Convinced that the ransom note had most likely been written at the house, investigators next took writing samples from dozens of people, including John, Patsy Ramsey and Burke Ramsey, John Ramsey's children from his first marriage, former friend Fleet White, Bill McReynolds, who portrayed Santa Claus at the Ramseys' Christmas party, neighbor . YouTube Yes. Because of their proximity to the family, the couple was questioned in February of 1997 after returning from a vacation in Spain. 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. We were outraged. 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. Despite their denials, police continued to suspect the parents in JonBents murder. Another was Michael Helgoth, an electrician who worked at a nearby auto salvage yard. But to this day, the case still remains cold. JBR doesn't know the guy so it's not like there is some risk. Patsy finds the ransom note hours later. Investigators werent able to find anything incriminating during the Ramseys interrogations. That is when McReynolds' fascination with Santa Claus began, said his wife. Helgoth was tied to a supposed property. Bill McReynolds was found dead in his Mashpee, Mass., home Monday by his wife, Janet, when she. It was really important to him.. Katy Perry is JonBent Ramsey. JonBent Ramsey via Criminal Minds Wiki Fandom "I want to be a doctor or a nurse to help people get well." JonBent Ramsey. She wakes Burke up and the two go downstairs together where they eat pineapple. Marra said she doesnt believe at this point that they are actively investigating this case.. Multiple attempts to reach out to Janet McReynolds for comment on the play and CBS docu-series were unsuccessful. 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 . John Mark Karr another suspect of the JonBenet murder case, was not considered a suspect right away. There couldve been fingerprints there.. So how could there be dna from this accomplice? Published 02/22/21 08. When the couple moved to the small town on Cape Cod in 1998, McReynolds left his role of Santa Claus, his wife said. Barry Williams/Getty Images News/Getty Images, Janet McReynolds wrote a play about a young girl, sexual assault was a factor in the murder. But they also know that he couldn't have written the note and they know that neither one of them wrote it or did anything wrong because they were together the entire time. This would explain why a neighbor thought they saw John Andrew approach the house the evening of the murder. Dawn Miller 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. Stephen Diamond, Ph.D., is a clinical and forensic psychologist in Los Angeles, and the author of Anger, Madness, and the Daimonic: The Psychological Genesis of Violence, Evil, and Creativity. Theres no reason at all for the Ramseys to use a stun gun and the Ramseys dont have a stun gun, Smit recorded himself saying at the time. 2 Hired by Marilyn Haus to play Santa at the mall. As we looked at each other, I remember -- and I wore a shoulder holster -- tucking my gun right next to me and consciously counting [that] Ive got 18 bullets, Arndt said, adding, I didnt know if wed all be alive when people showed up.. I believe the killer was someone McReynolds knew and was possibly a relative of his. | Photos Tom Haney, a detective with the Denver Police Department, interrogated Patsy Ramsey, while Smit interrogated John Ramsey. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Yet, when the case was reopened in 2009, the intruder theory was brought once again as a possible option. Karr eventually came out as a transgender woman in 2010. While elected by Districts, each member represents the interests of the City as a whole. So who is Bill McReynolds? If these types of things usually point to a family member, how closely was Bill investigated? Moreover, and even more mysteriously, they found that John and Patsy "did render assistance to a person, with intent to hinder, delay and prevent discovery, detection, apprehension, prosecution, conviction and punishment of such person for the commission of a crime, knowing the person being assisted has committed and was suspected of the crime of murder in the 1st degree and child abuse resulting in death." 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. His wife had written a play about a child getting molested and then murdered in a basement. So who is Bill McReynolds? Arndt said the moment sparked fear in her that JonBents father might have killed their daughter, and so she braced herself for a possible confrontation. The note read that if the Ramseys had contacted the police, or told anyone of JonBents disappearance, she would be murdered. Some of this is learned behavior since this is what was modeled to them at home by parents, siblings, family friends, and others. 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. Kolar scoured through lab and police reports, witness statements and other information when he took over the case. Burke doesn't really believe in Santa and thinks this whole thing is dumb, so he goes back to bed. "He was scarred. How do you explain all the points in the crime scene of Patsy's.. inside the paint tray, the sticky side of the duct tape, embedded into the ligature? Any information that we come up with a match will be turned over immediately to the Boulder [district attorney] and Boulder Police Department, and they will follow that.. But like police, the jury didnt believe someone couldve entered the window with the cobwebs remaining intact. He celebrated the holiday with the doomed 6-year-old beauty queen just two days before her battered body was found at her parents' mansion. It was unusually long and there were no fingerprints found on it except for Patsys and the authorities who handled it. missoula jobs part time; best fitness tracker for hockey I admittedly came to this preliminary conclusion despite a plethora of additional evidence strongly suggesting otherwise. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Before we apply the Statement Analysis techniques, let's first review what happened 20 years ago. The 2 1/2-page letter demanded that John withdraw $118,000 and wait for further instructions. Which means you constructed this primarily with your own imagination. Police arrived shortly after the 911 call and began investigating the scene for clues about the kidnapper. Was this ever investigated or evaluated? Joe Denson McReynolds, 59, passed away after a courageous battle with cancer, on Wednesday, September 3, 2008, at St. Dominic Hospital in Jackson.He is survived by his wife, Nancy Williamson McReynold 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? I had seen evidence of an intruder in the house that night., With his intruder theory regarding JonBents murder increasingly pushed by the wayside, Smit ultimately chose to resign from the case, writing in a letter to Boulder District Attorney Hunter: Even though I want to continue to participate in the official investigation and assist in finding the killer of JonBenet, I find that I cannot in good conscience be a part of the persecution of innocent people, said Smit, referring to JonBents parents. He worked his way up the ladder and took his first crew chief job in 1985. 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)? 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. Bill McReynolds, a man who dressed up as Santa Claus for Christmas parties at the Ramseys' home for three years, was also investigated but ultimately cleared when his DNA did not match that . Starting with the 2018 Election, four (4) Councilmembers were elected by Districts with the remaining three (3) Councilmembers elected by Districts in 2020. Or perhaps the Ramseys felt that, with poor JonBenet already dead, they did not want to see their friend, Bill, who was already in poor health, die in prison. Some perpetrator to whom John and Patsy granted willing access to their daughter, someone who subsequently sexually abused, tortured, and murdered her. 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. It feels like you came up with a narrative first and then tried to adjust it to some of the evidence. Over the course of a year, this grand jury, comprised of a dozen ordinary citizens, studied in secret session the evidence presented to them and finally submitted their findings to the District Attorney. "Of course, he would never get over what happened to him. Arndt confirmed to him that the child had died. Therefore, he very controversially decided not to file any formal charges against the Ramsey's at all. Burke tells his parents he went downstairs with JonBenet and they realize he is the last one to see her. He quickly began reviewing the evidence and finding potential leads that the police and public had overlooked or dismissed. That's Bill McReynolds, who got a lot of gigs playing Santa because he was a jolly fellow whose kickass beard was 100-percent real. I tried to untie the cord that was around her arms and I couldnt get the knot untied.. The three-page ransom note, for example, was written on Patsy Ramseys notepad with a pen that had come from the house. Longmont Police Department records on the December 26, 1974 kidnapping of Jill McReynolds (daughter of JonBenet Ramsey murder suspect "Santa" Bill McReynolds) and her friend by an unidentified pedophile Addeddate 2020-07-08 01:31:47 Identifier JillMcReynolds_LongmontPD Identifier-ark Think he was old and not a well man .Dont think he did it. Patsy Ramsey reportedly strongly suspected Mrs. McReynolds of being involved at some point. We work on this daily. 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. 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. He just said, I want somebody to continue this case. I knew instantly what I found. Santa Claus, A.K.A Bill McReynolds recruited a younger male to kill JonBenet and film it or take pictures for him. 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, with the cryptic message: "You will receive a special gift after Christmas." 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. In a 911 call just before 6 a.m., her mother Patsy Ramsey was inconsolable as she told the dispatcher that her daughter was missing and that shed found a ransom note at the bottom of her stairs. The idea that a parents first thought upon finding their child murdered is to start a coverup out of pure survival instinct is fantastical. Watch the full story on "20/20" Friday at 9 p.m. This would have to have been a person (or persons) whom they already knew, trusted, and felt comfortable leaving alone with little JonBenet. Cookie Notice Maybe that family member enlists a friend to do it instead so that police wouldn't quickly make the connection and unbeknonst to them, that friend is a creep, so things go horribly wrong and turn from kidnapping to murder. However, John and Patsy Ramsey referred to him as a suspect in their book The Death of Innocence, and Janet stated that her husband was deeply affected by the suspicion: "He was scarred. 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. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. McReynolds' death was sudden, his wife said, although he had undergone a bypass operation and replacement of aorta valve in 1996. Catherine Willows Eddie Willows CSI Wiki Katie Stevens Morgan Brody Warrick Brown Immortality Gil Grissom physicians health association of illinois provider portal. 8.4K views, 22 likes, 0 loves, 37 comments, 17 shares. According to CNN, an original prosecutor on the Ramsey case claimed that Bill had given JonBent a card with the message: "You will receive a special gift after Christmas." 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. What would possibly motivate people like Bill or Janet McReynolds, for example, to kidnap and kill JonBenet Ramsey? The real Killer doesn't know the Ramsey's personally so he is never questioned or identified. They didn't follow procedure with the nail clippers. | Headlines JonBent was born on August 6, 1990, in Atlanta, Georgia. Why Are So Many Young Men Single And Sexless? The play, Hey Rube, was about the 1965 torture and murder of Sylvia Likens in Indiana. and take a fresh and unbiased look at the totality of the evidence as it stands right now and its implications regarding the deeply disturbing possibility that JonBenet's murderer may not have been an immediate member of the Ramsey family, as most still believe, nor some mysterious random intruder(s), but rather a close and trusted friend and confidant. 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. The couple's 40th wedding anniversary was Sunday. Madison McReynolds played Lindsey from Season One to Season Five; Kay Panabaker took over the role in the Season Six finale Way to Go, and continued to play it up until Season Twelve's episode Zippered, via photo, where she's uncredited. 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. J. MCREYNOLDS: The basic thrust and the parallel that I am now seeing with the JonBenet case is that the victim, in my play, was a scapegoat for the sins of the community. You read that right. We do not know. 1 Trackhouse Racing Team's spotter in the NASCAR Cup Series. This seems really strange and coincidental. 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. McReynolds is questioned and ruled out, he didn't commit the actual killing so his DNA is not a match. 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. While JonBents half-brother, John Andrew Ramsey, said his father has remarried and is focusing on life, he also said their fight for justice on behalf of his half-sister is not over. Lifetime will present a TV movie called Who Killed JonBent? He was just so devastated by the mere idea anyone would suspect him of a crime," she said. Smit also spoke about the DNA evidence that police had found underneath JonBents fingernails and in her underwear in the video diaries. We had a higher priority at that point and that was to bury our daughter.. Bill McReynolds died in 2002 from a heart attack, but the rest of the McReynolds family has shied away from the spotlight since then. But when 10 a.m. passed and there still wasnt a call, Arndt said there was no acknowledgment from either of JonBents parents that the deadline imposed by the author of the ransom note [had] come and gone.. The play,. McReynolds daughter was kidnapped 22 years before which caused more suspicions . 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. He pointed out the open window in the basement, but photographs showed cobwebs on the window that wouldve likely broken had someone snuck through. Theory 3; Bill McReynolds. Nonetheless, all this provided these jurors with a unique perspective on the complex facts comprising the case, one which I believe merits our attention and serious consideration right alongside the actual evidence itself. To this day, questions around the note still arise. 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. And there may be many others. She was named after her parents, John Bennett . The outlet reported that on Dec. 26, 1974, the couple's 9-year-old daughter had been kidnapped along with her friend and she witnessed the sexual abuse of her friend during the trauma. Her case remains unsolved. 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. The now late Bill McReynolds was also a suspect in the murder of JonBenet Ramsey. Helgoth was found dead shortly after JonBent's murder, and his death was ruled a suicide. However, physical evidence suggested that those details were part of a set-up. What did they know? McReynoldss own daughter had been kidnapped 22 years before. She was lying on a white blanket. At the time of Bill's death, the couple resided in Cape Cod they reportedly left Boulder in 1998 in order to seek a new beginning, far from where the tragic murder occurred. 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. 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