Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenet Ramsey Recap for Keep Your Babies Close
-The flashbacks of interviews and news reports on the JonBenet Ramsey case are so chilling. I remember being about thirteen years old when her murder took place and being absolutely shaken by it. The fact that it remains unsolved to this day is so sad and horrific.
-Seeing John Ramsey relive that horrible day where his daughter died is so heartbreaking. It is obvious he is trying to keep it all together, but you can still see the pain in his eyes.
-I don’t recall seeing this old interview with Patsy Ramsey, but I remember the ransom note and 911 call. Both still haunt me to this day. Hearing Patsy on the call screaming for help…..every person on Earth, parent or not, felt that pain right along with her.
-The cops and John recall looking for JonBenet and a mini tour is given of the house, specifically her bedroom. John also talks about making arrangements for Burke (his son and JonBenet’s brother) to go to a friend’s house so he would be away from the chaos. He’d also made arrangements to get the ransom money.
-The ransom letter was also analyzed, as well as notebooks that contained Patsy and John’s handwriting. In a shocking turn, Patsy’s notebook showed evidence that the note was written in the house, along with a possible draft of the note….possibly making her a suspect.
-FBI agents looked at the note and were suspicious of the length of the note and the unusual amount of ransom money demanded $118,000…which would later be revealed to be the exact amount of John’s Christmas bonus. They began to suspect the letter was bogus.
-That fateful day continued as the search went on. By 1pm, John went to search the house again with a friend, at the suggestion of one of the detectives. It was then that a window was discovered open and broken, along with an out of place suitcase. John recalled breaking and using that window to enter the house that previous summer, but thought it had been fixed.
-As John and his friend continued to search the basement, they came across JonBenet’s lifeless body, bound and taped. He took the tape off her mouth and took her upstairs, screaming. The detective looked for a pulse and declared her dead. John remembers being in shock and not being able to comprehend what happened.
-Patsy (via old interview) recalls John screaming and finding out her daughter was dead.
-An investigation begins as the Ramseys try to get answers as to who killed their daughter. However, they were also suspects in the murder.
-John and Patsy were taken to a friend’s house, still in a state of shock.
-A old video of Burke’s interview shows him reacting to his sister’s death.
-Another old news report explains what happened but remains vague on the specifics.
-The case makes national headlines. Reporters claim that the Ramseys and their friends weren’t very forthcoming when it came to talking to them.
-John’s oldest son John Andrew explains the family dynamic of how he and his sisters were from John’s first marriage and that Burke and JonBenet were from his second marriage to Pasty. John also talks about his life with Patsy, Burke and JonBenet as home videos and pictures play in the background. They also share how Beth, John’s daughter from his first marriage died in a car accident just a few years before JonBenet died.
-Patsy (via old video) recalls that time and how JonBenet would cuddle with her parents, sensing their grief. She also remembers when she got her ovarian cancer diagnosis and how JonBenet would offer her support and love, despite her young age and not quite grasping what was going on.
-More detail is given about JonBenet’s cause of death and the disturbing evidence found on her body and at the scene of the crime. They also detail how she was the victim of sexual assault.
-More news stories are shared, along with footage of her beauty pageant career. This led to people talking about if she was sexualized at a young age and if her parents were pushing her into a life of fame. The Ramseys claim this was not the case and the claim of sexualization was sickening.
-Footage from Patsy’s own pageant days is also shared, followed by more investigation and news footage.
-Another interesting twist was that the house wasn’t considered or marked as a crime scene, even though a kidnapping was reported and a murder took place. People questioned this, as well as the fact that John carried JonBenet upstairs, messing with the crime scene.
-Linda Arndt, who worked on the case claims she knows who the killer was and that she was face to face with them.
-By now, the Ramseys are under suspicion for JonBenet’s murder.
-Linda claimed she was suspicious of John casually going through his mail, but he claims he was looking for more communication from the kidnappers. She was also suspicious of him knowing exactly where to look in the basement and felt unsafe when he was around.
-By now, the Ramseys have hired a top lawyer and are refusing to talk to police. There is even more suspicion against them, even though John claims they gave the police everything they needed.
-Footage of JonBenet’s funeral is shown, along with statements from John saying that nothing else mattered since he lost his child.
-The Ramseys finally decided to talk to the media after being encouraged to do so by friends and family. This footage is shown and they claim that they believe there is a killer on the loose.
-Mayor Leslie Durgin claimed that the Ramsey’s statements were false and that there was no crazed killer on the loose. This led to a media debate about who was telling the truth and what could have happened.
-The investigation continued with DNA being tested from the scene of the crime. None of it matched anyone in the family, making everyone wonder…who killed JonBenet?