US man planned to eat murder victim-police

OKLAHOMA CITY, Apr 16 (Reuters) A man in the Oklahoma town of Purcell has been arrested on suspicion of murdering the 10-year-old daughter of his neighbor and planning to eat her body, police said.

Kevin Underwood, 26, was arrested on Friday in the murder of Jamie Rose Bolin, who was reported missing after she failed to return home on Wednesday from a public library in Purcell, 36 miles south of Oklahoma City.

''Regarding a potential motive, this appears to have been part of a plan to kidnap a person, rape them, torture them, kill them, cut off their head, drain the body of blood, rape the corpse, eat the corpse, then dispose of the organs and bones,'' Purcell Police Chief David Tompkins told a news conference yesterday.

Underwood was among many Purcell residents who participated in a search for Bolin, but police said he acted strangely when pulled over at a Highway Patrol checkpoint.

Police found the girl's body after Underwood, who lived upstairs from Bolin and her father in an apartment complex, allowed them to search his apartment.

He confessed to the murder after investigators found a plastic tub in his closet that had been taped shut, according to an affidavit released by Purcell Police.

''At that time Mr Underwood stated 'go ahead and arrest me.

She is in there. I chopped her up,''' the affidavit said.

Based on interviews with Underwood and files found on his computer, investigators said it appeared that Underwood had planned to eat the body.

McClain County District Attorney, Tim Kuykendall, said he would file a first-degree murder charge against Underwood tomorrow and seek the death penalty.

In addition to finding the girl's bicycle dismantled and stowed under Underwood's bed, police found ''a decorative dagger believed to be used in an attempt to cut off the victim's head, a hacksaw, duct tape, meat tenderizer, skewers, and a duffle bag.'' REUTERS OM PM1157