Beau Henry Jenkins was born April 7, 1983 to Mabel and Alan Jenkins in Oxford, Mississippi. Always a shy child, he found it difficult to make friends and subsequently spent a lot of time reading true crime and watching television cop shows.

His vision, poor since early childhood, made him an easy target for other kids who frequently made fun of his thick eyeglasses, calling him the usual cruel names like "four-eyes," "glass-eyes," and "ant-eyes." The nicknames stuck even after Beau got contact lenses. With his above average intelligence and mature nature, Beau found he preferred the company of adults to children his own age. Consequently, he had few close friends throughout school and even fewer dates. His mother told him he was just an "old soul," but that did little to alleviate his feeling of isolation from his peers.

Beau's interest lies in law enforcement and he hopes to enter the Police Academy after he graduates from high school. He is currently a senior at Oxford University School and works after school and on weekends at Copy Time in Oxford, as a copy clerk. He is active in his church, St. Andrews United Methodist, and delivers food to shut-ins through a program the church youth group runs.

In his free time, Beau enjoys baseball and football, and frequently goes hunting with his father during hunting season.