There seemed to be a surplus of forensic evidence in the unsolved JonBenet Ramsey Case. Sadly, the entire criminal justice system botched the investigation.
Six-year-old beauty pageant participant JonBenet Ramsey's body was found in the basement of her parent's Boulder, Colorado home on 26 December 1996. She had been sexually assaulted, her skull was fractured and she died of asphyxiation.
Trace and Other Evidence
DNA traces were found on the child's body and clothing, and footprints were analyzed in the basement. In addition, a ransom note was found on the stairs by the mother Patricia (Patsy) Ramsey. John and Patsy were eventually both excluded after giving investigators handwriting samples.
Forensic Evidence - DNA Profiles
All body fluids contain DNA. Forensic scientists can analyze samples collected from the crime scene and create DNA Profiles.
In the Ramsey case, blood and buccal samples were taken for comparison from all the relatives and people of interest. Nothing matched. The latest evidence, called Touch DNA, found new areas where DNA could be lifted. This also did not match the DNA profiles of any members of the Ramsey family.
Fiber Evidence and the Contaminated Crime Scene
Fibers from blankets, carpet, clothing, bedding, car interiors and other materials can be identified and traced by the forensic team. Locard's Exchange Principle tells us that when any two surfaces touch, there will be an exchange.
Unfortunately (from an investigative perspective) both parents “contaminated” the crime scene when John carried JonBenet's body upstairs from the basement and tried to revive her. A distraught Patsy then flung herself on her daughter’s body and tried to pray her alive. There was a serious cross-contamination of trace evidence, which created problems later on. And there were other friends and relatives in the home all over the scene.
Forensic Handwriting Analysis – The Ransom Note
No two people write the same, which means that forensic handwriting experts are able to analyze the shape of letters, angle of writing and other aspects of a handwriting sample connected to the crime scene. If possible, they compare the writing with samples collected from potential suspects. The contents of the written material is also analyzed.
The first sign that anything was amiss in the Ramsey home was the two-page handwritten ransom note that Patsy Ramsey found on the stairs early on the morning of 26 December. The bizarre note is full of misspellings and conflicting writing styles, which police believe were deliberate. It was released on September 8, 1997 by then District Attorney Alex Hunter.
Shoeprints - Unsecured Crime Scene
Shoeprints can be specific, depending on the rarity of the brand and characteristics of the owner's footwear, like wear patterns. Shoeprints can also allow the investigators to determine the approximate height of the person by the size of the shoe.
In the Ramsey Case it was said that investigators photographed shoeprints in the snow in the yard of the Ramsey home. This was later proven untrue as there was no snow around most of the perimeter of the house.
There is also a controversial matter of the unknown shoeprint in the basement. Unfortunately, the unsecured crime scene was badly contaminated by friends, family and police who trampled it and destroyed evidence.
Confusion and Suspicion in the JonBenet Ramsey Case
The parents, John and Patsy Ramsey, brought suspicion upon themselves with strange behavior during the investigation of the horrific Christmas night 1996 murder of their beauty queen daughter. The Boulder police, who had never investigated a murder bungled, misled and suffered from tunnel vision.
The case turned into a media circus and never reached closure. Speculation by experts, media and the parents supported different hypotheses and the parents were eventually, finally cleared in 2008 of having anything physically to do with their daughter's demise by means of the Touch DNA. Patsy Ramsey died of cancer on 24 June 2006.
JonBenet Ramsey: 12 years later and still a mystery by Rupa Mikkilineni - CNN.com/crime
(23/12/2008)
The copyright of the article Forensic Evidence in the Ramsey Case in Forensic Science is owned by Karen Lotter. Permission to republish Forensic Evidence in the Ramsey Case in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
"Traces of blood and semen were found at the murder site" Nope, there was no blood or semen found at the murder site. There
were small blood stains on the childs under clothes that matches the skin
cell DNA found on the longjohns that also matched what markers found under
the fingernails of victim. There is plenty of legitimate information
on the internet about this crime.
Jan 1, 2009 9:37 AM
Karen Lotter :
Thanks you for that information, I'll investigate further and if need be
make the correction.
Jan 3, 2009 8:17 AM
Guest :
>Traces of semen were found on the child's body and clothing, NO.
The slightest attempt at accuracy would have let you know there was no
semen found.
>Cells in all body fluids contain DNA. No. >Forensic scientists can analyze samples and create DNA
Profiles. Often, but not always.
>blood samples were
taken from the relatives and people of interest. No. Some samples
were buccal swabs, but most were indeed blood.
>The latest
evidence, Touch DNA, did not match. The significance of the Touch DNA
was solely its location, not its failure to match family members.
>Unfortunately both parents “contaminated” the crime scene Most
of the contamination was by the police! >A distraught Patsy then
flung herself on her daughter’s body No. That did not happen. The
invited friends restrained her.
>Fiber evidence was totally
destroyed or contaminated. No fiber evidence was destroyed. Fiber
contamination was mainly by the police.
>handwriting experts
are able to analyze a handwriting sample The use of a felt tip pen
made such analysis extremely unreliable.
>investigators
photographed shoeprints in the snow in the yard NO!! What is more this
"no footprints in the snow" was an early and very oft-repeated
refrain. Anyone writing an article about their being footprints in the snow
clearly has not made any effort to be accurate.
>The parents
brought suspicion upon themselves with bizarre behavior NO. Those
already inclined to suspect the parents started to see "bizarre
behavior" in everything the parents did.
>murder of
their beauty queen daughter. Surely you mean the murder of their
daughter. The fact that she had been in beauty pageants was hardly central
to her life or her identity. She kept gerbils, she jumped in piles of raked
leaves, she engaged in finger-painting, she learned the alphabet. Why on
earth do you dwell solely on the beauty pageants?
This article
reflects very little effort on the part of the author to be accurate.
Jan 3, 2009 9:21 PM
Karen Lotter :
Thank you for reading my article. I realized when I tackled these JonBenet
articles that I was going to be subjected to a lot of attention from all
sides.
The unsolved case of JonBenet Ramsey still boils down to
two major groups, either a family member or an unknown intruder.
And for most people, the evidence - if anyone really knows what the
evidence is after all the twists and turns and lies and deception.
However, I have tweaked my article to make some points clearer in line
with you pointed out.
And I will continue to do so if I believe
I haven't been clear or accurate.
But I do pay a lot of
attention to what I write. And I am also entitled to my opinion, which does
not mean that I am not being accurate.
This case is a
frightening puzzle. And the saddest thing is that a little girl was
brutally murdered and with all the expertise and technology, nobody knows
who did it, after 12 years.
Jan 4, 2009 5:39 AM
Guest :
>The case boils down to either a family member or an unknown
intruder. Thats for sure!
>a little girl was brutally
murdered and with all the expertise >and technology, nobody knows
who did it, after 12 years. Well, perpetrators, brutal or otherwise,
tend to become known as a result of an investigation but not as a result of
an obsessive police-orchestrated campaign of harassment and intimidation by
the media.
Jan 5, 2009 12:36 PM
Guest :
Hello. I actually just finished writing a book on this case and I'm looking
for a publisher. And there's a few things to go over.
>John
and Patsy were eventually both excluded after giving investigators
handwriting samples.
That's wrong. Patsy Ramsey was NEVER
excluded as the writer of the ransom letter. Detective Steve Thomas wrote
in his book that she was the only one of 74 people whose writing was
analyzed that set off alarm bells. Also, during a civil case in 2002, the
former head of document examination for the INS said he was 100% certain
that she wrote it. The rest of the examiners said she might be the writer,
but they couldn't say so in court because of the felt-tip pen that was
used.
>A distraught Patsy then flung herself on her
daughter’s body and tried to pray her alive.
That's both true
and false. Patsy used that as an excuse for why her sweater fibers were
found tied into the knot of the ligature. But John himself admitted that he
had already covered Jonbenet's body with a blanket and sweatshirt.
Prosecutor Wendy Murphy said Patsy's story would require "flat-out
magic."
As for what another person has said, it wasn't just
people inclined to suspect the parents who found their behavior bizarre.
Several FBI profilers felt that way, too. As did two parents of murdered
children, Marc Klaas and Patty Wetterling.
Also, that business
about police-orchestrated harrasment, that's just nonsense. Over 650 people
were investigated besides the parents.
And there's a whole lot
more. One specific example: two child abuse experts named Sirotnak and
Krugman were called in to examine JonBenet's body during the autopsy. They
later wrote publically that they believed JonBenet had been a victim of
long-time sexual abuse. Their feelings were later confirmed through tissue
examination by Dr. John McCann and Dr. David Jones.
Your
"source" from TruTV is actually taken from a
"documentary" by professor Michael Tracey which was financed with
Ramsey money. Remember that.
Jan 5, 2009 6:57 PM
Karen Lotter :
Thanks for the comment. I hope you find a publisher for your book. I did
use many other sources other than TrueTV, but as I'm sure you know, with
the JonBenet Ramsey case it is really hard to know what is the real truth -
if their actually is any...
Re Patsy Ramsey and the Ransom note
- there is more to forensic handwriting analysis than the instrument used
to write the note. I've seen other "expert" opinions - many also
pointing to Patsy as the writer of the note - so although she was maybe not
actually "excluded" - she was never conclusively charged as the
writer of the note. Or was she?
Jan 7, 2009 5:22 AM
Guest :
What evidence leads the police away from John being the suspect? He wanted
to leave for his plane trip the day of Jonbenet's discovery, the ransome
note emphisized John in the letter, John even went directly to the spot
where JonBenet was found. DNA dosen't match, Shoe size and imprint doesn't
match, are they absoulutely sure beyond a shadow of a doubt that John
didn't have a role in this? Would Patsy had ever held back info, that would
make her act suspiciously covering up for John? Why did they obtain two
seperate attorneys? Did she fear the worst? Could John have forged the
letter to look like Patsy's handwritting? Why was 118,000 known in the
letter consistent with John's bonus? If it was an intruder that worked with
John, then who? How'd he know the amount of the bonus? Did everyone at his
work get a background check for sexual crimes? If it wasn't a stranger that
wasn't close to the family, then why was the assailant so comfortable in
the house, able to execute such a long crime, and slip out un-noticed? It
wasn't a stranger, someone close to the family, the parents? a co-worker of
John's, construction crew, then who? The truth cannot be disguised. Come on
people, whats the hold up? Solve it.
Jan 7, 2009 5:25 AM
Guest :
Why would Patsy be a suspect? Women are not involved in sex crimes, period.
This was a sex crime, one that involved severe planning, and execution with
no remorse, fear or regret.
Jan 7, 2009 11:15 PM
Guest :
Hello there, firstly i would buy the book that person wrote, i am
absolutley facinated. I cant believe that no one has solved it yet. i
read some where there is 1200 pieces of evidence surely something in there
is staring the police in the face and they just not seeing it. I believe
that this will come out and that someone is going to break this case wide
open. someone is feeling guilty and for what ever reason is keeping quiet
for now. i would like someone to clear some things up for me if you
know. Do they know what happened first, the head trauma or the
strangulation? If it happened in the bath how come they have not done
the Ultra light blood detection in the bathroom to pick up any blood. It
just seems strange that a head injury like that there was no blood? The
stun gun is there any experts to say if it was used after she was dead?
that red mark on her throat was that a bruise from strangulation ie a burst
vessel or was it from a thumb. could the reason be for her wearing the
bigger panties be she was wearing pull ups with those panties on top? if
so where was the nappy? she was found wrapped up in the white blanket did
the maid not say that the white blancket went under the comforter and if
that is the case why was the bed made? what intruder would make a bed? Why
have they not got warrents for all the children she played with that night
to eliminate the dna under her nails when kids play they can scrach each
other. those children should be old enough to not need the perants
permission So why dont the police do that so they can put that part to
rest. Or would it prove that its not an intruder and then the fingers
point straight back to the Ramseys? What shoe print was found i missed
that, was it next to the body or are u talking about the one on the wall.
I would also like to know about the 911 call She says [Hun] on the tape and
at the end they say they hear another voice. Was Burke ever questioned and
if so where is he? is he living a normal life, he's behavioural patterns
over the last 12 years might be a clue. Has he grown up normal or does he
have issues that would also determine the families guilt. I have seen JOhn
Edwards in action he is good why dont they send him in to this house and
see if she wont talk to him? There has to be something missing something
we are not seeing, with all the mistakes there have been in this case and
experts we have now surley it indicates that the murder is closer to home?
Jan 18, 2009 10:26 AM
Guest :
Guest : Why would Patsy be a suspect? Women are not involved in sex crimes,
period. This was a sex crime, one that involved severe planning, and
execution with no remorse, fear or regret. Rubbish.... Many women have
been involved in sex crimes, what about Myra Hindley, Rose West. Admittedly
a lot of them are carried out with a male partner but not always.
Jan 24, 2009 11:17 AM
Guest :
>>Thanks for the comment. I hope you find a publisher for your
book.
So do I.
>>I did use many other sources
other than TrueTV, but as I'm sure you know, with the JonBenet Ramsey case
it is really hard to know what is the real truth - if their actually is
any...
That's why I decided to write in the first place.
>>Re Patsy Ramsey and the Ransom note - there is more to
forensic handwriting analysis than the instrument used to write the
note.
Yes, I'm aware of that. My point was that the pen which
was used to write the note is very likely not the same one used to write
the exemplars, and the thing about those felt-tip pens is they have a
tendency to wear down and flatten out over time. That adds a whole new
dimension to the game.
>>I've seen other
"expert" opinions - many also pointing to Patsy as the writer of
the note
As have I, and I think it's important people remember
that.
>>- so although she was maybe not actually
"excluded" - she was never conclusively charged as the writer of
the note. Or was she?
Never officially, but there are a few
reasons for that. The evidence in this case was built up in such a way that
no one could really be sure which parent actually killed JonBenet and which
one helped cover it up. That's known as the cross-fingerpointing defense.
Pete Hofstrom, one of the Ass't DAs said, quote: "so what if she wrote
the note? Legally it doesn't prove she killed her kid." Dr. Henry Lee
later said that another reason Patsy was not charged with writing the note
is because it would have fallen under a lesser charge, and under Colorado
law, you can't file lesser charges as long as you haven't also charged
someone with the actual killing.
Hope that helps.
Oh,
one other thing. To whomever said this was a sex crime, forget it. The FBI
CASKU division said that it was STAGED to LOOK like a sex crime. Sorry.
Mar 9, 2009 11:50 AM
Guest :
Just a Question on the case. I did a search on the maid that threw Patsy
ramsey under the bus and she lives in Oswego Mi. On another search that is
where the brother went to high school. Is the maid still close to the
family? There might be people with the same name living in the same town
but something doesn't seem quite right. What do you think?
Apr 8, 2009 1:56 PM
Guest :
Pays to read the case files They are out there for anyone for a little bit
of real research. Thomas, under oath, had to admit was ill informed in his
book about the ransom note:
2 Q. (BY MR. WOOD) After your book
3 came out, sir, were you aware that
4 Mr. Ubowski
publicly denied the accuracy of
5 the statement that he
concluded Patsy Ramsey
6 wrote the ransom note?
7
A. No. You're telling me this for
8 the first time.
9 Q. Are you familiar that Mr. Ubowski
10 stated that he had
never reached the
11 conclusion that 24 of her letters out of
the
12 26 letters of the alphabet were matched with
13 the ransom note?
14 A. No, I have not heard that.
15 Q. And you stated to the contrary in
16 your book,
didn't you?
17 A. Yeah, I stated what I was told by
18 my detective sergeant.
19 Q. And you weren't even, I
guess,
20 aware that Mr. Ubowski and the CBI said they
21 don't even make that kind of analysis with
22
respect to the 24 out of the 26 letters of
23 the alphabet, you
don't know anything about
24 that --
25 A. No.
Apr 15, 2009 11:27 AM
Guest :
First off who ever killed the Ramsey girl absoloutley without a doubt is a
cruel unhumanitized individual and will be brought to justice before or
after their death I will find this mysterious murderer.
