The Mysterious Disappearance of the Jamison Family: A Cold Case Deep Dive

On October 8th 2009, the Jamison Family vanished after leaving their home in Eufaula, Oklahoma. Only a few days after they were last seen, police found the family truck near the San Bois mountains in Latimer County, Oklahoma. The family dog was found in the back seat, barely alive and very malnourished along with, all the family’s belongings, phones, ID’s and $32,000 in cash. Police found this strange as both parents were registered as on disability allowance at the time. They were also considering buying 40-acres of land near Red Oak but So, where did the money come from? Although an extensive police investigation was carried out, no evidence was found to indicate what happened to them. So, unfortunately, the case went cold.

That was until November 2013. A couple of hunters stumbled upon the skeletal remains of a child and two adults in the San Bois mountains. It took a year for the remains to be formally identified, but in July 2014, the police revealed to the public that they belonged to Sherilynn Jamison, 40, Bobby Jamison, 44 and Madyson Jamison, 6.

Police re-opened the investigation into their disappearance as the remains were found only 3 miles away from where the truck was found. After searching the area again, nothing more was found. To this day, police have not yet arrested anyone for the family’s death but the mystery remains the same, what happened to the Jamison Family?

Theory 1: Sherilynn’s mother has made her opinion known to various media and news outlets. She fully believes that her daughter and her family were victims of a cult. She has never named a specific cult but her theory makes sense. This could explain the money found in the vehicle as it could have been an “entry fee” or “pledge of loyalty” to the cult. However, due to the lack of evidence, this has not been looked into further. Also, if this was the case, why was the money left in the car? If a member of this cult was the perpetrator of their demise, they would know the money was in the car, but it was left behind.

Theory 2: The family’s pastor, Gary Brandon, suggested that they believed the family home was possessed by evil spirits. Apparently, Bobby had confessed that Sherilynn bought a satanic bible as a joke but he had actually read it. Bobby had allegedly asked if there was anyway for him to get “special bullets” to help with an exorcism. The last known footage of the Jamison family was caught on the day of their disappearance from a CCTV camera outside their home. The video shows both Sherilynn and Bobby in an almost catatonic state packing up their belongings into the car. People have claimed this is the work of witchcraft or paranormal spirits that had possessed the family however, there is obviously no evidence to support this claim.

Theory 3: Before the family’s disappearance, it is alleged that they rented out a room in their home to a handyman. This situation turned sour due to the man supposedly muttering racial slurs and talking about white supremacy. It is claimed that Sherilynn kicked him out of the home by gunpoint. According to online theorists, an empty pill bottle with the handyman’s name was found in the truck among multiple empty containers but police have cleared him of the murder. Is this just coincidence and left there from a previous occasion or could this be real evidence?

Theory 4: Due to evidence in this case, or lack thereof, a theory that has surrounded this case is that the Jamison family were put into witness protection by federal marshals. Bobby’s father, Bob Dean Jamison, was known to be part of the Oklahoma drug trade and dealt with meth, prostitutes and violence regularly. Bobby wanted no part of this and even filed a petition for a restraining order against his father after he had supposedly tried to run his son over with a car and threatened to murder Bobby, his wife and child. Theorists claim that it is possible the family were actually informants against local meth dealers and had to go into witness protection for their own safety. But does this mean that the bodies found were fake? Is that why it took nearly a year for the bodies to be identified? Or does this mean that something went bad on the way into witness protection?

Theory 5: A simpler theory that has arose is that Bobby’s father went through with his threats. It is known that Bob Dean Jamison was a disturbed individual who had apparently tried to kill his son previously. It’s proven that Bobby was scared for his life enough to try to get a restraining order against his father and that the threats made against his family were substantial enough that Bobby installed security cameras around the home. However, Bob Dean Jamison died in December 2009, only two months after the disappearance. Jack Jamison (Bob Dean Jamison’s brother), Bobby’s uncle, stated that around the time of the disappearance Bob was either in hospital or a rest home due to his poor health. Police looked into Bobby’s father due to his apparent connections with the Mexican mafia but he was ruled out after confirming his alibi.

Theory 6: The family truck was found not far from a known area for criminal activity and drugs in Oklahoma. Another theory which is plausible is that the family saw something illegal happening and they were killed so they couldn’t report it. However, this doesn’t explain the money in the truck or why they were found 3 miles away.

Theory 7: At the time of the disappearance, police entertained the theory that Bobby and Sherilynn were either drug users or drug takers. They suspected the money was from dealing and they were killed in a drug deal gone wrong. Police ruled out drugs as both Sherilynn and Bobby were not users. This theory also doesn’t explain why they brought Madyson with them, or why the money, dog and all their belongings were found in the truck.

Theory 8: When police looked through Bobby’s phone, they found that a picture of Madyson had been taken that day. She looked uncomfortable in the photo and it had clearly been taken in the mountains somewhere. People have claimed that the photograph was taken after her parents were already dead. Theorists suggested that Madyson was the target of a stalker/ predator. This is backed up by the fact that a dried flower was found with her remains but not the parents, suggesting that the killer, if there was one, felt remorse towards Madyson. This could also explain why her parents withdrew her from school a few days before disappearing.

Theory 9: A theory police looked into during the investigation was the possibility of a murder-suicide. Sherilynn’s hand gun was missing from the truck and police discovered an angry “hate” letter written by Sherilynn to Bobby that was eleven pages long. Sherilynn’s mother confirmed that her daughter was bi-polar and that they both suffered with depression. She also suggested that Bobby frequently took prescription painkillers for a persistent back injury. Police considered that Sherilynn killed her husband and daughter before killing herself but this could not be proven. Sherilynn’s gun was never found.

Theory 10: Another theory that has circulated this case is that the family decided to get a fresh start and faked their own death. However, how would the family fool police into thinking the remains found belonged to them? Could it be they were just going to leave and someone got angry after finding out?

Theory 11: Due to their being no signs of a struggle at the scene where the car was found, a theory that has emerged is that the family died from carbon monoxide poisoning leaking from the car. It could be that they became disorientated after falling asleep in the car and wondered into the wilderness where they eventually died. However, the dog was found in the car days later still alive which indicates that this couldn’t have happened.

Theory 12: The final theory is that their deaths were a total accident. The family could have had every intention of returning to their vehicle after deciding to go into the mountains for a walk to stretch their legs after hours of driving but got lost. Weather reports suggest that around the time of their disappearance, it was heavily raining. This could suggest that they died to the elements after loosing their way back to the car. This still doesn’t answer why they left the dog in the car, if you are going for a walk, surely it would make sense to take the dog with you?

Even though all of these theories have emerged from the Jamison Family case, none of them give definitive answers to the questions that have arisen.