I thought there was no dna found under her fingertips? But although the grand jury may have believed one of the parents was culpable and the other helped, they couldn't say who did what, and Hunter ultimately announced that they did not have sufficient evidence to file charges against the parents. But if it was and this is pure speculation both or one of the McReynolds to which the grand jury vaguely referred as the perpetrator(s) responsible for the "murder in the 1st degree" of JonBenet, why would John and Patsy go out of their way, risking arrest and criminal charges, making themselves the prime suspects, taking all the heat, in order to protect or render assistance to such person(s) "with intent to hinder, delay and prevent discovery, detection, apprehension, prosecution, conviction and punishment" of their own darling daughter's deranged killer(s)? It was Christmas 1996 when a panicked phone call was made from the residence of Patsy and John Ramsey to 911 emergency services, stating their daughter . The three-page ransom note, for example, was written on Patsy Ramseys notepad with a pen that had come from the house. "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. In the ensuing years, Smit continued to look at the information he had on the JonBent case and compiled it all into a database. DocG's theory on the case makes the most sense IMO . Burke is woken up and questioned. Police had also found a shoe print from a Hi-Tec brand boot near JonBents body -- no one in the family-owned shoes from this brand -- as well as two marks on her face and back, which he deduced had been made by a stun gun. JonBent Patricia Ramsey was a six-year-old beauty pageant contestant who was brutally murdered (and possibly raped) in her home, on the night of 25 to 26 December 1996. 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. 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? Instead, the grandfather of six filled his time helping the elderly at the local senior center. Some of this is learned behavior since this is what was modeled to them at home by parents, siblings, family friends, and others. Youve just been dealt a horrible, crushing blow.. If he didn't do it, then there is no evidence against him. The week before the murder, McReynolds had dressed up as the local Santa and entertained children at a Christmas gathering. missoula jobs part time; best fitness tracker for hockey In March 1997, Bill McReynolds told The Chicago Tribune, "In my heart, I know there's no connection. He was born in Donna, Texas, in 1930, and received his degree in journalism from the University of Texas. If these types of things usually point to a family member, how closely was Bill investigated? 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. The McReynolds said at the time that the coincidences between their daughter's abduction, the play, and JonBent's death were all just coincidence. As part of their promise to keep the case alive, van der Woerd and Smits other granddaughter, Lexi Marra, created the podcast The Victims Shoes, where they discuss details of the case. 2 Many of the similarities between the Ramsey case and McReynolds' play come from these allegations of sexual molestation. JONBENET Ramsey was just six years old when she was murdered on Christmas Day in 1996. He was 72. McReynolds daughter was kidnapped 22 years before which caused more suspicions towards him. Tracey reported Karr to the police who arrested him in Bangkok. Throughout both interrogations, JonBents parents vehemently denied anyone in their family killed their daughter. The police did a terrible, terrible job securing that scene and if you dont secure the scene, you dont get good evidence, said Diane Dimond, an investigative reporter who covered the case. He was very strange, in the way that when he went into heart surgery he brought a vile of glitter . According to a 1999 New York Post article, McReynolds was a retired journalism professor and a close friend of the Ramseys. "Some of his students kept relationships with him their entire lives," Cosper said. what type of cancer did emily riemer have? This seems really strange and coincidental. 1 Trackhouse Racing Team's spotter in the NASCAR Cup Series. Get plenty of rest. I was deathly afraid that tomorrow was, in fact, the 27th., You lose all perception of time, of place, added Patsy Ramsey in 2000. The family has not lost the will to fight and the will to find the killer, John Andrew Ramsey said. As the investigation continued under Smit, he became concerned that authorities had totally ruled out the possibility of an intruder killing Jon Benet, and therefore werent looking for evidence of the possibility, Marra said. Im gonna guess not a lot of people, Garrett said. Think he was old and not a well man .Dont think he did it. Such inappropriate secretive sexual behavior can include undressing the child, masturbating, touching, fondling, performing fellatio or cunnilingus, or penetrating the child's vagina, anus or mouth with fingers, penis or, notably perhaps, in this case, foreign objects (e.g., wooden paintbrush handles). All in the Ramsey's home in such a short time span? david berman net worth; We were a normal family.. After 13 years, Smit still believed that an unidentified intruder was responsible for JonBenets murder. From hair trends to relationship advice, our daily newsletter has everything you need to sound like a person whos on TikTok, even if you arent. Why would the killer care if Patsy found the note before the body. 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. This First Look At BBC Crime Thriller 'Wolf' Is Tense AF, Sophie Turners Joan Charts The Rise Of A Famous British Jewel Thief, Alex Murdaugh Faces Life In Prison For Allegedly Killing His Wife & Son, Curtis Cousin Eddie Smith Claims Alex Murdaugh Made Him A Fall Guy, Get Even More From Bustle Sign Up For The Newsletter. The killer resembled JonBenet's brother John Andrew. "Of course, he would never get over what happened to him. | Topics According to CNN, an original prosecutor on the Ramsey case claimed that Bill McReynolds had given JonBenet a greeting card, later found in the trash bin of the Ramsey home right after her death . By itself, it's not a crime. What happened that Christmas became one of the most notorious and unsolved cases of modern times. There were other similarities about McReynolds' play and the Ramsey murder that spiked investigators' interest. No wonder she is still frozen in time -- forever six. 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? 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. Why murder her? He spent 15 years calling races with Mike Joy and Larry McReynolds before Jeff Gordon replaced McReynolds in 2016. 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. They went to a war: they kept lying, twisting facts, throwing friends into the fire, and obstructing justice for decades now. Cindy Mara is one of the daughters of Lou Smit, who investigated JonBenet Ramsey's case and whose dying wish was for his family and friends to find her killer. And there may be many others. Anything I'd say would sound suspicious." McReynolds is questioned and ruled out, he didn't commit the actual killing so his DNA is not a match. So he was a white male with dark hair around 20-25 years old. 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. And Burke. The Santa Claus figure in the JonBent Ramsey murder case died over the weekend from a heart attack. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. Patsy Ramsey died of ovarian cancer in 2006 and was buried next to JonBent in Georgia, JonBents half-brother, John Andrew Ramsey, said. Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheSunUS and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSunUS, Harry and Meghan evicted from Frogmore Cottage by King Charles after Spare memoir, Amy Nuttall caught cheating hubby when he bought sexy lingerie, Constance Marten and lover arrested over manslaughter, Woman found murdered is missing mum who had not been seen since before Xmas, News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. Other suspects included neighbor Bill McReynolds, a local Santa Claus who visited the Ramseys a few days before the girls death. Were not interrogating possible suspects. However, I believe that Bill McReynolds cooperated completely with everything asked of him by the police and was thoroughly investigated. Larry McReynolds began his NASCAR career way back in 1975 and mustered his first crew chief job a decade later, in 1985. McReynolds planned the murder in advance and he told JonBenet that Santa would visit her after Christmas to get her to go downstairs that night and wait for him. Romper attempted to reach out to original representatives for the McReynolds, but was unsuccessful. Whoever committed it, the crime appears to me to bear the signature of a sadistic pedophile. 9 yo kids kill, but it doesn't happen often enough for the Ramseys to think that Burke would be blamed. After JonBents parents first formal interrogation in the spring of 1997, four months after her death, it would take nearly two years for them to sit down with the police for another interrogation. Many sleuths believe that Helgoth had heard he was a suspect in the case, with a popular theory believing that it was his footprint at the crime scene. By 2008, new DNA testing technology had been developed, called touch DNA, which allowed forensic experts to test the dead skin cells left behind on objects at crime scenes. A local Santa Claus did it. | Photos On the morning of Dec. 26, 1996, Patsy Ramsey frantically called 911 after making a shocking discovery a ransom note was on the first floor of her home, and her 6-year-old daughter was nowhere. So in this theory, did John lie about the chairs in the basement, or did the killer magically slip out among all the family and LE there? No suspects were ever found. advantages of alternate form reliability; bill mcreynolds daughter He would never fully recover from that kind of suspicion.". The child beauty queen had died sometime during the previous night but wasnt found until hours later. YouTube Yes. Michael Helgoth, who owned a pair of Hi-Tec boots and a stun gun and had died by suicide shortly after JonBents murder, was also cleared after the team found his DNA did not match that found at the crime scene. I kind of joked with her, saying that, If somebody did get in that house, it mustve been Santa Claus coming down the chimney.. He attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from 1982 to 1989 and was Sorted into Gryffindor House. On the very same day in 1974 - Boxing Day - McReynolds's nine-year-old daughter had been abducted with a friend, and had witnessed the sexual molestation of her friend. 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. Illinois Supreme Court Justice Thomas Kilbride and new circuit court Judge Dana McReynolds enter the courtroom for a swearing-in ceremony Wednesday morning at the Henry County . She discusses her father's legacy of goodness while talking about how the JonBenet case affected her family and her father's well being. With the case now in the publics view, police sought to question JonBents parents. The tragic incident changed everything. Burke denies any wrongdoing and they believe him, but they also realize the situation makes Burke look really guilty and he will be blamed and taken from them. They further reported that McReynolds' wife, Janet, who, with her husband also attended the 1996 Christmas party at the Ramsey mansion dressed as "Mrs. Claus," had, two decades prior to JonBenet's death, written a play, which briefly made it to the off-Broadway stage in NYC, in which a teenaged girl was molested and murdered in her own home's basement. McReynolds, who was said to have had a "special" emotional connection to JonBenet, had apparently been in the Ramsey home frequently before and interacted with JonBent during the holidays and just prior to her death. JonBents parents anxiously waited for the supposed kidnappers call with just one detective there: Linda Arndt. Were just not going to do it.. I immediately knelt down over her, felt her cheek, took the tape off immediately off her mouth. After a stint in the Army, McReynolds returned to his alma mater and taught for five years before moving to Minneapolis to attend the University of Minnesota. Advertisement. There were months and months of negotiations, things about whether they could be videotaped, what are the questions going to be should the Boulder police be a part of it, said Carol McKinley, an investigative journalist. bill mcreynolds daughter bill mcreynolds daughter. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. What we all share in common is that commitment to fulfill Lous dying wish that this case doesnt die with him, said John Anderson, a friend of Smits and former sheriff of El Paso County in Texas. One possible explanation, if this is indeed what took place, is that the Ramseys (or their lawyers) feared being charged (and possibly convicted) as accessories or accomplices to the crime (which is exactly what the grand jury recommended) based on their own detrimental actions (John has said publicly that he feels "guilty" for not "protecting" his daughter), and hence, felt compelled to cover up for either or both Bill or Janet McReynolds not necessarily by writing the ransom note or staging the crime scene, but simply by withholding crucial information from police investigators regarding their suspicions. We needed to look back at the family, the people who were in the home that night to determine what motive, what opportunity, what could have caused this situation to occur and eventually be reported to police on the morning of December 26, he said. However, Olivas DNA was cleared for the murder but was later arrested for possessing child pornography. 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