinton
in Oklahoma set out towards an area on the north
side of Panola Mountain known as Smokestack Hollow. The idyllic
spot had become a favorite ground for the pair ever
since their first experience there back in two thousand, just
as they had done for every opening weekend of the
(27:08):
past thirteen years. A couple, this time with their young
nephew in tow arrived early at their favorite camping spot
and promptly set up camp. With a light rain beginning
to fall, the family kitted up and headed out for
their first session of the day. A few hours later,
(27:28):
with the rain continuing to fall, the family had yet
to spot anything Just as they were about to turn back, However,
a sudden pause in the rain was followed by a
break in the cloud and the appearance of a single
ray of light shining through the canopy onto a spot
of grass just a few yards ahead of them. Gazing
(27:50):
on in wonder at the natural marvel in front of him,
Tim was instantly drawn to the spot where the sunbeam
was hitting the ground, through which something appeared to be
glinting in the light. Tim moved closer to investigate and
kicked at it with his foot, drawing back in horror,
who looked on aghast as the hard white thing rolled
(28:13):
over to reveal two large eye sockets. It was unmistakably
a human skull. Sharry rushed over to help, tripping over
something else in the ground that soon revealed itself to
be a femal bone attached to an entire human skeleton.
Then Tim spotted another one next to it. It was
(28:39):
late in the evening before officers from Latimer County Sheriff's
Office made it to the scene. The bones three skeletons
in total, two adults and one child, had been found
about seventy five yards from a dirt track, and two
and a half miles from whether Jamison's abandoned pickup had
(28:59):
first been spotted, though it would be a further eight
months before it was officially confirmed the bodies of six
year old Madison, forty year old Sheryl Lynn, and forty
four year old Bobby Jamison had finally been discovered. But
in a case that had confounded from day one that
(29:21):
the discovery of the bones might mark the beginning of
the end for the investigation, it was anything but. Excruciatingly,
forensics were unable to determine the cause of death for
any of them. A small hole found in Bobby's skull
suggesting a bullet wound, was considered equally likely to have
(29:41):
been caused by a forest animal some time after his death. Certainly,
no gun, bullets or any other possible murder weapons, including
Sheryl Lynne's point twenty two pistol, were found near the scene.
The case remains unsolved. If you enjoy listening to Unexplained
(30:09):
and would like to help support us, you can now
go to Unexplained podcast dot com forward slash support. All donations,
no matter how large or small, are massively appreciated. All
elements of Unexplained are produced by me, Richard McClain Smith.
Please subscribe and rate the show on iTunes, and feel
(30:30):
free to get in touch with any thoughts or ideas
regarding the stories you've heard on the show. Perhaps you
have an explanation of your own you'd like to share.
You can reach us online at Unexplained podcast dot com,
or Twitter at Unexplained Pod and Facebook at Facebook dot com.
Forward slash Unexplained Now, it's time to take care of yourself.
(31:02):
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(31:25):
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