The Killing of JonBenét Ramsey: What the Record Shows

The strangest detail in the case file is the ransom amount. The handwritten note left on the kitchen staircase demanded exactly $118,000. John Bennett Ramsey pointed out to the first police officers on the scene that this was nearly identical to his Christmas bonus from the previous year. It is a specific, documented fact that immediately suggested someone with access to that financial information was involved in the crime.

You have probably heard the headline version of this case. On the night of December 25, 1996, six-year-old JonBenét Patricia Ramsey was killed inside her family's home at 755 15th Street in Boulder, Colorado. Her mother, Patricia "Patsy" Ramsey, called 911 at 5:52 a.m. MST on December 26 to report her missing. About seven hours later, JonBenét's body was found in the basement of the house.

For nearly 30 years, the media has focused heavily on the family's wealth and JonBenét's participation in child beauty pageants. The coverage generated competing theories, public outrage, and multiple defamation suits by Ramsey family members and associates. I went back through the records to see what the evidence actually shows. Let's unpack it.

The 911 Call and the First Search

The only people known to be in the house on the night of JonBenét's death were her immediate family: John, Patsy, and her nine-year-old brother, Burke. When Patsy called 911 early the next morning, she did so despite specific instructions in the ransom note against contacting the police. Two police officers responded and arrived at the Ramsey home within three minutes. They conducted a cursory search of the house but found no sign of forced entry.

Officer Rick French went down to the basement and came to a door secured by an additional wooden latch at the top of the door frame. He paused for a moment in front of the door, but walked away without opening it. French later explained that he was looking for an exit route used by a kidnapper. Because the wooden latch was holding the door closed from inside the house, he concluded the kidnapper could not have used this door and then closed the latch from the inside.

Meanwhile, the rest of the house was not properly secured. The forensics team initially believed they were dealing with a kidnapping, so they only cordoned off JonBenét's bedroom to prevent contamination. Friends, victim advocates, and the family's minister arrived at the home to show support. Visitors picked up items and cleaned surfaces in the kitchen. The record shows this early lack of containment possibly destroyed critical evidence.

The Discovery of the Body

At 1:00 p.m. MST, Boulder detective Linda Arndt asked John Ramsey and a family friend named Fleet White to search the house to see if anything seemed amiss. They started their search in the basement. John opened the latched door that Officer French had overlooked hours earlier.

Inside one of the rooms, John found his daughter's body. Her mouth was covered with duct tape, a nylon cord was tied around her wrists and neck, and her torso was covered by a white blanket. John picked up her body and rushed upstairs.

When JonBenét was moved, the crime scene was further contaminated. Critical forensic evidence was disturbed before the returning forensics team could properly document the basement room. Following the discovery, each of the Ramseys provided handwriting, blood, and hair samples to the police. John and Patsy participated in a preliminary interview for more than two hours, and Burke was also interviewed within the first couple of weeks.

The Autopsy Findings

The official autopsy determined that the cause of death was asphyxia by strangulation associated with craniocerebral trauma. JonBenét had an 8.5 inch skull fracture on the right side of her head. A garrote, made from a length of nylon cord and the broken handle of a paintbrush, was tied around her neck and had apparently been used to strangle her.

The autopsy noted evidence of a vaginal injury, though there was no evidence of conventional rape and no semen was found. At the time, the pathologist recorded that it appeared her vaginal area had been wiped with a cloth. Part of the bristle end of the paintbrush used in the garrote was found in a tub containing Patsy's art supplies, but the bottom third of it was never found despite extensive searching by the police.

The medical examiner also found vegetable or fruit material in JonBenét's system, which they noted might represent pineapple she had eaten a few hours before her death. Photographs of the home taken on the day her body was found show a bowl of pineapple on the kitchen table with a spoon in it. Police reported finding Patsy Ramsey's fingerprints on the bowl. However, neither John nor Patsy said they remembered putting the bowl on the table or feeding pineapple to JonBenét.

The Ransom Note

The two-and-a-half-page ransom note remains one of the most debated pieces of evidence. It was written with a pen and a notepad from the Ramsey home. The Federal Bureau of Investigation told local police that it was very unusual for a ransom note of that length to be written directly at a crime scene.

Investigators noted the letter contained unusual initialisms and exclamation marks, and it appeared to echo dialogue from films like Ransom, Speed, Escape from New York, and Dirty Harry. The police initially believed the note was staged because it lacked fingerprints, other than those of Patsy and the authorities who handled it.

A Colorado Bureau of Investigation report stated there were indications the author of the ransom note was Patricia Ramsey, but the evidence fell short of a definitive conclusion. Later, a federal court ruled it was highly unlikely that Patsy wrote the note, citing six certified handwriting experts. Board-certified forensic pathologist Michael Baden stated he did not think it was written by an outside stranger, noting he had never seen a note like it in his 60 years of experience.

The DNA Evidence

In December 2003, forensic investigators extracted enough material from a mixed blood sample found on JonBenét's underwear to establish a DNA profile. The DNA belonged to an unknown male and excluded the DNA of each of the Ramseys. It was submitted to the FBI's Combined DNA Index System, which contained more than 1.6 million profiles, but the sample did not match any profile in the database.

In 2008, Boulder District Attorney Mary Lacy sent the Ramsey family a letter stating they were cleared of suspicion based on these DNA results. However, in 2016, subsequent district attorney Stan Garnett stated that Lacy's decision was not legally binding and that she never should have written the letter. In October 2016, a report indicated that new forensic analysis with more sensitive techniques revealed the original DNA contained genetic markers from two individuals other than JonBenét.

Experts remain divided on what the DNA means. Former FBI profiler Candice Delong believes the DNA belongs to the killer because it showed up identically in several different places. Forensic pathologist Michael Baden countered that trace amounts of DNA can transfer to clothing through nonsuspicious means, arguing it does not definitively prove a stranger committed the murder.

The Intruder Theory and Suspects

The police and prosecutors followed leads for intruders, partly due to an unidentified boot mark left in the basement room. Detective Lou Smit, who came out of retirement to assist the District Attorney's office, concluded an intruder had committed the crime. He pointed to an unlocked door, a broken basement window, and two windows left slightly open for Christmas light cords. Smit theorized someone entered through the broken window and subdued JonBenét using a stun gun.

Critics questioned Smit's theory because there was an intact cobweb in the broken basement window. The steel grate covering the window also had undisturbed cobwebs, and the foliage around it was untouched. Smit ultimately resigned from the investigation in September 1998, believing the police had incompetently overlooked the intruder hypothesis.

Over the years, several suspects emerged under the intruder theory. In August 2006, a 41-year-old school teacher named John Mark Karr was arrested in Bangkok, Thailand, following a false confession to the murder. Karr claimed he drugged, sexually assaulted, and accidentally killed JonBenét. However, authorities found no evidence linking him to the crime scene. The autopsy indicated no drugs were in her body, and Karr's DNA did not match the profile found on JonBenét's clothing.

The Grand Jury and the Open Case

A grand jury convened in September 1998 to evaluate the evidence. In 1999, the jurors returned a true bill to charge John and Patsy Ramsey with placing a child at risk in a way that led to her death, and for accessory to a crime. They concluded the parents permitted a child to be unreasonably placed in a situation that posed a threat to her life.

However, Boulder County District Attorney Alex Hunter declined to prosecute them. He stated there was insufficient evidence to meet the higher standard of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt required for a criminal conviction. Because he did not sign the indictment, the grand jury's vote remained a secret until court documents were unsealed in October 2013. By 2002, the statute of limitations on the grand jury's charges had expired.

In 2009, the Boulder Police Department resumed control of the investigation. They continue to treat it as an open homicide and periodically provide public updates. The department has stated they are committed to following up on every lead and working with DNA experts. Read the file. Form your own conclusion.

Sources

1. Killing of JonBenét Ramsey
2. Getting Away with Murder: The JonBenet Ramsey Story
3. JonBenet Ramsey: What we know about the child beauty queen's ... - CNN
4. JonBenét Ramsey Pageant: The Dark Side of Child Beauty Competitions
5. JonBenét Ramsey Beauty Queen: The Tragic Story Behind America's Cold Case
6. Case File: JonBenét Ramsey - A&E