In the winter of 2014, the life of 23-year-old James 'Jimmy' Kemp was cut short under circumstances that quickly evolved from a simple accident to a potential homicide investigation. On Thursday, February 6, 2014, emergency services in Lawton, Oklahoma, received a call reporting that a man had fallen on the ice at an apartment complex. The man, identified as James Kemp, was transported to a local hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries.
Initially, Kemp's death was treated as an
unfortunate accident. However, as investigators from the Lawton Police Department delved deeper, inconsistencies began to surface. Deputy Police Chief Will Hines stated that Kemp's wounds were 'not consistent with a fall,' raising suspicions of foul play. This prompted the police to treat the case as a possible homicide, the fifth in Lawton that year. To determine the true cause of death, Kemp's body was sent to the medical examiner's office for an autopsy.
James Randale Kemp II, known affectionately as 'Jimmy,' was born on November 24, 1990, in Lawton. He was a graduate of Eisenhower High School, class of 2010, and was working as a sandwich artist at a local Subway at the time of his death. Known for his love of BMX bike riding and working on cars, especially his Cutlass, he was a young man with a life ahead of him. His obituary paints a picture of a person who enjoyed spending time with his family and friends, and who had a playful side, often introducing himself by various amusing names.
Despite the initial suspicion of homicide and the launch of a police investigation, publicly available information does not indicate that any arrests have ever been made in connection with the death of James 'Jimmy' Kemp. Details regarding the final autopsy results and the ultimate conclusion of the police investigation have not been widely reported in online sources. The case remains a painful memory for his family and friends, a story that began as a reported accident on a winter's day and left behind lingering questions of an unresolved potential crime.
