I think this is one of the most heartbreaking stories I've ever read. What a monster...
PURCELL, Oklahoma (CNN) -- A 10-year-old Purcell, Oklahoma, girl was the victim of a horrific plan of kidnap, rape, torture and cannibalism, authorities said Saturday.
Investigators late Friday found Jamie Rose Bolin's body in a plastic storage tub in the bedroom closet of 26-year-old Kevin Underwood, said Tim Kuykendall, the district attorney for McClain County.
The medical examiner said the girl, who had been missing since Wednesday, died of asphyxiation and blunt blows to the head, Kuykendall told a news conference Saturday. The district attorney added that her injuries were also consistent with a "serious attempt to cut the head off the body."
Underwood -- who is in custody but has not been formally charged -- and the girl lived in the same apartment complex. He does not have a felony criminal history or known mental illness.
Evidence seized from Underwood's apartment included a decorative dagger authorities say was used to try to decapitate the girl, a hacksaw, a meat tenderizer, barbecue skewers and a wooden cutting board, Kuykendall said.
Also found were a dismantled bicycle under a bed, a mug thought to have been carried by the girl into the apartment, a video of a cable television documentary on serial killers and a computer, Kuykendall said.
Underwood purchased the hacksaw, skewers and meat tenderizer in the months before the girl died, Kuykendall said.
The girl was struck on the head with the cutting board "three to four times," Kuykendall said, and Underwood suffocated her using duct tape and covering her mouth with his hand.
Kuykendall said it was believed the girl screamed "numerous times." It was unclear how her cries apparently went unheard.
"She pled for her life," he said. "The first thing out of her mouth when he first hit her was, 'I'm sorry.' "
After the news conference, Kuykendall said authorities believe she did not die immediately.
An autopsy report is being finalized.
'This was well planned out'
Authorities believe the girl was molested after she had died, Kuykendall told CNN after the news conference.
Her clothes had been removed and placed with her inside the tub, along with a towel to soak up blood, Kuykendall said.
Authorities think she was killed before police were notified that she had disappeared.
"This was well planned out," said said Purcell Police Chief David Tompkins. He added that other individuals, including an woman and a 5-year-old boy, also were targeted and considered.
"But Rose was the one who was selected for this plan," he said.
Police suspect she was selected simply because she walked past Underwood's apartment on Wednesday.
The two were acquainted, authorities said. Underwood had a pet rat that would sit on his shoulder, Tompkins said, and the girl had previously seen and petted it.
The night before her death, she had intended to use a pay phone in the apartment building to order pizza, according to Kuykendall. Underwood had offered his phone, but the girl responded that she would get in trouble if she went into his apartment because she was not allowed to enter strangers' homes, Kuykendall said.
However, she apparently did use his phone to place the order, according to Kuykendall.
The next day, she is believed to have gone into Underwood's apartment voluntarily, Kuykendall said.
"Whether you term that 'lured in' or not, I believe she went into the apartment of her own free will," he said.
Underwood is being held without bail at McClain County jail and is scheduled to appear before a judge Monday to face a charge of first-degree murder. Other charges are also possible, said Kuykendall, who added that he would seek the death penalty.
Underwood did not have an attorney as of Saturday, according to Kuykendall.
'He was very quiet'
Balloons, flowers and a teddy bear have been left outside the apartment building.
"It's very hard to talk to a family about things like this," said Kuykendall, who informed the Bolin family of Underwood's alleged plan.
"I kind of look at it in terms of, would I want to know what happened to my daughter, my child?" he said.
Underwood had lived in the apartment for about a year and a half and, according to Tompkins, and had worked at a grocery store for a year and at a fast food restaurant before that.
FBI investigators first identified Underwood as a person of interest when they stopped him at a roadside checkpoint near the apartment complex, Kuykendall said.
After an interview, Underwood consented to a search of his apartment, during which investigators found the child's body, Kuykendall said. A search warrant was then obtained, he said.
"He was very quiet ... comes from a nice family" and had a close relationship with relatives, Kuykendall told CNN describing Underwood.
"Nothing in his background that we know of would have indicated that he could have done this. He was the guy next door."
CNN's Camille Feanny contributed to this report.
