In December of 1996 the United States fell in love that was never to be requited. Six year old JonBenét Ramsay, the beautiful and talented child beauty pageant contestant was found murdered in the wine cellar of her parent’s Boulder, Colorado home. Lying on the floor of the wine cellar, covered in her blanket, JonBenét’s wrists were bound above her head, duct tape covered her mouth and a nylon cord was looped about her throat. For more than a decade after her murder, the case of JonBenét Ramsey’s homicide remains an unanswered question in the annals of true crime and stands as one of the most captivating murders in US history.
Ramsey was born in Atlanta Georgia in 1990 to parents John Bennet and Patricia Ramsey. In 1991 the family relocated to Boulder, Colorado. Approximately five years later on 26 December 1996, the peculiar case of Ramsey’s murder begins with Patricia’s discovery of a two-and-a-half page ransom letter demanding a ransom of $118,000 for the safe return of JonBenét. This amount was almost the exact value of the bonus that John Ramsey had received earlier that year. The kidnappers wrote that they were members of a “small foreign faction” that did not respect the country served by John Ramsey’s business interests. Later that same day Police Detective Linda Arndt asked Ramsey to search his home for “anything unusual.” Shortly after beginning the search the body of JonBenét was found.
What had begun as kidnapping was now a murder investigation and one beginning under suspicious circumstances. Several questions immediately emerged. Why would kidnappers leave a ransom demand, specifically one indicating a very particular amount of money that the Ramsey’s were sure to have and then simply kill the girl? If JonBenét had indeed been kidnapped why was her body found in her own home? These questions provoked serious speculation concerning the nature of the crime and the possible guilt of members of the Ramsey family. The assistant district attorney assigned to the case conveyed the sentiment of Boulder’s entire law enforcement community in saying,. “it’s not adding up.”
These anomalies in the case combined with additional evidence to raise questions as to the innocence of the Ramsey family with suspicion falling on each member in turn. Crime scene investigation revealed that JonBenét was murdered with a garrote made of twine and the broken handle of a paintbrush. The bristle end of one such brush was found in Mrs. Ramsey’s possessions with the bottom third never being located. In addition, autopsy results found pineapple in JonBenét’s stomach indicating she has eaten some measure only hours before her death. A bowl of pineapple with her brother’s finger prints was found in the kitchen. Heavy suspicion came to rest on the Ramsey’s and police began an investigation into their possible complicity in the murder. In November of 1997, three separate handwriting experts examined the ransom letter and according to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation report found indications that the letter had been written by Patricia Ramsey. In 1999 the grand jury found sufficient evidence to indict the parents on child abuse charges but the district attorney chose to subvert this and would not sign the indictment. The mounting evidence led the American media and case experts to increase their scrutiny to such a level that the Ramsey’s hired John E. Douglas, former chief of the FBI’s Behavioral Sciences Unit to investigate the crime and analyze the evidence.
The conclusion of this investigation was that no member of the Ramsey family was in any way involved in the murder of JonBenét. The argument hinged on four key points: Firstly, no physical evidence supported the theory that John of Patricia Ramsey were involved in the murder and in fact DNA evidence found on the body indicated an unknown male subject. Secondly, no motive plausible motive for the murder and no indication of mistreatment of JonBenét by her parents could be found. Thirdly, no sexual or physical abuse of the victim occurred and there was no evidence of personality disorders in the Ramsey household prior to the murders, whereas some combination of these realities usually exists in cases with parents murdering their children. Finally, John and Patricia Ramsey’s behavioral patterns post-murder were consistent with those of parents of murdered children and completely inconsistent with the behaviors of known parents guilty of murdering their offspring.
Ultimately the Ramsey family was officially removed from suspicion of guilt on 9 July 2009. Boulder Country District Attorney Mary Lacy issued an official apology to John Ramsey on that day noting his vindication based on DNA evidence. The question as to the guilty party remains open. In 2006, 41-year-old John Mark Karr admitted to the murder was on the basis of DNA evidence he was removed from suspicion of the crime as well, although his role as a possible accomplice in still in question.
In review of the facts of the criminal investigation following the murder, critics have pointed to mismanagement of the case by the police as the reason for the obfuscation of facts and the possible erroneous finger pointing which persisted for more than a decade following JonBenét’s murder. It has been noted that the crime scene was inevitably contaminated as the police did not cordon off the crime scene following the report of a kidnapping, instead sending John Ramsey and two of his friends to search the house themselves in addition to other family members who were given leave to move in and out of the house. John E. Douglas also criticized the lack of crime scene security and noted that the Boulder Police Department was ill-equipped to handle murders and the investigation was hampered by police infighting.
The murder of JonBenét Ramsey remains a mystery. In October 2010 the case was reopened with the intent to use modern DNA technology to track the killer. Many remain convinced of the parents’ guilt although the prevailing opinion of law enforcement favors an intruder theory. John E. Douglas stipulated that physical evidence seems to indicate that an intruder murdered JonBenét, that he was an inexperienced killer and child molester. The truth of the case remains a mystery and the hope is that advanced technology and time will bring the murderer of this innocent to hard justice.
Bibliography
- Original Text of the Ransom Note. http://web.archive.org/web/20061208031500/http://www.thedenverchannel.com/2006/0818/9699449.jpg
- Bardsley, Marilyn and Patrick Bellamy. "Murder of JonBenét Ramsey". Tru TV Crime Library. http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/notorious_murders/famous/ramsey/index_1b.html
- Staff Writer. "JonBenét: Anatomy of a Cold Case". Court TV. http://www.trutv.com/index.html
- Kohn, David. "Searching: The Interrogation Tapes". 48 Hours (CBS News). 11 February 2009
- "Patricia Ramsey's handwriting 'set off bells'". Today's News-Herald (Denver: Google News Archive Search). Sep 4, 1997. p. 5.
- Mary T. Lacy, District Attorney. "Letter from DA to John Ramsey". District Attorney's Office, Twentieth Judicial District, Boulder, Colorado. 9 July 2008
- Douglas, John E. The Cases that Haunt Us. New York: Pocket Books, 2001
