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Spoiler Alert : This article contains potential spoilers for the Netflix docuseries , Cold Case : Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey .
WARNING : This article contains vex matters , include reference to child murder and violence .
Netflix ’s new documentaryCold Case : Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey , offers a novel penetration into one of America ’s most infamous unsolved slaying example and the investigation into her parent . Directed and produce by Joe Berlinger , the documentary exploresthe tragic dependable story of the murder of 6 - twelvemonth - erstwhile JonBenét Ramseyand the impact of the initial investigation and the media coverage . The docuseries includes interviews with of import key figure in the case , including JonBenét ’s father , John Ramsey , and her older half - pal , John Andrew .
Two people who were extensively look into were JonBenét ’s parents , John and Patsy Ramsey . Since the murder in 1996,John and Patsy Ramsey have been questioned and investigated by the authorization , and their skills as parent have been scrutinized by the medium . Nearly three decades after their daughter ’s death , the documentary , which joinsNetflix ’s growing list of best true - crime series , looks deeper into JonBenét ’s murder and the reasons why her parents were treated as suspect .
John & Patsy Ramsey Were Suspects In JonBenét’s Death Since She Was Discovered In The Family’s Home
The Body Of JonBenét Ramsey Was Discovered In The Family Basement
In the Netflix docudrama , John Ramsey recite the events of his daughter ’s murder . Ramsey recalls how , on December 26 , 1996 , the Ramseys were planning to move around from Colorado to Michigan to visit syndicate . In the good morning , Patsy Ramsey discovered a ransom money note put forward " We have your girl " and demanding money . Upon disclose JonBenét was missing from her bedroom , police were call , and an investigation was launched . Seven time of day after she was report missing , JonBenét ’s body was discovered by her father in the family ’s cellar ; it was set that she had conk due to strangulation and a traumatic mentality injury ( viaToday ) .
The sheath immediately turned from snatch to murder ; it speedily gathered national medium aid due to the sensationalized nature of JonBenét ’s death and the strange circumstances . It was the first and only homicide in Boulder , Colorado throughout 1996.Early medium account criticize the Boulder Police Department ’s initial investigation as they conk out to seal off the house as a criminal offense sceneand did not undertake a full search of the house before JonBenét ’s organic structure was found . retire detective Bob Whitson let in in the docuseries that he made a mistake and " should have move out all those multitude from the scene " but also states that it initially bet like " a legitimate kidnapping . "
The media also question why John Ramsey was the one to discover his girl ’s eubstance , rather than the police force ( viaVariety).However , reporter Julie Hayden stated in the docuseries that police military officer Linda Arndt had casually hint to John Ramsey to search around the sign . consort to Hayden , Arndt reported that Ramsey went direct down to the basement and found JonBenét ’s eubstance . Suspicions turned to John and Patsy Ramsey asmany believed it too much of a coincidence for the dead body to be found decently by . Detective Charlie Brennan stated that the police attention on JonBenét ’s parents as suspects"began on solar day one . "
Other Evidence That Tied John & Patsy Ramsey To JonBenét’s Murder
The Ransom Note and The Autopsy Pointed Suspicion at John and Patsy Ramsey
Joe Berlinger ’s three - part documentary explores the evidence that tied John and Patsy Ramsey to the murder of their daughter . adjourn investigator Bob Whitson talk about howthe Boulder Police Department never had to shell out with a snatch for ransom money before , and it was " a very rare sheath " to work on . The ransom money note demanded $ 118,000 - tantamount to $ 235,800 today - for the safe return of JonBenét and included a warning not to call the police ( viaCNN ) . The specific amount demanded thread suspicion as it was the same amount that John Ramsey received as a Christmas fillip from his task at Access Graphics .
Both of Netflix ’s # 1 trending titles are in the true crime genre , highlight the kinds of criminal offence story audience are revel at the minute .
Both John and Patsy Ramsey were asked to provide handwriting samplesso they could be compared to the hand on the ransom money note . Whitson uncover that he was provided with two notepads from John Ramsey that turn back sample distribution from both him and his married woman . script expert , Jeff Kitchart , examined the notepad and in Patsy ’s notepad , he discovered a pageboy that arrest " the first draft " of the ransom note , signaling that the ransom money billet had been written on Patsy ’s notepad . While John ’s handwriting was cleared , experts found some similarities between Patsy ’s handwriting and the ransom money note of hand ( viaNew Zealand Herald ) .
Handwriting expert , Jeff Kitchart , examined the notepads and in Patsy ’s notepad , he let on a Sir Frederick Handley Page that contain " the first draft " of the ransom money note , signalize that the ransom note had been written on Patsy ’s notepad .
JonBenét ’s autopsy also indicated a connection between her parent and her death . Her consistency was found with her wrists tied with white cord , which was also chance around her neck as a tying . Whitson stated in the docuseries thatthe ligature was made with a broken paint thicket handle , which was in the beginning in Patsy Ramsey ’s blusher supplies . This suggest to the police that JonBenét was killed inside her home . constabulary also found a baseball cricket bat and a torch that were initially believe to be connect to JonBenét ’s head injury , but both were eventually ruled out as murder artillery .
Why John & Patsy Ramsey Didn’t Fully Cooperate In JonBenét’s Case
The Police Used The Media Attention To Try To Apprehend The Ramseys
In the twelvemonth following JonBenét ’s dying , John and Patsy Ramsey faced unfavorable judgment for their hindering of the initial investigation . In the docuseries , John Ramsey reveals how he found his daughter ’s body in the cellar , and brought her upstairs to meet aesculapian attention . Bob Whitson state thatthe decision to hit the duct tape off of JonBenét ’s mouth and take her dead body upstairs foul the offence sceneand destroy potential evidence that could have helped with identifying the killer . It also impart to the suspicions that the Ramseys were regard in the criminal offence .
The negative word attending had the potential to damage the report of the Ramseys and fed the public speculation that they had murdered their daughter .
The Ramseys hired a attorney in the days following the slaying as they were touch on the police were looking at them as the prime suspects . In the series , John Ramsey tell that the law used the metier " to sweat them out " and squeeze them to concede . Reporter , Paula Woodward also say that the police force " took these small chip of information , twisted them around " and sent it out to the spiritualist . The disconfirming word attention had the potentiality to damage the report of the Ramseys and fertilize the public speculation that they had murdered their daughter .
For enthusiast of unexpected eddy and mesmerizing whodunit akin to American Nightmare , these true criminal offense docuseries offer major entertainment .
The medium craze and public speculation that focused on John and Patsy Ramsey in the aftermath of their girl ’s slaying is displayed throughout the documentary . In particular , Patsy Ramsey present punishing scrutiny from the media for provide 6 - twelvemonth - old JonBenét to take part in child beauty pageantry . While the medium claimed that Patsy made JonBenét participate in mantrap pageants , so she could " live through her daughter " , John Ramsey revealed toPeople Magazinethat this was n’t truthful . He express that JonBenét enjoyed participating in the pageants , and they were a way for her and Patsy to spend time together .
Were John & Patsy Ramsey Ever Charged For JonBenét’s Murder?
The Ramseys Were Supposed To Be Indicted For Child Abuse & Endangerment In 1999
Despite all the spiritualist examination and the law investigations they were need in , John and Patsy Ramsey were never formally charged with the execution of their girl . In 2008 , the Boulder District Attorney announced that the Ramseys were cleared of any engagement in the slaying of JonBenét Ramsey . This announcement was made after new DNA grounds was found on JonBenét ’s body ; while the DNA remain unnamed , it was affirm that it belong to to a male person not unite to the Ramsey family unit . The causa was reopen in 2009 , but it has since been classify as a cold vitrine .
Patsy Ramsey pop off of ovarian cancer in 2006 , at the age of 49 . She was buried in St. James ' Episcopal Cemetery , Georgia , next to her daughter .
While John and Patsy Ramsey were cleared of murder , it was let on that they were due to be indict in 1999 for charges of child insult and jeopardy . According toCBS News , the court bill of indictment stated that both Ramseys " countenance a tike to be unreasonably placed in a situation which pose a menace of injury to the child ’s life or health",and " supply assistance to a person , with intent to hinder , delay and prevent the discovery …. of such someone for the commission of a crime , " resulting in the death of their girl . However , the indictment were ultimately dismissed , as the district attorney concluded that there was no sufficient grounds in the display case ( viaCNN ) .
In 1999 , the Ramseys file a lawsuit on behalf of their son , Burke , againstStar Magazine , for their allegation that Burke was the select suspect in his sister ’s demise .
The Ramseys were affect in several lawsuitsrelating to their portrayal in the media . In 1999 , they file a lawsuit on behalf of their Word , Burke , againstStar Magazine , for their allegations that Burke was the prime defendant in his sister ’s death ; three weeks after the initial publication , the magazine retracted their allegations ( viaThe Daily Camera ) . In 2001 , the Ramseys face up a suit relate to their bookThe Death of Innocence , which was by and by dismiss ( viaLaw ) . In 2002 , the Ramseys settled out of court for their portrayal in the 2000 Good Book , JonBenét : Inside the Ramsey Murder Investigation .
In 2016,Burke Ramsey register a defamation lawsuit against CBS for $ 750 millionafter the release of the documentary , The Case of : JonBenét Ramsey , which he alleged depicted him as the murderer . The caseful was eventually settled in 2019 . The murder of 6 - yr - old JonBenét Ramsey still remains unsolved , but the constant media aid and the legal cases show that interest in the character remains strong today . With the dismissal ofCold Case : Who Killed JonBenét Ramseyon Netflix , there is hope that this unexampled docuseries may raise further interestingness and potentially bring unexampled evidence to light that could aid work out one of America ’s most notorious unsolved murder typeface .
Sources : Today , Variety , CNN , New Zealand Herald , People Magazine , CBS News , The Daily Camera , Law
