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
A bonechilling, mystery, murder took place in a peaceful/small town in Boulder, Colorado, taken place on Christmas night shook the nation. Beauty queen, pageant winner, adorable, innocent JonBenet Ramsey was killed in the family home on the night of December 25th, 1996. Jonbenet was found with a device around her neck that straggled her, stun gun marks on her left side of her body, hands tied above her head, and tape over her mouth. Later autopsies found that the girl was bashed over her head leaving an 8 ½ inch fracture. Then found later on that Jonbenet was sexually assaulted.
There were many reports filed that questioned the police’s overall handling of this case and defamation suits filed by the Ramsey family against media organizations. The first mistake that was made in this case was allowing family and friends in and out of the Ramsey house after a kidnapping was reported. The police officers should have immediately sealed off the crime scene and taken full statements from JonBenet’s parents to study their behavior. There was also no attempt to gather sufficient forensic evidence before JonBenet’s body was found. Once the body was found, John Ramsey carried it upstairs before there was any examination.
One of very first mistakes the Department made was that they did not search the house very thoroughly, nor did put the house on secure the home and the evidence within the home after the first arrived on the sense. The Police department should have made sure that nobody enter the home, nor left the Ramsey home, before they had the opportunity to search it, and question everyone in the home at the time of the event. With no doubt if the police would have searched the house when they first arrived on the sense, they would have found JonBenet in the cellar of the basement in the Ramsey home wrapped in a blanket. Allowing John Ramsey and a close friend to search the house for missing house hold items, and that allowed him to find his deceased daughter. The Bounder Police Department also allowed family and friends to enter the home,
Once the investigation started, there were theories for every member of the family, but due to the lack of evidence, no one was ever prosecuted. Many people believe that John Ramsey, JonBenet’s father, was sexually assaulting her– a possible motive for him wanting to kill his own daughter. There were many claims that supported this, but there was no concrete evidence. John was accused of frequently going to an adult only book shop in Downtown
Though almost tried by a jury, John was cleared by the 2008 DNA test his wife was also cleared from and walks as a free man... well, not quite - many people have held John under suspicion since the day he found his daughter’s body in his basement. As expressed by the first detective at the scene in an interview with ABC News, “I see John Ramsey carrying JonBenét up the last three steps from the basement and my mind exploded - everything that I had noted that morning that stuck out instantly made sense. As we [John Ramey] looked at each other, I remember tucking my gun and consciously counting my bullets.” In the interview, Detective Arndt clearly looks distraught while telling of her experience and alludes to the killer being John.
Burke Ramsey was too young to be held accountable for his actions, consequently, Patsy and John Ramsey could have been held accountable had the investigation been conducted appropriately, gathering all the evidence available, as well as separately interviewing each member of the
This is the top theory of who the murder in the Ramsey case was due to the fact that he was a convicted pedophile, and who also happened to express a deep obsession with the six year old little girl. He also admitted in recent prison letters as of 2024 to killing her, even stating it as an
Police took hair and blood samples from members of the Ramsey family. From the beginning of the case, there was a disagreement between the office of the Boulder District Attorney Alex Hunter and the Boulder Police Department about the focus of the investigation. The DA formed a prosecution task force that included a forensic expert and a retired homicide detective. Their findings in the investigation pointed to an intruder as the perpetrator which conflicted with the theory that someone in the family was responsible for Jon Benet’s
The police have taken much offense to this, resulting in a lack of communication with the district attorney. These feuds unfortunately halted the investigation process of the Ramsey case. The information surrounding how police and government officials are feuding can give some explanation as to why this case has been unsolved for so long. When disagreements happen between people involved in an investigation, it can lead to a
Even though the origin of the DNA does not match the Ramseys, it cannot clear them. For another example, Burke Ramsey was another suspect leading the investigation away from the Ramseys given the evidence of pineapple found in JonBenet’s digestive system along with the bowl of pineapple found in the kitchen with Burke’s fingerprints on it, but it could not have been Burke due to the fact he did not write the ransom note. Handwriting tests show that “both John and Burke were cleared of all suspicion of writing the ransom note” (Penman 2017). This checks off Burke. All in all, John and Patsy are still the most likely murderers even though there is evidence that supposedly cleared
The JonBenet Ramsey's case has received groundbreaking publicity since existing. Several factors have played a part in the controversy over who really killed JonBenet. It has led to many theories and stumbling blocks of who DNA was found at the scene of crime over the years. The issue continues to focus on the Ramsey family. Based on research, JonBenet's father, John, and brother Burke stands out from the rest as the killer.
Based on my research, I have come a conclusion that Burke, John, and Patsy Ramsey played apart in JonBenet’s murder. Burke Ramsey, JonBenet’s brother who was inside the residence after returning home with his parents from Christmas dinner with friends, may have accidentally knocked his sister JonBenet Ramsey unconscious over the head with a flashlight during a feud over a bowl of pineapples. (Augenstein, 2016) Burke was not asleep upon returning home as John and Patsy reported to the Boulder’s Detectives. Boulder’s Detectives noticed in the kitchen during their investigation a flashlight on the counter top possibly a weapon used to strike JonBenet in the head.
Little JonBenét was found dead on Christmas day 1996 in a basement where her father John Ramsey found her corpse. JonBenet’s neck has been strangled along with injuries on her skull. There is no doubt that not only was she murdered and strangled but also molested. What truly has occurred on that day and year was a tragedy and a misunderstanding of what has happened to this little girl is still unsolved until there is more evidence. The murderer of JonBenet could have been anyone yet the fingers were only pointed at the family.
For example, when the police were first called, the Ramsey’s had also invited other family members and pastors into their home, tainting any potential evidence and destroying any kind of theory of how the crime scene came to be within their home. In the ebook “Crimes and Trials of the Century” states, “... many members of the Ramsey’s circle of friends..., were welcomed by Patsy..., making it difficult to keep track of all the individuals, much less control the crime scene and protect potential evidence” (Bailey and Chermak). The Ramsey’s daughter has just gone missing and the fact that the Ramsey’s despite denying being involved in her kidnapping/murder are tainting a crime scene and potentially spreading ideas about the crime to people outside the case seems questionable. Another example, Mr. Ramsey (JonBenét's father) further tainted the crime scene by moving JonBenét’s body. In the book “Crimes of the Centuries: Notorious Crimes, Criminals, and Criminal Trials in American History” the part of the book covering JonBenét’s case says that JonBenét was tied up and covered in a blanket, her father picked her up and moved her from where she was found (Cudmore).
