Ramseys: Intruder Killed JonBenet
DENVER (AP) _ John and Patsy Ramsey believe an intruder may have waited for hours in their home before strangling their daughter JonBenet, according to transcripts of an interview to be broadcast Friday.
The Ramseys also suggested investigators look to their ``inner circle″ to find her killer, perhaps someone who was familiar with the family and may be a pedophile, according to transcripts released Monday.
``I can’t believe that we have ever knowingly met anyone that can be this vicious. But someone killed our daughter. So we have to start looking. We start at the inner circle and keep moving out,″ Patsy Ramsey said.
In the interview to air on ABC’s ″20/20,″ the Ramseys accused police of ignoring evidence such as a hand print and DNA that couldn’t be matched to relatives or friends.
They also told ABC they had contemplated suicide after authorities said they were under suspicion.
``But we have other children. They need us now more than ever. So we have to be strong for them. That’s the only reason ... that we have to go on,″ Patsy Ramsey said.
The interviews with ABC and others coincide with the release of the Ramseys’ book, ``The Death of Innocence.″
No suspects have been named in the death of the 6-year-old child beauty queen, whose body was found Dec. 26, 1996, in her parents’ Boulder home. Boulder authorities have said the Ramseys remain under an ``umbrella of suspicion.″
A grand jury adjourned in October without filing charges, but a police investigation continues.
``Our objective is to find the killer,″ John Ramsey told ABC. ``That’s the only way we’ll prove our innocence. Sadly.″
The Ramseys, who moved to an Atlanta suburb with their 11-year-old son, Burke, have rarely talked publicly about JonBenet’s death.
In interviews with ″20/20″ and NBC’s ``Today″ show, they also discussed the intruder theory, which is similar to one posed by retired Colorado Springs police Detective Lou Smit.
Smit was called out of retirement in March 1997 to help investigators with the Ramsey case. He resigned in September 1998, saying he could not, ``in good conscience, be a part of the persecution of innocent people.″
He has been working with the Ramseys, receiving some expense money but not a salary, said his attorney, Bob Russel.
According to Smit, evidence pointing to an intruder includes:
_ Faint markings on a suitcase under a broken basement window and on the wall under the window might be footprints, Russel said today. Smit theorized an intruder might have place his foot against the wall to steady himself while crawling through the window.
_ Peanut-shaped foam packing material and leaves found in the basement that might have been tracked inside by someone entering through a broken basement window.
_ A metal baseball bat found outside the Ramseys’ home. Fibers on the bat matched a carpet found in the basement near the storage room where JonBenet’s body was found.
_ DNA evidence from JonBenet’s fingernails and underpants that indicates her attacker was a male. Authorities have not been able to match the DNA to a specific individual.
_ Marks on JonBenet’s face and back that could have been made by a stun gun. Arapahoe County Coroner Michael Doberson said that after examining Smit’s photos of the wounds he agreed that a stun gun might have been used to subdue the girl.
Boulder Police Chief Mark Beckner said there is evidence contradicting Smit’s theory about the stun gun and that he does not have new information about the case.