Experts reveal truth behind infamous JonBenét Ramsey ransom letter left in family home
A new documentary about the death of JonBenét Ramsey has dropped, and it has revealed some shocking details about the case - including information about the ransom note that her family discovered.
The three-part series on Netflix explored the six-year-old's murder which happened on Christmas Day in 1996, before she was found on Boxing Day by her father, John Ramsey.
It was later found that she had been sexually assaulted, beaten and strangled with a garrotte.
The documentary explored new avenues that the authorities could taken to catch JonBenét's killer nearly 30 years after the crime that shook the world transpired.
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As part of this exploration, it brought in those who were involved in the case, as well as experts who've scrutinised certain details of evidence and police conduct.
In Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey?, investigators explained how a letter left behind was a little 'unusual', and they outright debunked it as an authentic ransom note.
It was found before her body was found in the family home in Boulder, Colorado.
While initially it would have appeared to have been a note left by the killer, it was later found to be 'bogus', according to police.
But why?
Well, according to an interview with FBI agent Ron Walker from 2006 that was shown in the documentary, there were a few red flags that the note contained.
Apparently, the letter's length and demands are not typical things that are found in a kidnapping ransom note, as he explained: "It’s quite unusual to see this magnum opus. Your typical ransom notes are short and to the point."
According to the expert, the amount of money requested was also bizarre, PEOPLE reports.
He said: "The next thing that really jumps out at you is the $118,000. A really odd number to ask for. The $118,000 is a low figure, but it’s also a very usual figure because it’s just not typical of what you would expect to see.
"You expect to see 200,000, 300,000, 250,000, a million, a half a million. But not 118,000."
Walker shared that all of these things made the whole note 'essentially bogus' and as if it 'was not truly a kidnapping note'.
After her family discovered her missing, JonBenét was found in the family's basement the next morning after police had already searched the area.
It was the day before that Patsy, her mother, had called police after finding the ransom note and discovered her daughter missing.
Elsewhere in the episode, retired Boulder police detective, Jeff Kithcart, also claimed that he was 'going through the notebook that contained Patsy's handwriting', adding: "I came across an entire sheet of paper in the notebook still attached with what appeared to be the initial ransom note.
"It said, ‘Mr.’ and then like, maybe, the initial vertical stroke of an 'R.' It could have been the first draft of what had appeared to me to be the possible ransom note.
"I was shocked to find that. It appeared that the ransom note was written from that notebook in the Ramsey household."
To this day, nobody has been charged with JonBenét's death.
Topics: True Crime, Crime, Netflix
Britt Jones