The grand jury’s indictment was not released until 2013, after a local reporter sued to obtain the document.īoulder police processed more than 1,500 pieces of evidence and interviewed more than 1,000 people in connection with the case, according to a video statement made by Police Chief Greg Testa in September. After 13 months of work, the jury voted to indict John and Patsy Ramsey for child abuse resulting in her death, but then-District Attorney Alex Hunter didn’t believe there was enough evidence to warrant filing charges. The Ramseys were also allowed to view police reports and the paintbrush and nylon cord used to garrote their daughter, even though it was not common to share evidence with potential suspects, The New York Times reported in a look back at the case one year later.Ī grand jury did not begin its investigation until September 1998, nearly two years after the slaying. Arndt reportedly gave Patsy Ramsey’s lawyer a photocopy of the handwritten ransom note around the same time Patsy was being asked to provide handwriting samples by other officers. In addition, police didn’t formally interview JonBenet’s parents until four months after her death. 26 a steady stream of neighbors, friends and police officers walked freely through the house until the afternoon, when John Ramsey, searching without a police escort, discovered JonBenet’s body. “Many of those things can’t be undone,” Garnett said.įor example, Boulder Police Detective Linda Arndt, the first investigator to arrive at the Ramseys’ home, initially failed to treat it as a crime scene. On top of that, relations between the police and prosecutors were poor, limiting their effectiveness.Īs a result, a number of irreversible actions took place in the hours, days and months immediately following JonBenet’s murder. The district attorney’s office hadn’t tried a homicide in years. She also showed signs of sexual assault.īoulder police and prosecutors at the time lacked the manpower and skill for such a case, said Boulder County District Attorney Stan Garnett. She had been hit on the head and strangled with a crude garrote. Hours later, JonBenet’s father, John Ramsey, discovered the body of the former Little Miss Colorado in a basement room. 26, 1996, JonBenet’s mother, Patsy Ramsey, called police and reported that her daughter was missing and that she had found a ransom note demanding $118,000 in cash. Intense media coverage at the time also played a role, pressuring police to act quickly and sending investigators down ultimately useless paths.Įarly on the morning of Dec. Why has the case remained unsolved? There’s no single explanation, though authorities readily acknowledge that early missteps by police hampered the investigation for years.
#HOW OLD US THE JONBENET RAMSEY TV#
The crime spurred books, TV shows and movies, including several this last fall. Investigators formed an expert prosecution task force, followed thousands of tips and spent millions of dollars trying to charge and prosecute a suspect.
This week marks 20 years since JonBenet Ramsey, a 6-year-old beauty queen, was brutally murdered in her family’s sprawling home in Boulder, Colo.Īmong law enforcement, the media and the public, theories abounded as to who the killer or killers were, with suspects ranging from JonBenet’s parents to a former substitute teacher living in Thailand.
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