Last updated on March 26th, 2024 at 10:24 am
On the early morning of December 26, 1996, John and Patsy Ramsey discovered their six-year-old daughter, JonBenét Ramsey, missing from her bed in their Boulder, Colorado home. The couple, preparing for a picnic, found a ransom note demanding $118,000 on their doorstep. Despite the note’s warning, Patsy promptly contacted the police, initiating a search for JonBenét.
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Police arrived at 5:55 a.m., finding no signs of forced entry but neglecting to search the basement where JonBenét’s lifeless body was later discovered. The initial search, conducted by family and friends, inadvertently destroyed crucial evidence. The Boulder Police Department shared findings with the Ramseys, delaying formal interviews. At 1:00 p.m., detectives directed Mr. Ramsey and a friend to explore overlooked areas, leading them to the basement, where JonBenét’s body was found. Unfortunately, in moving her, valuable crime scene evidence was compromised.
An inquest determined JonBenét’s cause of death as strangulation with a fractured skull. Duct tape covered her mouth, and white rope bound her wrists and neck. Despite signs of sexual assault, no sperm was found, and her vagina appeared wiped. The makeshift garrote used wire and part of a basement paintbrush. The autopsy revealed pineapple in her stomach, although her parents claimed not to remember giving it to her. The Ramsey parents denied any involvement by their nine-year-old son, Burke, who had fingerprints on a bowl of pineapple, unrelated to JonBenét’s death.
Two prevailing theories in the case are the family member theory and the intruder theory. Initially, suspicion fell on the family due to the planned ransom note, reluctance to cooperate, and a perceived lack of police thoroughness. Handwriting samples excluded John and Burke, but inconclusive results for Patsy left no additional supporting evidence.
While media scrutiny focused on the Ramseys, physical evidence supported the intruder theory. A non-family boot print and a broken basement window suggested unauthorized entry. DNA from an unknown man’s blood on JonBenét’s underwear indicated a potential intruder. The heavily carpeted floors could have facilitated the movement without disturbing the family. In 1999, a grand jury indicted the Ramseys, but lack of credible evidence led to their release without official suspicion in JonBenét’s murder.
John Karr, a notable suspect in JonBenét Ramsey’s murder, was arrested in 2006 after confessing to accidentally causing her death during a drugging and sexual assault attempt. However, he was released as subsequent investigations revealed no drugs on JonBenét’s body, an inability to confirm his presence in Boulder at the time, and a DNA mismatch with samples found.
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In 2006, Boulder District Attorney Mary Lacy assumed control of the case and endorsed the theory that an intruder, beyond the act of murder, was involved. DNA profiles from samples in JonBenét’s underwear and later contact DNA from her long johns were examined, with no matches identified. Lacy, in 2008, released a statement entirely exonerating the Ramsey family based on the new DNA evidence.
The case was officially reopened in 2010, emphasizing renewed scrutiny on DNA samples. Ongoing tests suggested the presence of DNA from two individuals. In 2016, advanced methods were employed, and authorities aimed to develop a more robust DNA profile of the killer through the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.
In 2016, CBS aired “The Case of JonBenét Ramsey,” proposing Burke, her nine-year-old brother at the time, as the possible culprit. Burke filed a $750 million defamation lawsuit against CBS, which was settled in 2019 under undisclosed terms, stated to be satisfactory to all parties.
As of now, the JonBenét Ramsey case remains unsolved, with investigations ongoing.
