JonBenet is alone when the killer emerges from his hiding place and strikes her with a heavy object (likely the flashlight) He takes her down to the basement where he ducktapes her mouth, sexually assaults her and strangles her with the garrote, snuff movie style. While the Ramsey's were at the party, the killer staged the kidnapping, he wrote the ransom note so he could throw off the investigation as long as possible.. Given the lavish lifestyle and financial success of John Ramsey, it would not be unusual for people around him and his family to feel some degree of envy or resentment. McReynolds daughter was kidnapped 22 years before which caused more suspicions towards him. In March 1997, Bill McReynolds told The Chicago Tribune, "In my heart, I know there's no connection. Very suspicious. He had been living in the area on and off and when police allegedly found a magazine with pictures of the girl in his backpack. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Before we apply the Statement Analysis techniques, let's first review what happened 20 years ago. Her hands were tied above her head. My play was loosely based on, or suggested by, a There were other similarities about McReynolds' play and the Ramsey murder that spiked investigators' interest. It was unusually long and there were no fingerprints found on it except for Patsys and the authorities who handled it. He pointed out the open window in the basement, but photographs showed cobwebs on the window that wouldve likely broken had someone snuck through. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. Burke tells his parents he went downstairs with JonBenet and they realize he is the last one to see her. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Theyre grieving. Then, the next day, her parents appeared on CNN for an interview in which they pleaded for the public to help them find their daughters killer. However, with the Ramseys friends showing up for moral support, they also contaminated the scene by moving about the house. You could arguably do this whole thing again if JBR doesn't say anything. The outlet also reported that Janet had penned a play with a few eery similarities to the case the plot revolved around a girl who was molested and murdered in her basement. However, the McReynolds were officially cleared (again, via DNA analysis, which is certainly not infallible) of any involvement in the crime, with these startling aforementioned "facts" deemed purely coincidental by both themselves and, presumably, the Boulder police department. Have you read The Greenland Theory? Bill McReynolds died in 2002 from a heart attack, but the rest of the McReynolds family has shied away from the spotlight since then. The 26-year-old committed suicide two days after a 1997 press conference where the Boulder DA announced that they were looking at a new suspect. So who is Bill McReynolds? For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, JonBent Ramsey was strangled to death twenty-five years ago and her killer has never been brought to justice, John and Patsy Ramsey were prime suspects for years but were later exonerated when DNA testing had cleared them of any involvement, Investigators could not prove whether or not Patsy wrote the ransom note but she was later cleared by a federal court, Gary Oliva, a sex offender, was found with magazine photos of JonBent in his backpack when police arrested him on drug charges, John Mark Karr falsely confessed to killing JonBent in a 'love game' gone wrong but DNA had cleared him, Many people believe that an intruder killed JonBent but it has never been proven by police, Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). She had dressed up as Mrs. Claus at the Christmas party and way back in 1976, Janet McReynolds wrote a play about a young girl who was abducted, molested, and found dead in a basement. Your theory is a very specific and detailed scenario - most of it isn't supported by evidence. Born in Birmingham, Ala., McReynolds currently resides in Mooresville, N.C., with his wife, Linda . So, if not Burke, and not John or Patsy, the implication is that the jurors concluded there was some third, thus far unnamed party involved: either a guest or intruder, who killed JonBenet and whose evil deed was then, for some bizarre reason, knowingly covered up by the Ramseys. His latest book, "Larry McReynolds: The Constant Pursuit of Perfection," was released in 2016. Instead, they very curiously recommended the parents be indicted as "accessories to a crime," and charged with felonious child abuse, i.e., unreasonably, knowingly, and recklessly placing 6-year-old JonBenet in harm's way in a clearly dangerous situation which tragically resulted in her death. No one was ever arrested for the crime. Its also believed that because of the initial belief that the Ramseys had something to do with JonBents murder, other leads were neglected by authorities. The note read that if the Ramseys had contacted the police, or told anyone of JonBents disappearance, she would be murdered. The Santa Claus figure in the JonBent Ramsey murder case died over the weekend from a heart attack. It seemed as though the parents were probably involved, Smit said in video diaries that he began recording while investigating the case. A service in Boulder will take place later this month, and his ashes will be scattered in one of his favorite Colorado mountain getaways, his wife said. A federal court ruled that it was unlikely that Patsy wrote the note and cited six certified handwriting experts. Published 02/22/21 08. One of America's most famous unsolved cases is undoubtedly the murder of JonBent Ramsey in Boulder, Colorado and CBS has opened its own investigation with the two-part special The Case Of: JonBent Ramsey. JonBents murder came on the heels of the O.J. According to The Daily Camera, the McReynolds' middle daughter, 9-years-old at the time, was abducted on December 26, 1974, and witnessed the sexual molestation of her friend. Having said that, the grand jury in the Ramsey case did indeed ultimately recommend indicting both John and Patsy Ramsey in connection with their daughter's death. I think its that devotion, that respect, that love for Lou, [that] is what keeps our team moving forward.. The first non-family suspect in the case was a friend, Bill McReynolds who was at the house two days before her death and liked to dress up as Santa Clause. First of all, we didnt know whether the kidnapper was going to call that day because the note said, I will call you tomorrow. Unless Burke had a behavior disorder, why would they even think that anyone would consider him a suspect? One of the major twists in the investigation of the murder of JonBent Ramsey is that detectives interviewed Bill McReynolds, a friend of the family, because he had played Santa Claus at a Ramsey Christmas celebration two days before the 6-year-old's body was found. "Wolf denies a report that he was a friend of another onetime suspect, longtime CU journalism professor Bill McReynolds, who played Santa Claus at the Ramseys' Christmas party two nights before the murder. After several hours, the police began to leave the Ramsey home. Get the help you need from a therapist near youa FREE service from Psychology Today. david berman net worth; You think about this number and how its relevant John Ramsey got a bonus from his company for $118,000, Garrett said, referring to JonBents father. However, Olivas DNA was cleared for the murder but was later arrested for possessing child pornography. Could she have had a very special surprise visitor waiting there for her later that Christmas evening, perhaps one previously invited by her parents? However, I believe that Bill McReynolds cooperated completely with everything asked of him by the police and was thoroughly investigated. Another suspect was Bill McReynolds. If I try to consider an outsider, it would be one of the housekeepers or nannies who had some shady family members. He played Ramsey Santa 1994, 1995 and 1996. (See, for example, my previous post.). What happened to Bill McReynolds daughter? The big question is could you have gotten through this window -- this small window -- without disturbing this cobweb, Garrett said. It also said that JonBents parents would receive a call from the supposed kidnapper tomorrow between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. It was awful, John Ramsey told ABC News Barbara Walters in 2000. A local Santa Claus did it. Romper attempted to reach out to original representatives for the McReynolds, but was unsuccessful. sometime this fall. When reached for comment, the Boulder Police Department said there is still an active, ongoing investigation into JonBents murder; however, the department has never publicly commented on its handling of the case. The specific wording and charges of this indictment were remarkable because the jurors did not recommend that either Patsy or John be indicted for killing their daughter, JonBenet, either accidentally or intentionally. Since it was Christmas, the department was short-staffed and was not prepared for the scene they were faced with at the Ramsey House. When Hunter called for a grand jury to assess the evidence in 1998, two years after JonBent was killed, they listened to Smits intruder theory. Their actions before, during and after [JonBents death] are all consistent with innocent people. She discusses her father's legacy of goodness while talking about how the JonBenet case affected her family and her father's well being. I mean, were suffering from having lost our child and then, for someone to accuse you, its just, you cant believe that would happen, she told CNN in January 1997. I concluded, considering the enigmatic note on its own, that it leads me to believe it was written by an at least close-to-middle-aged male intruder, familiar with John Ramsey's business, resentful of his affluence, and possibly of foreign birth, with English being his second language. Following the Ramseys exoneration thanks to new DNA technology, many hoped the killer would eventually be found. But speaking to JonBents parents, the main suspects in the case at that point, as part of a formal interrogation at the police station was challenging. I thought this was [going to] be a fairly easy case. Many of the similarities between the Ramsey case and McReynolds' play come from these allegations of sexual molestation. Lawrence Brandon McReynolds is an American professional stock car racing driver and the No. So he was a white male with dark hair around 20-25 years old. John Ramseys son, JonBents half-brother John Andrew Ramsey, said that the family gave blood and fingerprints to the police as part of their investigation. parrish smith wife; dr brown bottle measurements wrong; where does cecily tynan live now; claire richards mark webb; f150 jack points; Also, using the words of one of the handwriting experts, it's extremely unlikely for a random killer to have a handwriting so uniquely similar to Patsy's. The case is officially unsolved, and has become one of the most mysterious and controversial in America's history. What we do know is that both Bill and Janet themselves had presumably been traumatized by the abduction of their own daughter and her sexually tinged traumatization more than 20 years prior to JonBenet's abduction, molestation, and death. Whats the matter with you, said Dimond. That is when McReynolds' fascination with Santa Claus began, said his wife. He was born in Donna, Texas, in 1930, and received his degree in journalism from the University of Texas. When the couple moved to the small town on Cape Cod in 1998, McReynolds left his role of Santa Claus, his wife said. To be clear, neither Bill, now deceased, nor Janet McReynolds was ever charged in this case, having been excluded as suspects by the Boulder police shortly after the crime. If he didn't do it, then there is no evidence against him. In that particular movie, a fat cat industrialist, his son was kidnapped. People in the community who tell the police, Give them room. His DNA under JonBenets fingernails is the only trace of him left behind. Be that as it may, what I want to focus on in this next post, however, is not some other single piece of evidence in this baffling case, but rather on what took place back in 1999, when 12 people were officially tasked by the Boulder District Attorney's office with reviewing the entirety of available evidence at the time and recommending whether to criminally indict anyone in regard to the death of JonBenet Ramsey. I could see them talking her into helping them fake a kidnapping and promising that they wouldn't actually hurt Jonbenet, maybe getting their key, borrowing the pen and paper. View our online Press Pack. He served as a Winston Cup crew chief from 1985 to 2000, amassing 23 Cup wins, 21 poles, 122 top-five and 209 top-ten finishes. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. I place particular importance on this aspect of the JonBenet Ramsey case because this group of eight men and four women had access to a massive amount of evidence related to the circumstances surrounding JonBenet's death, and sufficient time to consider it in depth and detail. John Anderson, former sheriff of the El Paso County Sheriff's Office in Texas, talks about his friend Lou Smit, the legendary detective who died before he could solve 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey's case. All in the Ramsey's home in such a short time span? He worked his way up the ladder and took his first crew chief job in 1985. There were some reasons to suspect this. Yet, when the case was reopened in 2009, the intruder theory was brought once again as a possible option. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. According to The Spokesman-Review, Cosby became the man of . But then when you get to handwriting on the note, both parents' fibers on the body, the evidence of previous abuse, the families behavior, the random fact of the late night pineapple, the way she was redressed, the Barbie nightgown, all the weird little details, it all falls apart. Theres a group of dedicated volunteers that work on this daily., I think its really important for people to understand that this case can be solved, he went on to say. Mind-boggling! This extraordinary statement begs the crucial question: Who then could have committed the heinous crime to which the Ramseys were mere "accessories" according to the grand jury? Theory 3; Bill McReynolds. The family friend, who died in 2002, was considered in JonBent's murder. The Man Behind the Beard: The Story of Bill McReynolds video created by Listen Carefully: The JonBenet Story: 8.4K views, 22 likes, 0 loves, 37. Her case remains unsolved. Waltrip joined the broadcast booth for FOX Sports in 2001, a year after he retired from NASCAR. Simson trial and quickly gained traction with news outlets around the world. Bill Cosby and daughter Erika, 11, watch son Erinn, 10 and daughter Ennis, 7, upload snowballs, on winter stroll on 60th Street on January 25, 1977. Or it may have been deliberately staged to leave this impression. Marra said that after his death, her family teamed up with some of Smits former homicide partners to keep investigating the case. She wakes Burke up and the two go downstairs together where they eat pineapple. The still unsolved case has seen many people come under suspicion as it's shrouded in conspiracies - with some even suggesting her older brother Burke could have been behind the grisly murder. Gary Oliva was a known sex offender in Colorado when JonBent was murdered. And they didn't just lie that morning. JonBent Ramsey's 1996 murder case remains unsolved. It was after this test that Lacy wrote a letter to John Ramsey stating that her office does not consider him, his wife Patsy Ramsey or anyone in their immediate family to be under suspicion for the death of JonBent. The idea that a parents first thought upon finding their child murdered is to start a coverup out of pure survival instinct is fantastical. Whoever committed it, the crime appears to me to bear the signature of a sadistic pedophile. The couple's 40th wedding anniversary was Sunday. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. If they were so anxious about it anyway, why not just remove the pineapple and avoid saying that Burke had a snack with her & getting the police to actually look for their daughter's killer? "He made a new start. 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