Murder Under the Friday Night Lights: What Happened to Alicia DeBolt?

Alicia DeBolt was a 14-year-old cheerleader from Great Bend in August 2010 when she left home for a party with a male friend. However, the teen was never seen again. DeBolt had been talking to a 36-year-old man, Adam Longoria, whom she had met at a party in June. Adam had reportedly picked her up on the night of August 21, 2010.

After she went missing, DeBolt's charred remains were discovered at the Venture Corporation plant on August 24, 2010, and were identified using dental records. Murder Under the Friday Night Lights season three episode six titled Stolen Cheers was aired on Wednesday, February 14, 2024, on Investigation Discovery. The synopsis of the episode, which focuses on the murder of Alicia, reads:

"Teen Alicia DeBolt goes missing shortly after making the cheer squad; police question members of the football team and fellow cheerleaders, but the truth behind this mystery is more sinister than anyone in her small Kansas town could have imagined."

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Who was Alicia DeBolt? Details explored

Alicia Danielle DeBolt was born on May 1, 1996, in Hays, Kansas to Richard and Tamara (Hodges) DeBolt. Alicia and her family moved to Great Bend, Kansas in 2005 and she enrolled at the Great Bend High School.

The teen was a cheerleader in her previous school, Larned Middle School, and a freshman and cheerleader at Great Bend High School at the time of her death. DeBolt was also a competitive gymnast at Heartland Academy, Hays.

In her obituary, Alicia DeBolt has been described as a "vibrant, caring person with a heart as big as the ocean." She was a member of Celebration Church, Hays.

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What Happened to Alicia DeBolt? Details explored

Alicia DeBolt had left her 910 Stone St. home in Great Bend to attend a party with a 19-year-old male friend at 11 pm on August 21, 2010, per the Great Bend Tribune. However, that was the last time she was seen and the family reported her missing the next day which led to an extensive manhunt in Great Bend.

The search for Alicia DeBolt led investigators to her remains at the Venture Corporation plant, five miles west of Great Bend, per CBS News. Her charred remains were found with traces of duct tape on her face and ankles. The stage of decomposition of the remains made identification challenging. The coroner at the Sedgwick County Regional Forensics Center in Wichita identified Alicia's body through her dental records.

The investigations into the murder of the 14-year-old led the Great Bend Police Department to the 36-year-old Venture Corp. employee, Adam Longoria. He had been texting Alicia since they met at a party in July 2010.

Longoria's-then-girlfriend also testified to smelling gasoline on him and her car that he had borrowed on the night. Following that, investigators found gasoline on his gym shoes. They additionally gathered surveillance footage of Longoria buying $1.32 of gas on August 21, 2010, per CBS News.

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Adam Longoria was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the charges of capital murder of Alicia DeBolt, burglary, and theft. He received subsequent additional terms of 17 and 7 months in prison as well.