On the morning of December 26, 1996 John Ramsey discovered the lifeless body of six-year old JonBenet Ramsey in the basement of the family’s home. This was the beginning of an American crime story that remains unsolved to this day, despite the Boulder Police Department processing over fifteen hundred pieces of evidence and interviewing more than one thousand people (Agrawal, 2016). The Ramsey family blamed the Boulder Police Department for their inexperience kidnapping and murder investigations and scrutinized the police for not seeking additional assistance from other law enforcement agencies (Ramsey, 2000). The Boulder Police Department immediately became suspicious that a member of the Ramsey’s family or someone close to them committed …show more content…
Later that afternoon John Ramsey discovered JonBenet’s body covered in blanket on the basement floor, and John tore off a piece of duct tape used to cover JonBenet’s mouth before carrying her upstairs (Agrawal, 2016). Since the crime scene was compromised, investigators were forced to process physical evidence that was contaminated during the unsupervised search for JonBenet. Although the crime scene was considered compromised there were still several key pieces of evidence collected, which included a hand-written ransom note, JonBenet’s underwear, piece of nylon cord used during strangulation, and duct tape covering JonBenet’s mouth (Agrawal, 2016). Investigators concluded that JonBenet was struck in head so hard that her skull was fractured, she was strangled with so much force that the nylon garrote was embedded in her skin, and she was sexually assaulted (Ramsey, 2000). Additionally, investigators determined the ransom note was written with a pad and pen from the Ramseys’ home, and the ransom price was the exact amount of John’s year-end bonus (Agrawal, 2016). The police department hired handwriting experts perform analyses of JonBenet’s parents; however, before the John and Patsy were required to provide handwriting samples, Detective
In the controversial court case, the murder of JonBenet Ramsey, many believe the family happens to be the killers; however, the court show take their focus away from the Ramsey family. The neighbors said the Ramsey’s spoiled their children and raised them the best they could, but others say different. The majority of the people that know about this case have their minds set on the parents being the murderers, but there is other evidence that could steer law enforcement away from the family. Evidence was found that night that could show the family did it, but other evidence possibly shows someone else. Since the murder of JonBenet Ramsey, the finding of a ransom note demanding $118,000, random DNA tests, and confession by an individual have
The murder of JonBenet Ramsey is a crime that received national attention and was seen on nightly news stations and talk shows across the country. All of this attention made the case extremely controversial (Saferstein, 2015). It is now over twenty years since the murder occurred and the case still remains unsolved. The development of DNA evidence has played a critical role in the course of this arduous investigation (Saferstein, 2015). Crucial mistakes were made from the very start of the investigation by police and then by the district attorney, Mary Lacy (Saferstein, 2015).
The Unsolved Murder of Jonbenét Ramsey On the morning of December 26, 1996, Jonbenét Ramsey, a 6-year-old beauty pageant queen, was pronounced kidnapped in an emergency 911 call. Later that day, Jonbenét Ramsey was found dead in her family’s home in Boulder, Colorado. The case was flourishing among the media, following every step of the case. Eventually, the story would expand within the entire United States.
Annotated Bibliography Bane, Vickie. “20-Year Murder Mystery Who Killed JonBenet Ramsey?” (Cover Story).” People, vol. 86, no. 8, Aug. 2016, pp. 42–47.
The police investigating the crime said that the way the body was placed seemed like a cover-up for the crime, but could have also been moved by the father who found and picked her up, and that the ransom note was staged by Patsy Ramsey. In 2002 the DA reinvestigated the case, this time they looked at people that were not related to JonBenet as suspects. In 2008 the DA sent out an apology letter to the ramseys declaring that the family was completely cleared from the crime, and in February 2009 the Boulder Police reopened the investigation. There are two main theories about who killed JonBenet Ramsey one of the two is the Intruder Theory, Smits Theory was a theory that someone had broken into the ramseys
Both John and Patsy Ramsey submitted handwriting samples to the police shortly after JonBenét was killed. Investigators ruled out John as the writer of the note, but Patsy’s handwriting has kept her under suspicion. In 2008 when new DNA evidence revealed that they were not the killers. John Mark Karr was arrested for the murder after he confessed to killing JonBenét in 2006. At the time, handwriting analyst Curt Baggett claimed that Karr was the writer of the letter, based on a comparison to an entry written by Karr in a yearbook.
I am very familiar with this tragic event that occurred December 26, 1996 in the Ramsey household. JonBenet Ramsey was located in her basement home where her father John, her mother Patsy and brother Burke also lived. Before her lifeless body was discovered Patsy found a ransom note in the home demanding a large sum of money. It was shown that JonBenet’s skull was fractured, she had been strangled and molested. There was blood located in JonBenet’s underwear that did not belong to her.
Overview: The baby Charles Lindbergh Jr. was child of a famous aviator was reported to be kidnaped on March first in 1932 around 9:00 PM. He was taken from the nursery on the second floor of his home which was located just outside Hoppell,New Jersey. The child's absence was first discovered by nurse, then she had told the parents which had resulted in them arriving at 10:00 PM. At the scene a ransom note was left in the window sill for $50,000. On March 6,1932 a second ransom note was delivered to the family raising the price to $70,000.
Jonbenet Ramsey was a six year old beauty pageant icon who was unexpectedly kidnapped and then found murdered in the basement of her own residence. Her mother Patsy made the 911 call to the police. During the call, she screams “Help me, Jesus” not once but twice. Which seems incredibly suspicious while she is screaming there a two other voices in the background. After further investigation during the phone call, it was her husband John and their son Burke in the background.
The police investigation began instantly as a child abduction case, but soon took a turn for the worse when Jonbenet’s father, John Ramsey found her dead in the basement of her own house. “She was lying on the cold cement floor of the wine cellar with blood and bruises on her head, and a cord around her neck” (Agrawal). Immediately the child abduction case turned into that of a cold blooded murder. “The police should have done a better job controlling the crime scene from the begining” (Adams). With John Ramsey picking up his daughter’s dead body, and family friends walking around the house all morning, the chances of finding any evidence within the house was diminished.
JonBenet was in several pageants and was known all over the nation for her glittery costumes and performances, by the time of her demise she had five titles to her name: Little Miss Colorado, Little Miss Charlevoix, Colorado state All-Star kids Covergirl, American Royal Miss, and National Tiny Miss Beauty(Worthen). On the morning of December 26, 1996, a call was received: Patsy Ramsey had called police early that morning to report JonBenét missing. Patsy had found a ransom note demanding $118,000 and promising that the kidnappers would contact the Ramseys before 10:00 a.m.( Puffer-Rothenberg) she was found strangled with a fractured skull in the basement of her parents home hours after the kidnappers did not call (Puffer-Rothenberg). Upon completion of the report, it is clear that an examination of the unsolved murder is necessary. No stone will be left unturned; no avenues left unexplored.
(Bizarre Things About JonBenet Ramsey Case, n.d.). Experts tested the time it would take to write the ransom note, and it took every test-taker at least 20 minutes to complete without having to think about what to write. A forensic linguistics expert said the language in the note was “materialistic” and that it seemed like the author deliberately made certain errors to make it seem like the writer’s native language was not
Police put them under heavy observation since the family refused to talk to them at first. The Ramseys were under such heavy suspects that in 1999, a grand jury almost indicted Jonbenét’s parents on charges of child abuse. However, there was not enough evidence to support it. (The Tragic Murder 00:07:14-00:07:26). Evidently, JonBenét was strangled and beaten in the basement of her home.
JonBenet Ramsey who was a young loving beauty queen of Colorado, who’s live was taken way too early. JonBenet was murdered in her home in Boulder Colorado on December 26, 1996 at the age of six. After completing my research, I was able to make a prediction of who I believed murdered the incent child, and it did not take much research to see the mistakes made by the Boulder Police Department. The Boulder Police Department made numerous mistakes in the JonBenet Ramsey case.
For over 20 years, millions of Americans have been following the twisted and unsolved murder of six-year old beauty contestant JonBenet Ramsey. Christmas of 1996 brought terror to Boulder, Colorado as the world watched the crime scene unfold as Little Miss Colorado was found strangled in the basement of her family’s home. Pieces from the brutal murder such as a lengthy ransom note are unheard of, leaving the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) shocked. Two decades later, the case remains a mystery due to police mishap, mishandled evidence, and an abundance of conspiracy theories. Suspicions have ranged from her parents, John and Patsy Ramsey, to the outrageous, Santa Claus.