Jamie Bolin was born on August 7, 1995, in Edmond, Oklahoma, to her loving parents, Curtis Lynn Bolin and Jennifer Ann Bolin. Known for her vivid red hair, freckled cheeks, and sparkling blue eyes, Jamie Bolin had a magnetic charm that endeared her to everyone she met. Though shy at times, her warm personality and eagerness to connect with others left a lasting impression.
Her family cherished her sweet and intelligent nature, often describing her as a beacon of positivity. With an infectious laugh and a heart full of kindness, Jamie Bolin had a remarkable ability to see the good in people.
Childhood Filled with Joy and Friendship
As a fifth-grader at Purcell Intermediate School, Jamie had a best friend, Carissa, who called her a sister. Together, they shared breakfast, recess, and Girl Scouts. Jamie Bolin loved dolls, sewing, bike rides, and choreographing cheerleader dances, all while treasuring family moments like movie nights and checkers games with her dad.
Her parents separated when she was two years old. Despite the challenges her mother faced in rebuilding her life in Guthrie, Oklahoma, Jamie Bolin stayed with her father, Curtis, and eventually moved to Purcell, Oklahoma, in 2005.
Kevin Ray Underwood
Jamie and her father lived in the Purcell Park apartment complex. Just downstairs was Kevin Ray Underwood, a quiet man with red hair similar to Jamie’s. Kevin worked at a local grocery store and was known for his shyness and social anxiety, which kept him indoors most of the time. He cared for his pet rat, Freya, and maintained a blog where his disturbing online persona began to reveal itself.
Beneath Kevin’s reserved exterior lay dark and troubling fantasies. His blog contained unsettling jokes about cannibalism and hints of violent thoughts. Neighbors and coworkers began noticing his peculiar behavior. Tim Beyer, the apartment manager, saw Kevin watching children play, while a coworker, Michael Horner, recalled Kevin asking unsettling questions like, “I wonder what she would taste like.”
Kevin’s long-time online friend, Melissa Kuster, occasionally witnessed his dark thoughts during their conversations. By early 2006, Kevin’s comments became increasingly disturbing, with references to his twisted obsessions. Despite his alarming behavior, Kevin made efforts to befriend Jamie Bolin, his young neighbor. Trusting and curious, Jamie occasionally interacted with him, even visiting his apartment despite her father’s warnings.
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The Events of April 11, 2006
On April 11, 2006, Jamie’s father asked her to use a payphone outside their apartment complex to order pizza. Kevin offered his phone instead, and Jamie Bolin briefly stepped into his apartment to retrieve the handset. Trusting Kevin, she likely thought her father’s rules were overly cautious.
The next day, Jamie went to school in her favorite pink shirt, excited about the upcoming Easter visit with her mom. Her best friend Carissa noticed Jamie Bolin was in good spirits during their chat that day.
After school, Jamie visited the library and spent time with a friend but realized she had forgotten her keys. This seemingly minor mishap would tragically intertwine her fate with Kevin’s unsettling obsessions.
After school, Jamie realized she had left her keys behind and biked back to retrieve them. The warm weather left her sweaty, so she changed into a blue short-sleeve shirt and returned to the breezeway outside her apartment. This was the last time anyone saw Jamie Bolin alive.
Her father, Curtis, grew increasingly anxious when Jamie didn’t return. He knocked on neighbors’ doors and asked the apartment manager, Tim Beyer, to help search for her. Around 6 PM, they knocked on the door of Kevin Ray Underwood, Jamie’s downstairs neighbor. It took Kevin a long time to answer. He eventually appeared, disheveled and buttoning his shirt. Kevin claimed he had seen Jamie Bolin earlier but didn’t know where she went.
Despite offering to help look for her, Kevin excused himself by 8 PM, saying he needed rest for work the next morning. Curtis, growing desperate, called the police to report Jamie missing.
The Search Intensifies
Authorities suspected Jamie Bolin might have run away or was hiding nearby, but Curtis insisted she wouldn’t do that. Police, firefighters, and volunteers began scouring the area. Curtis called relatives for support, and his brother Mark and sister-in-law Linda joined him in the search. The family gathered in the breezeway outside Kevin’s apartment, unaware of the dark truth hidden just beyond his door.
Jennifer, Jamie’s mother, was devastated when Curtis contacted her. She was driving a truck in Arizona at the time and described the news as feeling like an out-of-body experience. She immediately drove to Purcell, heartbroken that their plans for Easter had taken such a grim turn.
On Thursday night, as the hours stretched into days, authorities issued an Amber Alert and enlisted the FBI to assist in the investigation. One early theory suggested Jamie might have met someone online and been lured away. However, the real story was far more horrifying than anyone could have anticipated.
By Friday, investigators were still searching for leads. Jamie’s bike was missing, leaving little evidence to work with. Following child abduction protocols, the FBI set up roadblocks near the apartment complex, hoping drivers might recall seeing something unusual.
At one roadblock, an FBI agent stopped a truck driven by Kevin Underwood’s father. During their conversation, Kevin’s father mentioned that Kevin was Jamie’s neighbor. When the agent asked to speak with Kevin, he agreed to a brief interview in the patrol car.
Kevin claimed he had seen Jamie riding her bike on the day she disappeared but corrected a key detail in the Amber Alert: Jamie Bolin had been wearing a blue shirt, not a pink one. This correction indicated Kevin might have been one of the last people to see her. When asked about his involvement, Kevin insisted, “I could never hurt her. She reminds me of my sister.”
The agent’s instincts told him something was off. Kevin agreed to give a formal statement at the police station and later allowed agents to search his apartment.
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The Chilling Discovery
Inside Kevin’s apartment, investigators noticed blood in the bathtub and a large, duct-taped plastic container in his bedroom closet. When asked about the container, Kevin claimed it held comic books, sealed to protect them from moisture. However, when police peeled back a corner of the tape, they saw a blue shirt—the same one Jamie Bolin had been wearing.
Kevin’s demeanor shifted. “Go ahead and arrest me,” he blurted out. When asked where Jamie Bolin was, he coldly confessed, “She’s in there. I hit her and I chopped her up.”
Inside the container, authorities found Jamie’s remains. They arrested Kevin on the spot and obtained a search warrant to gather further evidence.
Kevin’s apartment revealed a sinister collection of items:
- Parts of Jamie’s bicycle, disassembled and hidden under his bed and in a duffel bag.
- A Barbie doll head with nails driven through its eyes.
- Tools such as a hacksaw, duct tape, and knives.
- Disturbing objects like meat tenderizer, barbecue skewers, and a cutting board.
- Graphic materials, including a DVD set about serial killers and crime memorabilia.
His computer contained downloaded crime scene photos and other graphic content, revealing the depths of his twisted mind.
Kevin’s Disturbing Confession
After waiving his Miranda rights, Kevin confessed to planning an abduction for months. He admitted that his cannibalistic fantasies had consumed him, fueled by his renewed use of the antidepressant Lexapro.
Kevin’s fixation on tasting human flesh had grown so intense that he began downloading graphic images to fuel his dark desires. He chillingly explained, “I wanted to know what it was like.”
Kevin Underwood detailed his carefully orchestrated plan to kidnap, assault, and murder a child, driven by his twisted desire to fulfill dark fantasies. He admitted that he had chosen a child because they would be easier to overpower, though he initially considered other targets, including an adult woman and a young boy. Ultimately, he fixated on Jamie, someone he claimed to like and hesitated to harm because of her kindness and familiarity. Yet, his darker impulses eventually overpowered his restraint.
On the morning of April 12, Kevin spent time with his family, believing he had missed his chance when Jamie Bolin didn’t arrive home on time. However, when she returned after retrieving her keys, Kevin saw an opportunity. They exchanged words about the weather, and Kevin’s horrifying plan began to take shape.
Kevin noticed Jamie hadn’t locked up her bike and devised a sinister idea: by hiding the bike, he could make it appear as though Jamie had been abducted by a stranger. When Jamie asked to see Kevin’s pet rat, Freya, he invited her into his apartment. As she sat near the rat’s cage watching TV, Kevin debated for 15 agonizing minutes whether to act on his plan.
A Moment of Hesitation and Horror
Kevin decided to render Jamie Bolin unconscious by using a heavy wooden cutting board. He picked it up and put it down several times before finally striking her. The blow didn’t have the intended effect—Jamie screamed and fought back, begging Kevin to let her go. Panicked, Kevin struck her several more times but was unable to silence her.
Desperate, Kevin grabbed Jamie from behind, covering her mouth and nose until she went limp. When she began breathing again, he repeated the attack, eventually taping her mouth and nose shut to ensure she couldn’t survive. Afterward, he dragged her lifeless body into his bedroom to hide her from view.
Kevin moved quickly to conceal his crime. He retrieved Jamie’s bike, disassembled it, and hid the parts in a duffel bag under his bed. He wrapped her body in a tarp and placed it in a large plastic container, sealing it with duct tape. Kevin attempted to clean his apartment meticulously but couldn’t eliminate all traces of the horrific act.
Later, Kevin attempted to drain Jamie’s blood using a decorative dagger in the bathroom, but the process didn’t go as he had imagined. He abandoned his original plan to drink or collect the blood, instead washing it down the drain.
Despite the gruesome crime, Kevin paused to message his online friend, Melissa, telling her he was in a “better mood” after what he had done.
Acting Normal in the Midst of Chaos
As Curtis searched for Jamie Bolin that evening, knocking on doors and calling for help, Kevin played along. He even helped Curtis search the apartment complex, all while Jamie’s body remained hidden in his closet. Kevin lit incense to mask the smell of blood and vomit, maintaining a calm demeanor despite the horrifying truth.
The following day, Kevin confidently allowed the FBI to search his apartment, believing they wouldn’t find anything incriminating.
During the search, FBI agents uncovered Jamie’s remains in the duct-taped plastic container, her disassembled bike, and several disturbing items, including:
- Duct tape, knives, and cutting tools.
- A decorative dagger with traces of blood.
- Personal paraphernalia and graphic materials.
Kevin was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, held without bond.
A Heinous Trial Begins
Due to extensive media coverage, Kevin’s trial was moved to Cleveland County to find impartial jurors. Prosecutors, horrified by the premeditated nature of the crime, sought the death penalty.
The trial began on February 19, 2008, with a forensic pathologist presenting harrowing details from Jamie’s autopsy:
- Cause of death: Asphyxiation and blunt force trauma.
- Injuries: Bruising on her head, petechiae in her eyes from suffocation, and curved marks on her face consistent with Kevin’s confession.
- Failed decapitation: Deep saw marks on her neck, where Kevin attempted to conceal the crime further.
- Trauma: Evidence of assault, though it remained unclear if Jamie Bolin was alive at the time.
The prosecutor described the case as the most heinous and premeditated crime he had ever encountered in his career. Kevin’s calculated actions, paired with the disturbing evidence, left no room for leniency. Determined to bring justice for Jamie Bolin and her family, the prosecutor vowed to pursue the harshest punishment available.
The prosecution’s case against Kevin Underwood was anchored by a nearly two-hour videotaped confession, in which he described his actions and plans in haunting, matter-of-fact detail. Kevin admitted to spending over a decade desensitizing himself to violent adult content online, which fed his twisted fantasies.
He detailed plans to decapitate his victim while they were still alive, drain their blood, keep the corpse for several days, and ultimately butcher and consume the body. Kevin had even purchased items such as a hacksaw, tarp, barbecue skewers, and meat tenderizer to carry out his gruesome intentions.
In a chilling admission, Kevin revealed practicing his methods on a Barbie doll head. Although he acknowledged knowing his actions were wrong, he showed no genuine remorse and disturbingly blamed Jamie Bolin for trusting him.
The Trial and Conviction
Faced with overwhelming evidence, the defense presented no witnesses, focusing instead on sparing Kevin the death penalty. They argued that his mental illness and autism spectrum disorder were mitigating factors. However, the jury, shaken by the graphic evidence and Kevin’s unrepentant confession, took only 23 minutes to convict him of first-degree murder on February 28, 2008.
On March 7, 2008, the jury sentenced Kevin to death by lethal injection. Kevin showed no visible emotion as the sentence was read. Jamie’s family, though relieved by the verdict, braced themselves for the lengthy appeals process common in death penalty cases.
In 2016, Kevin appealed his death sentence, citing a new diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder and other mental health conditions. However, the appeal was denied. The judge emphasized the heinous and premeditated nature of Jamie’s murder, affirming that the punishment fit the crime.
Kevin remained on death row for years as Oklahoma faced significant scrutiny over its execution protocols. A botched execution in 2014 of inmate Clayton Lockett, convicted of burying a woman alive, led to a temporary halt in executions. During Lockett’s execution, an untested drug combination failed, causing him to writhe in pain and die of a heart attack 43 minutes later.
In 2015, another botched execution of Charles Warner, convicted of murdering an infant, further highlighted the issues. Warner’s final words, “My body is on fire,” reflected the horror of the event. An autopsy confirmed that the wrong drug had been used, prompting a six-year moratorium on executions.
Oklahoma resumed capital punishment in 2021, but the pace of executions was slowed due to staff concerns and logistical challenges. Kevin Underwood’s execution, initially scheduled for December 7, 2023, was postponed after prison staff requested longer intervals between executions to avoid another botched procedure.
A Community Mourns Jamie Bolin
For Jamie’s family, the pain of her loss was indescribable. When her father, Curtis Bolin, learned of her death, he collapsed in grief and required hospitalization. The heartbreaking realization that Jamie Bolin had been inside Kevin’s apartment while her family searched just feet away haunted them.
The Purcell community mourned deeply for Jamie Bolin. Flowers, balloons, and heartfelt cards were left at the apartment complex. Her classmates tied white ribbons to trees near the school in her memory.
On April 20, 2006, Jamie’s funeral was held at the Purcell High School Gymnasium, one of the few venues large enough to accommodate the crowd of over 1,000 mourners. A slideshow celebrating Jamie’s life played alongside her favorite song, “Jesus Take the Wheel.” Following the public service, Jamie was laid to rest at Summit View Cemetery in Guthrie.
For Curtis, continuing life in Purcell became unbearable. He moved to Guthrie and found strength in believing that Jamie would want him to keep living.
Jamie’s mother, Jennifer, struggled deeply with the loss. Once proud of her dream to become a truck driver, she blamed herself for not being there for Jamie Bolin. After a year of sobriety, Jennifer relapsed into addiction, battling her grief for years.
Over time, Jennifer found solace in writing messages to Jamie Bolin on her memorial page. In February 2014, she wrote: “To my sweet Jamie, I miss you so much. I imagine what you’d be like now—a gorgeous, loving young lady.”
Jennifer passed away on October 11, 2023. She was buried beside Jamie Bolin at Summit View Cemetery, finally reunited with her daughter in eternal peace.
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A Legacy of Love and Loss
Jamie Bolin’s tragic death remains a painful memory for her family and community. Her bright spirit, gentle kindness, and love for life were stolen in an act of unimaginable cruelty. While justice has been pursued, the loss of Jamie Bolin continues to weigh heavily on those who loved her.
Her story serves as a reminder to cherish and protect the vulnerable among us, and her memory lives on in the hearts of all who knew her.
