JonBenét Ramsey

JonBenét Patricia Ramsey (August 6, 1990–December 25 or 26, 1996) was an American beauty pageant queen who was murdered in her affluent family's Boulder, Colorado home at the age of six. The crime, which remains unsolved, attracted intense nationwide media interest. The tantalizing clues of the case have inspired numerous books and articles that attempt to solve the mystery.

The murder case

At 5:52AM on December 26, 1996, Patsy Ramsey (JonBenét's mother) telephoned 9-1-1. She told the operator, "we have a kidnapping", and explained that "there's a note left and our daughter is gone". She said she had just gotten up and found the ransom note.

Related Topics:
December 26 - 1996 - Patsy Ramsey - 9-1-1 - Ransom

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An initial police search of the Ramsey home found nothing. JonBenét's body was found later that day by John Ramsey (JonBenét's father) in a basement room of the home. A garrote made from a length of nylon cord and the handle of a paintbrush had been used to strangle her; her skull had suffered severe blunt trauma; and she may have been sexually assaulted. The "official" cause of death was asphyxia by strangulation associated with craniocerebral trauma.

Related Topics:
John Ramsey - Garrote - Sexually assaulted - Asphyxia - Strangulation - Craniocerebral - Trauma

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The police did not find any signs of forced entry into the home.

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The note

Investigators determined that the lengthy ransom note was written on a pad of paper that belonged to the Ramsey family. The Sharpie felt-tip pen used to write the note was found in a container on the Ramseys' kitchen counter, along with other pens of the same type.

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There were no fingerprints found on the note.

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The text of the note has many odd features, among them the $118,000 demanded. Perhaps coincidentally, John Ramsey earned a bonus that year of $118,117.50.

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Image:ramseyransom1.gif|Note, page 1

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Image:ramseyransom2.gif|Note, page 2

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Image:ramseyransom3.gif|Note, page 3

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Recent developments

In December 2003, forensic investigators extracted enough material from a mixed blood sample found on the deceased's underwear to establish a DNA profile. The DNA belongs to an unknown male. The DNA was submitted to the FBI's Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), a database containing over 1.6 million DNA profiles, mainly from convicted felons. The sample has yet to find a match in the database, though it continues to be checked for partial matches on a weekly basis.

Related Topics:
December - 2003 - DNA - FBI - Combined DNA Index System (CODIS)

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