Friday, July 25, 2008

A Daughter Murdered

By Jean Henry Mead

Recently losing my daughter to cancer was the worst experience of my life, but having a daughter murdered and subsequently suspected of the crime has to be off the endurance chart. I’m referring to the JonBenet Ramsey murder and the additional tragedy that followed.

Six-year-old JonBenet was found by her father in the basement of their Boulder, Colorado, home the afternoon following Christmas 1996. Her mother reported to police that she had found a note on the stairs demanding the unusual amount of $118,000. The note said the little girl would be returned the next day if the money were delivered. The Ramseys called police, who reportedly treated them as suspects from day one, although their voluntary handwriting samples bore no resemblance to that of the ransom note.

JonBenet’s parents took the two-and-a-half page note seriously and set out to raise the money, but the call they expected never came. Meanwhile, serious mistakes were made by local police. Investigators failed to seal off the area or make an effort to protect forensic crime scene evidence. They also neglected to conduct a thorough search of the house until later that afternoon when Detective Fleet White accompanied John Ramsey through the house to search for anything unusual. Starting in the basement, Ramsey found his daughter in a seldom used room, according to the London documentary, Who Killed JonBenet?

Because no footprints were found in the snow, police and local media assumed the murder was an inside job, although a basement window latch was broken and a portion of the Ramsey’s yard contained no snow. An intruder could have gained entry through the window and made his way up the carpeted stairs to JonBenet’s bedroom, one floor below that of her parents.

The Ramseys were under constant scrutiny and rumors were rampant they had killed their daughter. Even their nine-year-old son Burke was suspect. Because JonBenet was a beauty pageant contestant, her parents were accused of sexually exploiting her. Following her funeral in Atlanta, the Ramseys were aware of their sole suspect status, to which Ramsey replied, “The police weren’t there to help us, they were there to hang us.” However, all allegations against the Ramseys proved groundless. That didn’t stop the host of a major talk show from conducting a live murder trial, complete with judge and jury. The “jury” decided the Ramseys were "liable for the wrongful death of their daughter JonBenet."

There isn’t room here to discuss the entire case, but the point I want to make is that investigative blunders must have contributed to Patsy Ramsey’s unfortunate death. She announced to a group of friends at a Christmas party that she had overcome a recurrence of ovarian cancer, and that her husband John had been named “Boulder’s Businessman of the Year.” The couple’s happiness was short-lived when, three days later, their daughter was found murdered. The accusations and stress that followed undoubtedly contributed to Patsy Ramsey’s death.

John Ramsey not only lost members of his family, he suffered incredible pain. He took the news of his murder clearance by Boulder officials ten years after the fact with the grace of a true gentleman. My heart goes out to you, John. #

5 comments:

Unknown said...

Jean, I am so sorry for your loss. I cannot imagine what you are going through.

I followed that case as much as I could, as I spent quite a bit of time in the Denver area during that time period. There were investigative blunders by the dozens, political maneuvering worthy of a trashy television series, and heart-breaking allegations in the tabloids about the Ramseys. Much was made of the Ramseys hiring separate lawyers. But it's routine for each potential defendant to have his or her own lawyer.

There's a lot of blame to go around in this case. The sad thing is Jon Benet's killer is still unpunished, a family has been ruined, and Patsy Ramsey too may have died in consequence. And John Ramsey's rage still stands unquenched.

Anonymous said...

Jean,
I'm so very sorry about your daughter.
Take care of yourself now.
Pat Browning

Mark W. Danielson said...

Jean,

I join our fellow blog members in expressing sorrow over your loss.

Many of the elements you described are also the basis behind Diablo's Shadow. Some very personal reasons drove me to write this novel. I truly empathize with you.

Jaden Terrell said...

Jean, let me join the others in expressing my condolences. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Chris Martin said...

I agree that there is a link between stress and cancer. Excellent point. Sorry for your loss as well.