Cantonment Cold Case: 1981 Murder Remains Unsolved

January 2, 2014

murder11.jpgIt was 32 years ago on the afternoon of January 2, 1981, that 9-year old Kenneth Deshun Underwood and three companions went bird hunting in the woods near their Cantonment home. Everyone returned home that afternoon except for Underwood.

When Underwood was still not home around 6 p.m., Escambia County Search and Rescue personnel were called. The area were Underwood was last seen alive was canvassed. His body was discovered about 5:45 the next morning –apparently murdered — in an area near Booker Street.

The case remains unsolved, and  the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is asking the public for help because they believe someone in our area still has information about Underwood’s death.

If you know anything about the death of Kenneth Deshun Underwood, 9, you are asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit at (850) 436-9580 or Crime Stopper at (850) 433-STOP (7867).

Pictured above: The fourth grade photo of murder victim Kenneth Deshun Underwood of Cantonment. Pictured below: The highlighted area in this map shows were the body was found. Courtesy images for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

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Comments

9 Responses to “Cantonment Cold Case: 1981 Murder Remains Unsolved”

  1. Retsina Underwood on January 18th, 2021 4:12 pm

    Iam kenneth auntie its been over 30 years and we still morning the death of him his mom has died his grandmother grandfather has died with the pain not knowing who did this how can you ever forget something so horrorable when you live and a neighborhood where everybody knows everybody but no one knows nothing about a Innocent 9 year old being brutalally murdered something we will never forget I pray that God would please bring my family some closure and so my Nephew can finally rest and peace ..WE LOVE YOU KENNY I KNOW YOUR MOM & GRANDMA AND GRANDPA ARE SO HAPPY TO SEE YOU AGAIN

  2. ashipps on January 4th, 2014 6:45 am

    I agree that the friends know something!!! They need to keep interviewing them cause I think someone will slip up cause it has to be weighing on there heart. But like my grandpa always said its harder to remember a lie. Cause you can always remember the truth. So yeah I think just keep at them 3 so called friends and somebody will slip. This has got to be solved so this family can get some kind of justice.

  3. right on January 3rd, 2014 10:28 am

    To add: 1981 was a tine where little kids could go huntin by their selves. There wasn’t as much crime and criminals. It was how country folks were raised.

  4. gogo04 on January 3rd, 2014 8:57 am

    Regarding the comment above this one …Everybody in this area know each other and have known one another for a lifetime, therefore kids run, walk, play alone all the time until now I have never heard of anything like this happening. I grew up in the area and “it takes a village is real in this area”. I however agree with you in saying the other kids saw something. They are all grown up now so get them to sit down and talk about this day again. There is no DNA to gather due to the time involved, but there is still a thing called lie-detector.

  5. deshun on January 3rd, 2014 4:18 am

    So four boys went hunting together and only 3 returned. They either did it (atleast one of em) or they know who did. Wether it was an accident or not. They know what happend. Our local Authorities are Stupid

  6. Everett on January 3rd, 2014 3:35 am

    Hard to imagine the 3 friends don’t know anything. We bird and squirrel hunted as a kids long ago. We also made sure everyone got home safely. They know something. You can bet on that.

  7. concerned on January 2nd, 2014 7:04 pm

    I pray that anyone who knows something will call w/ the information so that this family can have some kind of closure. I don’t know if I could have survived something like this. My child is an adult , but I have grandchildren now and I get sick to my stomach at the thought of anything happening to one of them.
    Lord be with this family and bring the murderer to justice!

  8. dixiebug on January 2nd, 2014 5:51 pm

    I hope justice will be to the family,,god bless..

    i

  9. add on January 2nd, 2014 4:10 pm

    I THINK THE 3 COMPANIONS SHOULD HAVE KNOWN SOMETHING SINCE THEY WERE TOGETHER/THEY POSSIBLE HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH IT OR KNOW SOMETHING HOW IS THAT 3 OF THEM CAME HOME & DESHUN DIDN’T/& WHY THAT 4 YOUNG BOYS GOING OUT BIRD WATCHING WHERE WERE THE PARENTS. THIS DON’T SOUND RIGHT.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News