Case overview
Bobby Jamison, 44, his wife Sherilynn, 40, and their six-year-old daughter Madyson disappeared in October 2009 while searching for property in the San Bois Mountains of southeastern Oklahoma. Their skeletal remains were discovered in November 2013, approximately three miles from where their truck was found, but the medical examiner could not determine a cause of death. The case remains officially unresolved, with investigators unable to rule out homicide, exposure, or other explanations.
The day they disappeared
On October 8, 2009, the Jamison family left their home in Eufaula, Oklahoma, driving a white pickup truck into the remote San Bois Mountains near Red Oak. They had told family members they were looking at a 40-acre plot of land. The terrain was rugged, heavily wooded, and sparsely populated.
By October 10, family members reported them missing after repeated attempts to reach them went unanswered. On October 17, hunters discovered the family’s abandoned pickup truck on a mountain road, unlocked and still containing their belongings.
What was found in the truck
Inside the vehicle, investigators recovered the family’s cell phones, wallets, clothing, and their dog, Maisie, who was malnourished but alive. They also found approximately $32,000 in cash, bundled in a bank bag and stored beneath the driver’s seat. The money, combined with no signs of a struggle and the family’s personal items left behind, immediately ruled out robbery as a motive.
Security footage from the family’s home, recorded the day before they disappeared, showed Bobby and Sherilynn making multiple trips between the house and the truck. Their movements appeared repetitive and mechanical, though no official explanation was provided.
Search efforts and initial theories
Authorities conducted aerial and ground searches across thousands of acres surrounding the truck’s location. Bloodhounds tracked scent trails, but the searches yielded no immediate clues. Investigators considered foul play, drug activity, and voluntary disappearance. Family members described Bobby and Sherilynn as devoted parents who would not have abandoned their daughter.
Rumors circulated about the family’s possible involvement in drugs, though no criminal charges or documented evidence supported those claims. Latimer County Sheriff Jesse James publicly stated that investigators were exploring all angles but had no clear suspect or motive. Some family members pointed to Bobby’s recent back injury and ongoing pain management, raising questions about his mental state before the disappearance.
Other theories emerged involving cult activity or a local dispute over land. None were substantiated by physical evidence or witness accounts.
Discovery of remains
On November 16, 2013, more than four years after the family vanished, hunters discovered human remains in a wooded area approximately three miles from where the truck had been abandoned. The remains were later identified through dental records as Bobby, Sherilynn, and Madyson Jamison. They were found lying side by side, face down, in a location that had been previously searched.
The Oklahoma State Medical Examiner’s Office conducted autopsies but found no soft tissue or organs remaining that could indicate cause of death. No bullet fragments, blunt force trauma to the bones, or other immediately identifiable injuries were detected. The condition of the remains and the passage of time made toxicology testing impossible.
The manner of death was officially classified as undetermined.
Competing interpretations
Law enforcement officials acknowledged that the case could involve homicide but stated there was no evidence to confirm it. The positioning of the bodies was noted as unusual, though not inconsistent with execution-style killings. No shell casings, weapons, or forensic indicators of violence were recovered at the site.
Other investigators and family members raised the possibility of exposure. The San Bois Mountains in mid-October can experience sudden temperature drops, especially at night. If the family became disoriented or incapacitated, they could have succumbed to hypothermia or dehydration. This theory does not account for why all three would have been found in the same location without evidence of attempting to return to the truck.
Some questioned whether Bobby Jamison’s reported erratic behavior in the weeks leading up to the disappearance, combined with the unusual security footage, suggested a mental health crisis. Others pointed to the large sum of cash and the remote location as indicators of a planned meeting that turned deadly.
The unresolved questions
No clear motive, suspect, or definitive cause of death has been established. Investigators have not ruled out any scenario, and the case remains open. Why did the family leave their truck with all of their belongings, including a substantial amount of cash? What happened in the three miles between the truck and where their bodies were found? Did they encounter someone, or did something else prevent them from returning?
The Latimer County Sheriff’s Office has stated that without additional evidence or witness information, the investigation has reached an impasse. Family members continue to seek answers but remain divided on what they believe occurred.
Where to look next
- Documentary: “Missing Persons” (Investigation Discovery)
- Podcast: “Bizarre Murder Mysteries” (Audiochuck)
- Podcast: “Trace Evidence” (Steven Pacheco)
