The Jamison family deaths may be one of the most tragic, puzzling, and infuriating cases you've ever heard. While there are so many theories about the Jamison family murders, most of them raise more questions than answers.
The Jamison family mystery is as follows: Bobby and Sherilynn Jamison, along with their daughter Madyson, disappeared on October 8, 2009. The family was thought to be looking to buy a 40 acre plot of land near Red Oak, OK. They packed up their truck and were never seen again.
The truck was found within a few days. Inside was their dog who was nearly starved to death. Not only that, the Jamison's IDs, phones, and, bizarrely, $32,000 in cash were also found in the car. Back at the house the found a witch's bible as well as strange inscriptions scrawled on the inside of storage container owned by the family. Nobody knew what happened, but theories abounded. The Jamison family clues point all over the place.
Then things got really weird. In November 15, 2013, the skeletons of two adults and a child were found a few miles from where the truck had been. Although they were presumed to be the remains of the Jamisons, this wasn't confirmed until July 2014. And even then, the remains were so heavily decomposed there was no way to tell cause of death.
So, what happened to the Jamison family? Here are the theories.
Theories About What Exactly Happened in the Jamison Family Murders,
The Witness Protection Program
An entire family disappears and there's no sign of why, even the bodies that are eventually found are beyond being able to tell what happened. It's no wonder many people assumed the family was "disappeared," or brought into the Witness Protection Program. With all of the meth labs in the area, it was possible they were witnesses or informants for a government case. There was only one detail that doesn't fit this theory - all the money left at the crime scene. Though maybe that's just to throw us off the case. That's exactly what the Witness Protection Program would do, right?
They Were Faking Their Own Deaths
One simple explanation is that the family faked their deaths themselves. This really could fit in with a number of other theories - being involved in drugs, a cult, fearing for their lives. Any of these could leave someone to want to disappear. Maybe the family just made it happen.
The White Supremacist Did It
Could a man who once rented a room with the family come back with a vengeance? That's one theory. When staying with the family, the man had been muttering racial slurs and talking about white supremacy until Sherilyn ordered him off the property at gunpoint. Some said a pill bottle was found with his name in the truck, leading people to wonder if he or some of his friends had returned to take their revenge.
A Murder-Suicide
Murder-suicide is a common explanation for a family death that goes unexplained. Because Sherilyn struggled with biopolar disorder and her husband suffered from depression after losing his job, many thought mental health could have played a role in their death. In fact, at one point police thought Sherilyn killed her husband and daughter before killing herself. Part of the reason was a gun was thought to have disappeared from the car. There was also an 11-page letter from Sherilyn to her husband that was aggressive and nihilistic, but her friends said this wasn't out of the ordinary for her.
They Were the Victims of a Satanic Cult
After their disappearance, a lot of confusing evidence came to light, including video footage of them packing up the vehicle. Apparently, Bobby and Sherilyn looked like zombies, moving slowly back and forth from the house all without speaking to each other. Some say it's a sign of drugs, some say they just had a fight, but could it be something more sinister? Could it just be an effect of brainwashing?
Sherilyn's mother later came forward saying she believes an unnamed religious cult could be behind the killings. “Just like I've said from the very beginning, I think somebody killed them,” she said. “There's just no way that Bobby and Sherilyn would ever let anything happen to Madyson unless something had been done to them.” She claimed they were on a cult hit list, and that a satanic bible was found inside their house.
That It Was a Total Accident
Sometimes the simplest answer makes the most sense. Rather than it being some big conspiracy or something supernatural, couldn't it have just been an accident? Some have suggested that, for whatever reason, the family wandered away from the car and simply got lost. What happened next was just the elements getting the better of them. It's tragic, but they wouldn't be the first people to die in the woods.
It Was a Meth Deal Gone Wrong
When it was discovered the family was carrying more than $30,000 in cash, many believed this pointed to some drug involvement. And that's exactly what the police thought might have happened, especially as the mountains they were found in were full of meth labs. Adding to speculation, there were reports of the family looking gaunt and, well, like meth users. They had also reported to their pastor that they had been seeing spirits and, while some people suggested this points to a more supernatural explanation, it could also be a sign of drug use.
Even if they weren't tied up in the meth game themselves, they may have stumbled on something they shouldn't have seen and been killed as a result.
Bobby's Father Made Good on His Threats
Maybe it was just a family feud. Bobby's father, Bob, and Bobby did not have a great relationship, to say the least. They fought over money and property - with Bob Sr. threatening Bobby and the family on multiple occasions. In fact, there were security cameras at their home for just that reason, and the family had taken a protection order out on him. While he had an alibi for when the murders occurred, Bob Sr. was a generally shady dude with rumored Mexican mafia connections, so some have suspected he was involved in the deaths.
They Were Engaged in Spirtual Warfare, And Lost
It's pretty out there, but it's a real theory. The family's pastor, Gary Brandon, said the family was engaged in "spiritual warfare" in their home. As in, they thought their home was possessed by spirits. Bobby asked the pastor for a satanic bible and special bullets to help with an exorcism. Not only that, a 'witch's bible' was reportedly found at their house in the first investigation and messages such as "three cats killed to date buy (sic) people in this area … Witches don’t like there (sic) black cat killed," were found inscribed on family storage units. Definitely something eerie.