With the success of Making a Murderer and the public’s fascination with unsolved mysteries, it shouldn’t be much of a surprise that, 20 years later, the case of the murder of 6-year-old JonBenét Ramsey is getting another look. A&E got the jump on its competitors by airing the documentary, The Killing of JonBenét: The Truth Uncovered, on Monday night.
The documentary featured a recently unearthed, never-before-seen police interview with JonBenét’s older brother Burke, which took part 2 years after the murder. The then 9-year-old boy talked about the moment he realized his sister was dead, during a visit to a family friends’ house. He told police at the time, “I thought JonBenét was gonna be there, I thought they found her. I came in excited…almost relieved…then my dad told me that JonBenét was in heaven.” Burke’s three part interview with Dr. Phil begins airing on Monday, September 12.
For a time, Burke, as well as his parents, John and Patsy Ramsey, were suspects in the killing. Sadly, Patsy lost her battle with ovarian cancer and passed away in 2006. In the documentary, John tells A&E that to consider his young son capable of such an act was hogwash, saying, “The accusation that Burke somehow was this violent 9-year-old, 60-pound child and he bashed in JonBenét’s head and that Patsy and I staged the whole thing to protect him is laughable.”
The A&E documentary also addressed the misreporting of details on the case by the media, which led to the witch hunt against the Ramsey family. And, much like the Steven Avery case detailed in Making a Murderer, the police have come under fire for mismanaging the case. The case is still unsolved, with an estimated 50-60 suspects still on investigators’ radar. There is hope that DNA evidence can finally identify the guilty party, but that has yet to be seen.
The recent attention to this case has spawned quite a few projects. In addition to the A&E special, Dateline NBC is devoting a 2-hour special to the case on Friday night. Dateline NBC: Who Killed JonBenét? includes interviews with former investigators, including Bob Whitson, a retired detective sergeant at the Boulder Police Department, who believes that an intruder broke into the house and murdered the 6-year-old. Having been at the scene of the crime, Whitson said the evidence couldn’t possibly indicate a family member committed the crime, stating, “It matches up with a sexually sadistic person and a psychopath.” Investigation Discovery has also jumped on the bandwagon with a three-night docu-series JonBenét: An American Murder Mystery, which will premiere on Monday, September 12 at 10 p.m.
As we reported earlier, CBS is airing a six-hour series, Case Closed: JonBenét Ramsey, which premieres on September 18. There’s even news that Lifetime is planning a TV movie about the case, because of course they are. As a true crime aficionado, I’m glad the case is getting some attention, but is it all a little too much? I’m all for justice, but this is starting to smack of exploitation.
Photo credit: Getty Images
Explains the attempt to get ahead of the story on Dr. Phil. Since the story first broke my mom absolutely believed the brother did it.
When it first broke? We had no info then so why did she assume that?
It’s unlikely Burke had the strength and skill to fashion the instrument that asphyxiated her. Though I suppose with adrenaline it might be possible. It’s more likely he hit her on the back of the head, rendering her unconscious, and then an adult asphyxiated her.
The outside intruder theory holds no merit at all, it was absolutely someone inside the house. Unfortunately no one will be charged. I’m not sure we’ll get a deathbed confession from John, but once he passes I do believe we’ll hear something from Burke.
I read the latest People magazine at the gym. They said a garrotte was put over her head. A kid cannot do that. It’s the work of an adult.
However, the People story said that via touch dna (i guess they got prints or whatever from the corpse or clothes) they found matter that matched what was inside her panties. The DA issued a formal apology to the family.
So the family are not suspects at this point.
Agree. His life has probably been ruined by allegations he has killed his sister and the remarks of him being weird, well yeah no wonder. He has been scrutinized since he was a child by the public.
Holly- there was no definitive DNA trail pointing to a stranger doing the crime. She was wearing oversize underpants that were intended as a gift for an older cousin and they were unwashed. DNA remains (even after some washing) from anyone who touched them during manufacture. The girl could also pick up DNA from others while visiting earlier, they were planning to leave for a trip early in the morning they didn’t give her another bath before bed. If a stranger really had been involved, there would have been scads of evidence, not a little trace.
The asphyxiation or rather ligature marks were post-mortem.
I don’t have much to say about the case except I LOVE true crime documentaries (not sure what that says about me) so I may have to watch this online if I can.
Honest question though. Are there no normal photos of the girl? These pageant ones just freak me out beyond belief.
I remember the original headlines..a beauty queen contestant had been murdered and a picture of her with the full makeup, big hair and the crown..it was rare to see photos of her as a little girl.
Vanity Fair did a number of stories firmly pointing the finger at the parents..
I hear you on the photos, they freak the bejeezus out of me, too. Ick.
Omg yes, these pics are horrible. This little angel was murdered n to have her looking like a mini adult. Did they figure out who truly did this or is this another fake out. I’m just so against these kids looking, dress I g and acting like women in girls bodies. Very dangerous.
Kate- Another fake-out I’m sure.
you MUST listen to this podcast: My Favorite Murder. Two female writers/comics discuss different murders every week and invite listeners to email their hometown murders, which they read. They have a good blend of morbid fascination and respect for the victims. I’m obsessed. It’s like eavesdropping on two really cool women discussing true crime.
Thanks! Always looking for new podcasts to check out. You might dig Thinking Sideways. Lots of unsolved true crime/supernatural mysteries.
I love Georgia and Karen! It’s my favorite podcast.
Love MFM!!! It took me a while to get used to their voices, but after a couple of episodes I was totally hooked.
More stuff to listen to! Thanks all!
Thank you for this! I’m also obsessed with true crime (or “murder pr0n” as it’s commonly called). Not proud of it but it’s my guilty pleasure.
I LOVE THEM!!!
Thanks for the suggestions! I was just looking for some new podcasts to listen to. True crime fans may also like The Sword and Scale and Generation Why podcasts. In regards to Jon-Benet, comedian Patton Oswalt’s late wife Michelle McNamara was an amazing true crime writer and amateur sleuth and had a compelling argument for the brother being the person responsible. She was on Jackie Kashian’s Dork Forest podcast several times and she was great on it (I don’t remember the episode Jon-Bent number–may have been #129).
“Not proud of it but it’s my guilty pleasure.”
Me too. I blame Scooby Doo! It really made me want to “solve” things and figure out the mystery! Also, after seeing Paradise Lost (West Memphis Three) in college, it made me realize the mystery can also be “how the hell did our judicial system convict these people based on rumor and innuendo alone?” and “Who REALLY did it but was not convicted for it?”
Oh my god thank you for the podcast recommendation!! I watch dateline and 48 hours murder shows during my lunch break daily so having a podcast to listen to makes me so happy haha
My favourite podcast, love them! My favourite murder, that is!
Hey, fellow murderino! Seconding for this podcast if you have an interest in true crime, as well as Thinking Sideways, The Last Podcast on the Left, and The Dollop.
I think that’s what made this case so famous to the point that 20 years later people are still talking about it. There is something so wrong about these pictures that it made people believe the parents must be twisted. She also could have been exposed to some very sick people who were hanging around child beauty pageants.
I have been listening to the podcast “Real Crime Profile”. The hosts are Jim Clemente and Laura Richards…who are the doing the CBS show on this case. Jim was a prosecutor in New York, then he worked for the FBI, then he became a part of the FBI unit that studies crime scenes for evidence of behavior and motivation (called Behavioral Analysis Unit on Criminal Minds) . He retired and now writes for Criminal Minds . Laura is from the UK and was on New Scotland Yard. She has also worked with the FBI in the US. In the UK, she helped work to make stalking illegal, and has founded a victim advocacy service for stalking and abused people. She developed a risk assessment test to help law enforcement and hospital staff identify those people who are in immediate danger.
They go over crimes and the crime scene to understand what took place and why. They have gone over OJ Simpson (with a big focus on Nicole and OJ’s history of abuse), Reeva Steenkamp, etc. Jim discussed a little of his work on death of Vince Foster (whitewater). One of their guests was the FBI linguist who helped crack the Unibomber case, and I think he is also appearing on the Jon Benet show (he’s analyzing the ransom letter).
Jim can be a bit boastful, but he has a ton of experience and really knows his stuff!
Thanks for this also, Tiff. Always looking for new podcasts and I love crime stuff.
I found this podcast by first starting with Serial…then listening to Undisclosed (a MUST for any Serial fan who wants to know all the details). From Undisclosed I found out about Truth & Justice which also investigated Adnan’s case, but from there has gone on to two other cases. The case of Edward Ates that he is working on right now is just a crazy miscarriage of justice. So many people have gone to prison because police/prosecutors simply want a “win”, no matter if they have the right person or not.
Jim Clemente was on Truth & Justice, and that’s how I found Real Crime Profile. Also RCP has the best intro music of any of my podcasts so far!
I likre that podcast too. Jim doesn’t like to be questioned at all which annoys me, but he really does give some great insights into a lot of things that I really appreciate. I really like laitra too.
MFM and All Killa No Filla. two incredibly hilarious podcast about true crime by women.
I believe the family was involved in some manner. Whether one did it, and the others covered up, or maybe they believed the son did it and covered it up… I have no idea. There are far too many weird things about this case outside of the mishandling of information.
I was reading the Reddit AMA by Mark Beckner a week ago, and it was super interesting.
If anyone is interested: http://extras.denverpost.com/jonbenetAMA.html
The thing that was the most strange about this whole case is the note. It was almost 3 pages long, and it was written in the home, on their paper, using their pens, and then the pens and paper were neatly put away. What kind of home invader stays around to write a weirdly long note after killing the child?
Jesus, right? What did the handwriting expert say about the note???? Sorry, no time to go research that today. It tells me the investigation was totally botched or Ramsey LAWYERS.
Re: the note, its believed it was written by Patsy as the handwriting is similar thou she refused to submit examples for further testing.
It was a mix of both botched investigation and Ramsey lawyers.
I’m not an expert on the case, but I do remember the handwriting experts who analyzed the ransom note thought it contained many similarities to Patsy’s. They also thought Patsy made attempts to disguise/deceive when she submitted her own handwriting sample for comparison. Apparently, when asked to write “$118,000” (which also just so happened to be the amount of her husband’s bonus), Patsy wrote it out in letters instead of numerals. I can’t imagine why anyone would write out such a large number.
Just the idea that an intruder, knowing there are people in the house, would take paper from a desk and write a long note is inconceivable..any intruder would want out as quickly as possible. I can’t believe it’s been 20 years…
Patsy was ambidextrous, and it is believed she wrote the note with her left hand. Google analysis of the content/language of the note, as this also points to her.
In regard to the cause of death. JonBenet suffered a serious blow to the head that rendered her deeply unconscious that would have undoubtedly proven fatal then 45min to 2 hours later she was strangled with a garotte made from material found in the home.
It is highly likely that the kidnapping note was fabricated in the interval between the two incidences, also from material found in the home. The likelyhood of an intruder lingering in the home with 3 other residents for that length of time is unlikely. The FBI has also noted that there is also no other reported case of a kidnapping victim found dead hidden at the scene of the abduction.
The DNA evidence that the DA’s office hinged it’s intruder theory on? Touch DNA that is so minute that they examiners can’t completely sequence it or tell if was blood, skin, salvia or sweat. The unknown DNA also was found to come from at least 6 unknown individuals. It’s much more likely that it was cross contamination or an artifact of the manufacturing/packaging process of the brand new underwear she was wearing.
In addition, the autopsy discovered signs of previous sexual abuse over a period of time. Something was going on in that home and the Ramseys’ have spent years covering it up. Is it possible that an intruder snuck in and attacked this little girl? Sure, it’s possible. But the simplest explanation is that one of the individuals living in that house struck her in a moment of rage and then a coverup ensued. Then an inexperienced and undermanned Police force lost control of the crime scene & valuable evidence was lost or tainted.
Let’s not forget that for a ransom note to make any sense, JB would need to be alive, or the killer would have to remove the body, otherwise, there would be no chance of collecting any ransom. Instead, the victim was found in the basement. So, this deranged kidnapper sat there writing a 3 page note in the house while waiting for the family to come home? Or after killing JB and then decided to get money out of his efforts, but then left the body hidden in plain sight in the basement? There are some stupid criminals out there, but this one is crazy stupid.
Julaine, the coroner stated REPEATEDLY that there was NO evidence of any sexual assault. That rumor grew legs day one, and no matter how many time it’s debunked, it comes back. The media will not correct that one because of it’s gross value.
@julianne thats the police theory of the murder. Almost every single expert disputes this. Jonbenet had claw marks on her neck where the garrot was. Those are believed to be self inflicted (its a common reaction among victims who are being strangled to reach for their throats and try and remove what is blocking their air.)
Honeybee, I based my statement about the prior sexual abuse on information in Foreign Faction by James Kolar. It is the latest book written on the case (2012) and Mr. Kolar was the Chief Investigator for the District Attorney’s office for 2 years that was hired to review & jumpstart the case. He states that was the conclusion of the initial coroner and several forensic pathologists who reviewed the photos later as well as slides taken.
If that information is not correct it would be a very strange assertion for an experienced Investigator to make. I went back and reread my copy of the book when this case popped up in the news last week.
I think the CBS show is having a linguist who helped crack the Unibomber case on it. Not just handwriting, but what words were chosen when tells a LOT about the writer. I am really interested to hear this expert’s take on the letter.
@Juliane that “sexual abuse” theory is just a theory. Kolar was a detective with the Boulder PD. He has NO training in child or forensic psychology, he has no training as a pathologist, or a forensic scientist. Experts in those fields agree that she was not sexually abused prior to the murder. His book is a big theory that doesn’t add up. Experts who interviewed Burke found no evidence to support his theory, and the evidence doesn’t make sense either. What about the DNA on the leggings and the panties? Can’t be manufacturers DNA, they were from two different manufacturers. What about the tape and rope used to bind Jonbenet? No match within the house, where did it come from? What about marks on her face and back of her neck? Experts confirm that they are consistent with a stun gun, and NOT a match to Burke’s toy train tracks. Where would the Ramsey’s get a stun gun and why would they need to use it to restrain their own child? It doesn’t make sense.
@Anon, thank you! So many theories here presented as cold hard facts. Patsy is dead so it no longer hurts her, but I can’t help but feel for Burke – a nine year old at the time! It’s also ludicrous to state that the parents finished off the murder to protect Burke. Jon Benet was the cherished princess, no way would they end her life to protect him. And in the stupidest way.
@Erinn & @GingerCrunch:
I remember reading a lot about the case a few years ago, and TO ME, it’s quite clear: the mom killed her in a “rage” moment (she was furious that JonBenet didn’t want to go to a pagent), and the father covered for the mom.
But that’s MY OPINION, and I think we’ll never really know what really happened, not even DNA can solve the case.
That’s my opinion on it, too. I think Patsy did it, or is covering for some third party outside of her husband and son. She was involved. But like you said, it’s just our opinion.
I remember my dad being super outraged over this case when it was happening – Jonbenet is about two months younger than I am. This hit home for him in a way. He was so outraged at the way the family behaved during this whole mess, lawyering up like mad, and shutting down, and not cooperating. He also hated to see how they dressed her up like a little doll and paraded her around the pageant circuit. We don’t live in an area where pageants are a thing, really, so the whole thing baffled him when he looked at photos of that poor little girl, and then looked at me who would be out catching snakes and frogs in the yard.
yeah, it’s odd that she was killed by blunt force trauma, but there was also a garrote attached to her throat. The garrote was staged to make it look like a torture/murder and not child abuse maybe?
I thought they concluded she died from the strangulation? there were marks on her neck that prove she was trying to save her life from the cord — trying to get it like any human would in that situation.
What a horrible horrible death for a anyone much less a child who knows nothing whats going on.
@Erinn – I don’t think it’s strange at all, nor is it evidence of guilt, that the parents “lawyered up”. The family is always the first suspect so getting a lawyer was smart. I’d get one too if a close family member was murdered. It’s foolish to think the police have your best interest at heart.
Agreed. I strongly recommend people check out the link and read the ‘Ask Me Anything’ that the retired Boulder police chief did on Reddit – apparently he didn’t know what Reddit is (!) and thought it was a private forum so he was very chatty and open.
He is very tactful and never says it outright, but after he is done discussing the evidence, it’s clear that someone who *lived in the house* murdered that child and wrote the note, and it wasn’t the brother. Very sad that the parents got away with it. 🙁 RIP JonBenet.
Sugar-
No, I know. Anyone who is in a situation that’s such a mess should be lawyering up. But they like… shut down in weird ways. They refused to co-operate with certain parts of the investigation that just didn’t make sense. If I thought some stranger had walked into my house and murdered my child, I’d be doing whatever I could to help.
Sugar – It’s one thing to insist on having a lawyer present when you’re talking to the police (always a good idea) and it’s quite another to lawyer up and refuse to speak to the police completely, which is what the parents did. For two months. The Ramseys went far beyond protecting themselves and instead actively blocked the police’s investigation…which is sort of strange behavior from people whose child had just been murdered.
@hadleyb She did die from strangulation. The cause of death is listed as asphyxiation.
I live in Boulder, and that letter is still referred to as “The War and Peace of ransom notes.” Oh, and Bob Whitson is a known nutter and one of the handful of investigators who were/are also fundamental Christians, and therefore the “deeply” Christian Ramseys could NOT have done such a thing, in their most humble estimation (gag). However, NO ONE came in or out of that house on the night in question without use of the front door. Even the dust on the sill of the “broken” window in the basement was undisturbed. They even had the tiniest woman in the BPD try and get through the window without disturbing the dust on the sill or the cobwebs that were in the corner of one side of the window. She couldn’t do it. That, and there were no footprints in the snow anywhere around the entire house. Oh, and the broken glass was found on the OUTSIDE of the house. If it had been broken from the outside, most of the glass would have fallen into the room instead of outside. The window was broken from within. It was staged. In this town, we all know it was Patsy, and probably a horrible accident in the heat of the moment (involving getting up in the middle of the night to deal with the child’s bedwetting), and that she then began the cover up. Some believe that John still doesn’t know what really happened, and initially thought he was truly looking for his daughter that a.m. The belief is that Patsy orchestrated the coverup, as had John been involved, he probably would have caught at least SOME of the inconsistencies, or tried to talk her out of it. He’s a smart man, and people who knew him couldn’t believe he would be dragged into such an unworkable scheme. Regardless, locals heard and saw things that have never been reported, and the circumstantial evidence against Patsy is beyond overwhelming. However, it’s probably not enough to have secured a conviction, so their coverup and ruination of lives in this town was all for naught. She would have walked.
That’s what’s scary. There was too much belief on the “a mother COULD NEVAH” line of thinking. Mothers do that all the time, sadly, but for whatever reason some people really don’t think that anyone could be just as capable of murder as the next person. I don’t think the husband was in on it. I could be completely wrong, but I’ve never gotten that feeling. But whoever wrote the note had to know the amount that he’d just gotten as a bonus – so that does open up the mother to more suspicion.
Beckner seemed like such a competent guy, it’s a shame that he hadn’t been brought onto the case sooner. I know hindsight is 20/20, but at least he didn’t let religion get in the way of his work. In the AMA he said he’d consider putting together a book about different cases he worked, some as a hostage negotiator. I hope he does, because I think it’d be a really good read.
If I am recalling correctly supposedly the ransom note is the longest the FBI had ever seen. So you are hiding in this house or whatever, you don’t know what time they are going to be home so you sit down and write a long ransom note. Or you just murdered a little girl and the family is asleep so rather than leave you sit down and write a long ransom note. It just doesn’t make sense.
Something struck me while watching the A&E special. Patsy mentioned that they had between 1,000-1,500 people in the home in the days before the murder for holiday parties. The ransom note was written on notepad taken from the home, and the note demanded money (almost the exact same amount as John Ramsey’s bonus that year.) What if it was a coworker? Not many people would have known the amount of his bonus. The tape and rope used to restrain Jonbenet could not be matched to materials in the home. What if a coworker took the notepad during a holiday party and wrote the note and brought it with him the night of the murder?
Also, they tested the investigators, pathologists, and lab techs who handled the clothing. NONE of them were a match to the DNA. So, we have ruled out those people and the manufacturer.
They have NOT ruled out the possibility that the DNA came from the manufacturer. I rebutted this in the last thread and you didn’t respond. So I doubt you’ll listen this time either – but I’m going to repeat my rebuttal anyway, just in case someone else reads your post and believes you.
There are 6 (six!) different unidentified DNA samples. (One sample in left fingernail scraping, two samples in right fingernail scraping, one sample on underwear and leggings, one sample on wrist bindings, one sample on garrote.) Cloth-to-cloth transfer from the underwear to the leggings could easily explain why one of those 6 samples was present in two separate locations.
If you think underwear/leggings guy must be the murderer because his DNA is there, how do you explain the other 5 DNA profiles? Those have to be manufacturers right? I mean you don’t seem to be suggesting it was a gang of six, so you realise that something is wrong with 5 of the profiles, right? And if you can see that there’s a problem with 5 profiles, I honestly can’t understand why you’d think the 6th sample is somehow great proof. Honestly, I’d understand your logic better if you were claiming it was a pack of six murderers. I’d think you were wrong, but at least your logic would be consistent.
I am sorry, but these American child beauty competitions make me want to vomit.
Same. Those predatorfests are weird and creepy. It should Be forbidden.
Same. They are incredibly creepy.
That and those baby cheerleader competitions. I love outside of Atlanta and we have one of the biggest teams here. Parents pay thousands of dollars a year for their daughters to belong to the gym. And they dress up like hookers. It’s ridiculous. Cheerleading is a sport, but it will never be taken seriously as long as they dress up that way.
Seriously?? I had no idea there was such a thing. WTF is wrong with these parents? Baby cheerleaders? Isn’t there enough time for all of that when these girls become teens and older? I don’t have kids so I’ve never watched any of these shows but whenever I see a pic of a little girl dressed up like an adult, every hair on my body stands straight up. It’s beyond disturbing. No little girl should ever be sexualizied like that. It’s a magnet for pedophiles and should be illegal.
I am going through this right now in that my 4 year old is starting dance and the outfits some of these dance places have little girls wear is appalling.
My daughter is three, and I cannot for the life of me imagine dressing her up this way. It’s equal parts repugnant and puzzling.
I’m actually debating whether or not to put her in dance class because of the dress aspect. Maybe I’ll just keep her in swimming and add martial arts or something.
It’s a shame, because there’s nothing for establishing good posture like dance. Maybe consider ballet, the outfits are pretty basic, unless things have changed since I was a kid.
Its been 20 years and I have never seen this childs face. Every single photo has her in heavy makeup, false eyelashes and hair extensions. Its tragic that she lost her life but we also need to grieve for the carefree childhood her parents stole from her.
You know, when people dress their little boys up in sports gear and teach them to act like adults, few people bat an eye.
Nope, sorry.
My ten year old son looks like a kid in his soccer or baseball gear. He’s playing a game. Like a child.
My daughter is 12, and looks like a kid.
It’s the sexualization of young children, girls in this case, which is offensive. I can’t imagine these images not touching a nerve in every person who sees them.
Such a beautiful child – looks like her mother. There is so much wrong with this case that I doubt that there will be any convictions.
So so sad.
The latest People cover shot is the same photo as the one used on the cover of the magazine from 20 years ago (one with the headline ‘What’s taking so long?”) … except they have photoshopped it excessively! Given JonBenet blue eyes and bright red lipstick – generally made her look older and more doll-like at the same time. How unnecessary and inappropriate!
So true. Great observation.
I always thought this would be a good topic for Serial. I guess not though since everyone else is jumping on the bandwagon…..
More than a little uncomfortable by the millions of dollars that have undoubtedly been generated on the back of this child’s horrid murder: selling more and more magazines, tv adverts and yes – now internet ads. The media wants to ‘revisit’ the crime, but really what they want is ratings and ad sales. It sickens me. I hope this child’s spirit can rest in peace, because the legacy of her death never will.
It bothers me too – it’s not about journalism or trying to unravel a mystery – there are, unfortunately, many other cases which could be explored by some of these media outlets. It’s all about ratings.
I agree with you.
The family for sure was involved, and I always thought it was the Mother that killed her. I doubt the brother had anything to do with it. I know Patsy passed away years ago. Is the father still alive? In any event, all of their lives were ruined after this tragedy, but I truly believe they brought it upon themselves.
The father is alive and I think is married to the mom of murder victim Beth Holloway (killed by that asshole Van Der Sloot’s (sp?) while on high school grad vacation) . Weird, right?
(I could be wrong on this. Feel free to correct).
No, he dated Natalie Holloway’s mother for a time, but married someone else.
I’ve known parents of children that have died, marry each other. Meet in support groups, group meetings.Think there is an understanding of what it is like rather than them marrying people not effected by it.
The parents were not cleared. The local District Attorney at one point (2008?) made a misleading statement saying they were cleared related to DNA (which their DNA IS in strange places but nothing that has been conclusive). She then had to backtrack somewhat but the original statement got tons of press and that is the impression that is left, and often the mainstream media repeats that. The next District Attorney (Boulder specific or Colorado … I cant recall now which) who replaced her then said her statement about the parents being cleared of any suspicion in the events was not accurate.
p.s. when you look at the case really closely, it is hard not to think parents and possibly son involved. The CBS special seems to be the only one that may have some revealing information (recreated the house, interview with 911 operator). Dont have much hope for Dr. Phil. And yes, they are all doing this during sweeps for ratings… if they really cared about the *anniversary* this would be covered in December. The others trying to * scoop * or deflate CBS but that is almost last in the mix (which is probably * best * due to the type experts and the type investigation they seem to have done) and will probably get the most attention.
Whatever happened .. so sad, beyond, for this little girl. When you look at the picture perfect house from the outside with its Christmastime decorations…
The DNA found on the body was such a minute amount and according to the police chief on the case, it could not be determined if the DNA came from manufacturing, the packaging process, someone with ties to the family, or possibly an intruder. So, no, the DNA definitely didn’t exonerate the family.
Given all the sketchiness around the ransom note (I can’t find any way to explain away the “coincidences”), I believe someone in the family committed the crime. Their behavior after the fact kind of cements it. I don’t blame anyone for lawyering up (I’m married to a lawyer, so I get it), but the Ramsey family was less than cooperative. You’d think they would want to bend over backwards to help police catch the killer if it was someone unknown to them.
Yes, according to the police chief. The police think the Ramsey’s did it. Leading experts, specifically pathologists who are trained to look at DNA evidence (which the police chief and officers ARE NOT) have said that that theory makes no sense. The DNA was found on panties and leggings, from different manufacturers. There’s no way that that DNA could come from a manufacturer and be on both items. The police are not experts in reviewing DNA evidence.
No, Anon, every expert in this county have all concluded it was within the family and probably Patsy. ALL the evidence points that way. The touch DNA is a red herring that the Ramsey apologists have been touting for decades. There was no insider. This is something we all here in Boulder know. As I’ve stated before, many, many reports from friends, neighbors, parents of classmates etc., have never been made public. All evidence points in but one direction. Period.
I’m surprised the case didn’t get more decent documentary coverage before. I realize it’s not easy to make a good and impartial film/series about this, though.
That being said, in my opinion the family was, in one way or another, involved. There was just too much strange there. And the ransom note, the brother’s voice heard in the background of the 911 call (when he was supposed to be asleep and totally unaware of the events…) – like one of commenters said, Ramseys had some really good lawyers.
I loved Joyce Carol Oates’ novel based on JonBenet’s story. It’s JCO’s imagination, of course, but it touched all the aspects of the case that fascinate people – the little white blonde princess being murdered, disturbing and tacky, but strangely fascinating pageant (or, in the novel, figure skating) imagery, the murder taking place in a rich, privileged (so-called “good”) family, the mother’s own past attempt at fame, the hypocrisy and inner turmoil of “perfect” families.
Not everyone hears Burke on the call. The FBI have said they do not hear it. So that is not an undisputed fact.
What’s the name of that book, please?
The title was “My Sister, My Love”.
I’m sorry I know it is an American thing and I do not want to insult anyone but whenever I see little girls all dolled up like that with make up on and the hair my mind immdiately goes to mothers who allow and encourage this and I usually think there must be something wrong with the mother and something quite disfunctional going on in that family. I still think the brother did it. And the father calling all the rumours laughable… I am not sure I would use that word. Terrible or horrible maybe? What’s there to laugh at in this situation?
A lot of times, that IS the case. There was a fascinating documentary on HBO around 1999 called “Living Dolls” that followed around a little girl and her family as she went thru the pageant circuit. I noticed the thing that almost all the moms had in common–they were unattractive, pretty slovenly, etc. It came off looking to me like many of these women were living vicariously through their daughters. That’s not always the case–sometimes it’s just what these rich women do with their money–but sometimes. It’s gross.
Swan I think her name was ..she had a tragic end to all those pageants. Her mother died shortly after that show and Swan even changed her name because people even years later were fascinated with her.
I am sure she was approached by Pedos’ all the time.
I wonder what happened to her now ?
The mothers of these pageant girls are definitely trying live vicariously throught their daughters and they aren’t the only population of moms that do this. I see it with youth cheerleaders as well. I think some women who were outcasts, wall-flowers, unattractive, etc. are bent on making their daughters be who they wish they were when they were their age.
Watch a youth football game (Intermediate grades) where they have 5th or 6th grade cheerleaders. Most of the mothers are front and center vie-ing for attention with their little girls. They can’t just sit and be quiet – they are loud and constantly getting up, walking around them, doing the cheers with them, etc. It’s really obvious why they have their daughter(s) in cheer and it isn’t for the daughters.
<3 Swan. Her full name is Swan Brooner. She moved to Alaska after her mother died. Then her father died. There's even some person who maintained a "My Search for Swan Brooner" website. Seems like Swan doesn't want to be found.
That is not an ‘American’ thing, that’s just a weird group of people. Almost everyone thinks child beauty pageants are weird as hell.
Sorry that may have came out wrong. I mean that we Europeans do not have an equivalent of this fuckery hence I said it is an American thing. That does not mean that most people in America support this and do not think its creepy.
It is unfair to say that child pageants are hands-down the result of uncaring, negligent, creepy or disturbed parenting. Despite what seems obvious to us there are parents who enter their children in these pageants altruistically just like there are many who do it for selfish, despicable reasons. It is also untrue to say that child pageants are not an American thing. As it so happens, Pageant’s, including child pageants, are prevalent in the American south. The reasons for this are numerous and deeply cultural/regional. You can’t really speak on behalf of something if you don’t really know about it. This is not to comment on whether or not these pageants are good or bad. I think we can all agree that 99% of these child pageants are problematic at And deeply troubling and disturbing at worst. That is why so many of them have been discontinued even in the south. i think a little perspective is important in a discussion.
Yeah, it’s really not an American thing, it’s just a creepy thing. Although it does seem more pervasive in the Midwest and South where education rates are lower, BMIs are higher, and backwards “Christian” values prevail… I think the opinion of most people in the US is that there is something distinctly wrong with child pageants, child cheerleading, dance, gymnastics, modeling, etc. I’ve yet to meet a mom who is completely of sound mind whose child does these things. And that show Toddlers and Tiaras? I mean, the moms on there are just bonkers the one time I had such a misfortune as to watch some of it. The tackiness is astounding. I don’t see a big leap between this and people who post made up, posed, enhanced photos of their young girls on social media either as an aside. Its just weirdos who happen to be American, not persasively an American thing. This case is so sad, it does feel like she’s being exploited, even in her death. I still think it was the brother and the parents tried to cover it up.
“Its just weirdos who happen to be American, not persasively an American thing.” I guess you can probably see how foreigners feel about certain ways we get labelled sometimes. I’m a foreigner who would love if people could apply that rule to ways in which americans see other cultures. I mean, most of the time when people say “Oh it’s a Insert-Nationality-here thing” for things that are frankly pretty horrible, assuming we’re all like that when in reality most people in the country think it’s not, it’s just a bunch of weird people. Americans do that to countries all the time, but they clearly don’t want that being done to them.
I’m American and completely agree with you. I don’t think pageant-types are a large subset of the population.
Ugh, not all American’s! I find it inappropriate and creepy as HELL.
When I was little I had some friends who did pageants. My mom wouldn’t let me do it because she thought it was inappropriate.
Your mom was smart.
I know a lot of posters here went in on the parents and brother, but after seeing an older doc featuring Lou Smits, who was THEE go to guy in law enforcement in these cases, I was pretty much swayed to turbine intruder theory.
*to the home intruder theory
There was a lot of evidence to debunk that though–the bizarre timeline (an intruder stayed in the house doing all this over the course of 3 hours while the family slept??), lack of footprints in the snow outside the house, and the difficulty if not impossibility of anyone fitting through that window.
There was no snow, though? Lou showed pics taken of the crime scene and nowhere was there snow surrounding the house. The pavement was clean. The intruder supposedly came in through a cellar window which had shown evidence of being disturbed because the foliage around the grate above the window had been pinched at the lip of the grate opening. He also found a suitcase conveniently placed by the foot of the window indoors indicating it could have been positioned there for a quick getaway. He surmized the intruder came in while the family was at a relatives home and he hid in a guest bedroom under a bed (which had a bed skirt that was tucked in everywhere except at one point where it seems to have been pushed out as if someone came out from under there). The room was adjacent to JonBenet’s bedroom. He also argued that the injury to the head occurred after the strangulation either as she died or right after because a head wound that severe would have caused much hemorrhaging and she would have bled out through her nose and her eyes and the place was clean of blood trails except for the few drops found on her underwear. In fact, the only way they even found out about the gash in her skull was during the autopsy once they pulled back her scalp. It’s a very old doc that is on You Tube produced by the Discovery Channel. It was pretty interesting. I went in totally expecting all signs to point to the parents, but a lot of his theories made sense to me
Also I forgot to mention that during the doc, Lou himself was able to easily crawl down through the window on camera, and he was about 5’8″
Actually, I think Smit’s explanation of what he thought killed Jonbenet made sense with the timeline. He argues that she was stungunned (which matches the mysterious marks on her face and back of her neck) and then tied up, sexually assaulted with a paint brush and garroted repeatedly before finally being struck in the head. Repeated garroting in that manner would have been a predator playing with his prey. Torture takes time, the intruder very well could have been there for a long time.
I live here, and Lou Smit was NOT the go to guy “in these cases.” He was from Colorado Springs, about a two-hour drive geographically, and another planet socially. C.S. possesses the largest number of churches per capita IN THE WORLD. It is basically one big military/born-again Christian town. I had the extreme displeasure of living there for one year and eight days. The worst place I’ve ever been. Boulder is the polar opposite; very liberal and female centric, which is why the Ramseys never fit in. NO ONE in this town condones the sexual objectification of a young child, which is precisely what the pageant circuit is, so they were social outcasts to all but the tiny uber religious demographic. Anyway, he offered his services to the Ramseys because they were, “A Godly family.” He frequently stopped his questioning so the three of them could get down on their knees and “pray about it.” He also didn’t know how to “deal” with people beyond Biblical references and near constant evocation of God. No one here ever took him seriously. His “investigation” pretty much began and ended with his “prayers to God for an answer.” As far as he’s concerned, God told him the family was innocent and that was that. He’s a joke.
How does that negate the fact that the evidence he collected was authentic? The only people who seem to think that Jonbenet was not alive at the time of the strangulation are the Boulder PD and their in house experts. Leading pathologists from around the world agree that there are scratch marks on her neck from her own nails trying to pry the rope off. I don’t know if the Ramsey’s are innocent, but I do believe that the Boulder PD bungled the investigation. The fact that they tried to legally force Smit to destroy evidence related to the case? Because it didn’t with their theory? That’s crazy!
Exactlt @ Anon
And Smits was originally brought in by the DA, out of retirement because his track record was excellent? And he himself resigned off of the case when he felt the family had been unjustly pursued.
Agree @honeybee blues. Smit got way too enmeshed with the family, their pastor, etc. and saw everything through the lens of “these good Christian people could not have done this.” It clouded his judgment.
@Tourmaline @Honeybee yeah, because the Boulder PD haven’t been biased at all
*Note: I am being sarcastic. They have been completely biased since day one and bungled this investigation. Even if the Ramsey’s did it, no court of law will convict ANYONE in this case since its been so badly screwed up.
Anon, I worked for several years for one of the ADAs. I know things, and everything you keep positing has been debunked, debunked, debunked, and then when more experts look at it, it’s all debunked again. Lou Smit came to the scene well after the fact and his “evidence” is based the same the DA’s office and BPD had, coated with his religiosity. He was and will always be an unreliable investigator. You don’t get down on your knees and PRAY WITH SUSPECTS!!! He lost all credibility after that, and not just here, also in the Springs. On behalf of the rest of Boulder, we would really love it if this little girl could just rest in peace. When her mother died, even the local paper suggested that Patsy was finally at peace from what she had done. The murderer is dead. She has been for about a decade now.
Well I guess I’m gonna go on a a bit of a rant. This murder was solved . Please please please read Foreieign Factions by James Kolar. Her brother murdered her using a grommet knot which requires very little force on the part of the user. The brother had a known history of of disturburded and violent behavior towards his sister, and when his parents discovered her nurdered body in the basement they covered it up to save family shame and to save their disturbed son. They acted guilty because in a way they were. The author was a police detective and the case went as far as at it could and never made it past a grand jury. That’s why he wrote the book . I am no true crime fan in general, but please read this. It makes me mad that this docudrama isn’t based on thiis book, because this is what actually happened. Kolar describes it down to the night it happened to the coverup to the days that followed and his failed attempts to have Burk tried. The truth gets lost in in all the beauty queen craziness. It’s just a deeply sexually disturbed boy who murdered his sister and the parents who wanted to save face and cover it up (ransom note and all) . Even if you hate true crime, read it for a real life account of our screwed up justice system. You can get the book on amazon
The real cynic in me wonders if they know Burke did it but it makes for more exciting tv to to let people run with all these crazy speculations. Think of all the blogs to follow , bla bla bla. It’s usually the simple answer though right? Someone in the family who is disturbed. Burke was tiny. Little Jon Benet was tinier still.
But how did a 9 year old know how to fashion a garrote that sophisticated? A 9 year old wouldn’t have had such easy access to the internet back then, if at all (no smart phones, youtube and dial up was very slow and loud) to where he could learn how to make something like that using a zip tie and a paint brush handle? Unless someone taught him how to make one which in itself would be really morbid.
Yes, to me the garrote is crucial. Who would have known how to fashion such a thing? Agree it was unlikely to be a 9 yo.
He was a smart little buggar and read this stuff in books. Also, Garrots aren’t so difficult once you get the hang of them. (And no I don’t know how *shivers*)! No kidding. Sick dangerous violent men begin as sick dangerous violent little boys. And he was obsessed and jealous with his sister.He used to smear feces all over her room, among other things. I sound like a nutto, but please read the book. I read it in one sitting, it was that good.
I keep coming back to the same thing…how could a nine year old know how to tie this knot. But…didn’t they have a boat? Maybe his dad showed him how to tie certain knots because of having a boat. I don’t know (not a boat owner, nor a knot expert). I watched the show on A&E the other night and I kept flip-flopping on who could have done it. One thing that disturbed me more than JonBenet’s pictures was Burke being questioned/interviewed. He could not sit still and acted like a 4 year old rather than a 9 year old. Quite bizarre to me.
@Michelle, Burke had experienced a significant trauma and was probably regressing. It’s not unusual that a child that age would fear someone coming to hurt him next. As a shy quiet child myself, I hate that that’s being used to prove he’s a child psychopath.
What kids parents allow him to read books telling him how to tie garrote, which is basically an execution device?…and as a person that sails, it isn’t as easy as reading about it, its not even easy to do if you have practiced knots. Its not like his 9 year old self had that in his school library. It really makes no sense.
uhh, was he in Boy Scouts? Cuz he’d certainly learn a ton of knots there. A leader could have even made it for him then given it to him as a gift or something.
I’m sorry, Cindy, but pretty much everything in that book was debunked before it hit the stores. Burke could not have carried his sister’s dead-weight body down three flights of stairs and all the way to the back of the basement (the evidence is overwhelming that her skull was crushed in her 3rd floor bathroom, which would have rendered her brain-dead within minutes). He only outweighed her by about 12 pounds. Kolar wasn’t there and isn’t credible. He was not one of the lead detectives, and wrote the book to cash in as so many other sleazeballs have done.
No sorries necessary. I am fine with any talk about this even if it disagrees. So why couldn’t he carry her? Not being snide, but she was tiny and yes so was she, but is his adrenaline must of been through the roof. Also, if I was a kid (Burke), what about wrapping her in a comforter and dragging her?
Kolar is a police officer. He has NO experience has a child psychologist or a pathologist. His book is theories, with no evidence to back it up. Every single expert has come out and debunked his claims as fiction.
Almost every law enforcement person on this case agrees it was Patsy Ramsey…not Burke. As a matter of fact, they believe Burke can be heard on the original 911 call asking what was happening, and being told to return to bed.
In addition, virtually any child who plotted and executed a murder at age nine would most likely not have stopped killing- much like Ted Bundy, whom they believed murdered his neighbor when we was fourteen, Burke would have had been a major psychopath/sociopath.
Not necessarily They know now that there are absolutely one off killers. Basically, for some reason, they snap at some point in their life commit some sick depraved thing and just return to their lives never to do it again. I learned this this obtaining my Ph.D from 48 hours Hard Evidence.
Have to add my two cents – Burke hit Jon Benet in the head with a golf club a year or so before the murder. That was the only “violence” on record toward his sister and nobody knows if it was intentional or not. He did not have a violent penchant toward her…not that we know of. The Boulder Police took that one golf club incident and ran with it. But there are no other accounts of such acts – none – not from friends, family, teachers, church, nothing. Just that one time.
There were some behavioral problems with “scatting” and soiling the bed. There were books purchased by the grandparents for the Ramseys about about child behavior. One was titled “Knowing Right from Wrong”. But we don’t know why they bought those books and we don’t even know for sure that it was due to Burke’s behavior v. Jon Benet’s. That’s all hearsay.
IMO the Boulder Police shot themselves in the foot by claiming right out of the gate that they suspected this was an inside job and were focusing on the parents/family. They staked the reputation of the entire police department on proving it was the parents and/or Burke. Once that happened, there was no objectivity, no consideration of any evidence to the contrary, to the point they fired the lead investigator for his continued intruder theory and then got a court ordered injunction to destroy all of his evidence. I happen to think it was the family, but that doesn’t mean other theories, evidence, ideas should be swept under the carpet. The Boulder Police did a horrible disservice to the case by becoming completely unwilling to be objective and unbiased. They were not equipped to handle a case like this – they had no profilers, no DNA technology, etc., but they wouldn’t ask for or accept help because they were bent on proving themselves right no matter how they had to do it. They wound up discrediting themselves and bungling the evidence.
I couldn’t agree more, @JenniferJustice! Even if the Ramsey’s did do it, the Boulder Police Department are so completely biased and have bungled this investigation so badly they could never prove it in a court of law. The fact that they leaked inaccurate information to the press is CRAZY to me. What happened to due process?
This little girl lived for only six years and her life ended in murder, possibly committed by one of those she loved most. The idea of all these made for tv movies is an insult to her memory. Had the Boulder police and investigators done their job correctly, maybe she at least could have had the chance to rest in peace. Some stories real or fictional have no happily ever after. Bless her little innocent soul.
After reading books from the Boulder PD, seeing interviews from Detective Arndt, and seeing a few other documentaries including this one, I don’t think the Ramsey’s did it. Not to say they didn’t behave strangely, that note in particular is odd. I think the Boulder PD bungled the case so bad we won’t ever know what really happened.
I think the Boulder has a lot of theories that make sense, but they don’t seem to fit with any of the evidence. The DNA was trace DNA, but it was found inside the panties AND on the leggings. Those items were from different manufacturers, leading pathologists and forensic scientists have said that that could not come from a manufacturer. If I were John Ramsey I would have sued the pants off of that entire department for all of the false information they leaked. I believe in due process, and that made me sick. For example: saying she was previously sexually abused? Vaginitis is chronic inflammation of the vagina. It could come from not wiping properly, the fabric she wore for the pageants, or any number of things. There was no sign of healing around the vagina or inside of it, which you would see in a case of repeated sexual abuse.
The coverage of this case makes me ill. You’ll never see this kind of coverage about the disappearance and likely murder of the Bradley sisters.
I am highly disturbed that people seem to believe everything the Boulder PD say. They are NOT experts at reviewing DNA evidence. They are NOT child psychologists who can assess Burke Ramsey. none of the experts (pathologists, geneticists, forensic psychologists, etc.) outside of their department agree with any of their theories.
I also think its disgusting that they leaked false information to the press to put pressure on the Ramsey’s. I believe in due process. If you have the evidence to arrest them, go ahead. But the fact that the police leaked conjecture and false information to the press to take this to the court of public information is appalling. The fact that they tried to force Lou Smits, a more experienced investigator, to destroy evidence that didn’t fit their theories is even worse.
There is a LOT of false information out there but what do the outside BPD think what happened? Do they think it was an intruder or a family member?
The boulder police department believe the Ramsey’s did it. The problem is, they began feeling that from the first instance and became biased. They were ill equipped to handle a case of this nature, and have developed a number of theories as to what happened. The problem is, none of the evidence supports the theories. When they were presented with evidence that didn’t support their theories, they tried to have it legally destroyed. That’s not justice, its conjecture. Its unlikely anyone will ever be convicted of this little girls murder and its their fault.
I think a pedo developed a fascination with this little girl and spun his fantasies. I do not agree with little girls participating in these abnormal events where they are turned into something they are not. Let children be children – Lord knows it does not last all that long, particularly in this day and age of Poptarts and the hooker mentality. Why is it okay to call women bitches like it is a friendly fun thing to do?
I watched that A&E documentary Monday night. The most interesting part was at the end when the British (non-biased) experts looked at the crime scene photos, the autopsy and her neurology scans. They concluded unequivocally that Jon Benet had been strangled PRIOR to the head bashing. They showed c-shaped scratches around the noose where she clawed at it. She would have been alive to do that. After she was asphyxiated, she was bludgeoned. They feel it was an intruder – a violent sadistic sexual predator. But they never addressed the damn ransom note and I still can’t reconcile that part of it.
I do not believe the son did it. He was interviewed by a child psychologist w/in days of the murder, and it was obvious he didn’t know what was going on or that his sister was dead.
Other things that weigh heavy:
First the parents said they put her to bed as soon as they got home. She was sleeping in the car and sleeping when they brought her inside that night. In a later interview, John said he read to her when he put her in bed. Why read to a sleeping child? Later he took that back and said he meant he read a book in his own bed. The only book on his nightstand was a book titled Mindhunter written by a former pathologist and criminal profiler. That book told the profiles of murderers, how they murder, and had a specific chapter on garroting.
Pineapple – Patsy claimed the last thing Jon Benet had to eat before bed was pasta. They found pasta in her system, but they found pineapple that had been eaten after the pasta. They estimate the time of her eating pineapple to between 10:00 p.m. to 12:00 midnight. The bowl of pineapple on the counter had only Patsy and Jon Benet’s fingerprints on it. Why did they lie about when she actually went to bed?
Last, the Ramsey’s best friends, the Whites, whom Burke stayed with in the days of the murder and following, ended up having a falling out with the Ramsey’s due to their lack of cooperation with the police. Fleet White contacted the police, told them something was fishy, and they need to continue to delve into the Ramsey’s. Upon learning this, John Ramsey immediately contacted the police and told them he now thought Fleet might be the murderer. They have not spoken since.
I still think John Ramsey did it and Patsy helped him cover. I don’t know why, but I can only guess, he was sexually abusing her and she was talking about it or he went too far. I believe heart and soul that Patsy wrote that ransom note. I understand why some investigators believe the murder was the work of an intruder, but investigators on scene that day said there were no footprints outside any of the doors or windows including the basement window they keep saying was the entry point. Also, the spider web across that window was intact. Until it can be shown how an intruder got in undetected and how an intruder would know about that room, I continue to see this as an inside job. I just don’t know why.
Also, I hate getting graphic, but they called in expert medical examiners specifically specialized in the field of sexual assault. Some said sexual assault was inconclusive. Others said she had previously been sexually assaulted. None said absolutely not. Two who felt there was evidence of prior assault based it on her hymen being partially torn and the walls of her vagina showing evidence of healed bruising. On the night of the murder, she was sexually assaulted – it was not just staged. They said something thin with a blunt point was used to rape her – their word was “jabbed” repeatedly. They never found the other half of the paint brush that was used at the garrote handle. It was a long paintbrush broke in half.
Still so many questions. I don’t believe we’ll ever know what really happened.
I remember being disgusted /creeped out at the time by JB’s pageant photos and thinking no six year old should ever be dolled up like that for adult amusement. And yet, looking at the photos now, they seem almost quaint compared to the even more aggressive sexualization of today’s ‘Toddlers and Tiaras’ type contestants. This is not progress, people!
I can’t imagine having a home large enough that I don’t hear my daughter being tortured and murdered?! Unthinkable.
I could never get past the ransom note with the odd amount of money requested. I think it was $118 000.00 which was also supposed to be the amount the father got as a bonus. What are the chances of that actually happening??
It’s just my opinion but I think the person who murdered that little girl was in that house.
I don’t think the parents committed the actual murder. I fully believe and side with Whiston that it was a sexually perverted man. But, and sadly we’ll never really know now as Patsy and the prime suspect have passed away, I do believe that Patsy was involved to some degree. Like, I think she pimped her child out.
An interview with one of the detectives mentioned that a couple of years ago Burke was approached by a TV show and “asked for a lot of money” so it didn’t go ahead. How much did Dr Phil pay him to talk about his dead sister? That’s what I’d like to know.
From what I understand:
There is NO credible DNA evidence from outside the house. Read about her new underwear and how it is very possible the TRACE DNA came from a factory in China.
Everything points to an accidental death (she fell, hit her head, during an argument?) and then comes the horrific part. The parents screw up the crime scene, trying to cover over what never needed to be hidden. This poor young child is now dead and we will never know the real truth. So much misery, money and time wasted because two adults were unable to accept responsibility for what was most probably a tragic accident.
Learn from this everyone. This is a REAL lesson. Life is often much better revealed than the lies we create to hide the truth. See: Ryan Lochte.