The cord and tape.

[trixie]

I think Patsy was in a situation where she HAD to leave a note and I'm sure she knew enough about computers, (since she and her husband were in the business, I'm not as gullable as she would like the public to be about her computer experience) to know that if she had used the computer it could be found probably in many different ways. A typewriter would be out of the question because of the same thing. Besides that, where would she have to go to use them? She needed to stay away from everybody and not wake anyone up. Better to write with the non-dominate hand and hopefully beat an analysis. But she HAD to write the note, no question about it for me. I read that John Ramsey said that Patsy said she was glad they left a note. He asked her why and she said "They left some evidence." How did she know there wasn't any other evidence? Face it, it fits with her cover-up plan.

 

[Nuisanceposter]

Patsy was never excluded as the author of the note. It looks like her handwriting and sounds like her style of speaking, right down to use of "and hence" just like in the Christmas letter, and using "and" and "hence" one after the other is a grammar error - the word "hence" should take the place of "and". How likely is it that both Patsy Ramsey and the kidnapper will be making the same error?

The Ramseys completely disregarded the instructions of the ransom note as if they were aware that calling the police and their friends and reverand over would have no impact on whether their child was decapitated or not, and even sent their other child out of the house, while supposedly under the belief that their house was being watched by the kidnappers.

There were so many familiar references in the ransom note, too many for it to have been authored by someone who did not personally know the Ramseys, specifically John.

The note was rather long and dramatic, rather than a standard ransom note, which is as succinct as possible. It was written on papaer owned by the Ramseys and with a pen owned by the Ramseys. Why would kidnappers not write it elsewhere and bring it with them, rather than sit in the home of the child they are kidnapping and compose a 3 page diatribe, risking being found out the entire time? I won't even mention again how they had the daring to molest and strangle the child in her own home, risking being found out the entire time.

The child wasn't kidnapped, which is what the ransom note specifically says this crime is about. They could have taken her and ransomed her body, if that was their intention, but it wasn't. And if they wanted to kill her, why even write such a long and blabbery ransom note? Why kill JonBenet and not Burke? I guarantee you a foreign faction would have been more interested in killing/kidnapping the son than the daughter.

John and Patsy have both changed their stories about the events of Dec. 25th - 26th. They have outright lied and tried to resist assisting in the investigation. They tried to flee Boulder as soon as their child was found dead. They refused to go in to be interviewed for months on end.

They sent Burke back to school right away, seemingly unconcerned that there might be a killer targeting them.

I'm sure I'm forgetting things, it's late, but all of these things together, logic and evidence, point at one of the Ranseys being the perp and not an intruder at all.

 

[sandraladeda]

Patsy was never excluded as the author of the note. It looks like her handwriting and sounds like her style of speaking, right down to use of "and hence" just like in the Christmas letter, and using "and" and "hence" one after the other is a grammar error - the word "hence" should take the place of "and". How likely is it that both Patsy Ramsey and the kidnapper will be making the same error?

The Ramseys completely disregarded the instructions of the ransom note as if they were aware that calling the police and their friends and reverand over would have no impact on whether their child was decapitated or not, and even sent their other child out of the house, while supposedly under the belief that their house was being watched by the kidnappers.

There were so many familiar references in the ransom note, too many for it to have been authored by someone who did not personally know the Ramseys, specifically John.

The note was rather long and dramatic, rather than a standard ransom note, which is as succinct as possible. It was written on papaer owned by the Ramseys and with a pen owned by the Ramseys. Why would kidnappers not write it elsewhere and bring it with them, rather than sit in the home of the child they are kidnapping and compose a 3 page diatribe, risking being found out the entire time? I won't even mention again how they had the daring to molest and strangle the child in her own home, risking being found out the entire time.

The child wasn't kidnapped, which is what the ransom note specifically says this crime is about. They could have taken her and ransomed her body, if that was their intention, but it wasn't. And if they wanted to kill her, why even write such a long and blabbery ransom note? Why kill JonBenet and not Burke? I guarantee you a foreign faction would have been more interested in killing/kidnapping the son than the daughter.

John and Patsy have both changed their stories about the events of Dec. 25th - 26th. They have outright lied and tried to resist assisting in the investigation. They tried to flee Boulder as soon as their child was found dead. They refused to go in to be interviewed for months on end.

They sent Burke back to school right away, seemingly unconcerned that there might be a killer targeting them.

I'm sure I'm forgetting things, it's late, but all of these things together, logic and evidence, point at one of the Ranseys being the perp and not an intruder at all.

Bang on on many points. How likely is it that the kidnapper would make the same grammatical errors as Patsy? Quite a coincidence. I don't think I personally have used the word "hence" in the past year, it just isn't commonly used, and less commonly used by an ESL kidnapper!

How does this same ESL foreign kidnapper know about John's "good southern common sense"?

A standard ransom note -
WE HAVE YOUR DAUGHTER. WE WILL CALL TO ARRANGE TO EXCHANGE YOUR DAUGHTER FOR $118,000. NO COPS. NO CALLS. WE ARE WATCHING.

imho

 

[Rupert]

I think we established what the tape is: black duct tape perhaps used as theatrical spot marker or taping down electrical cables to the floor. What about the cord? Was it an every day household item? Such as used for window blinds? Or was it used for clothing? I think I saw a picture of JonBenet that showed her with a dark jacket and white cord trim. I think it was suggested that this might have been the use of the cord. Surely the BPD have nailed this down, no?

 

[txsvicki]

Someone has probably said this before but it would seem that if the ransom note was really written by a foreign faction, they were out to make a point and not really concerned about the money. The faction pointed out that they didn't really hate John or his business but this country. Why on earth would a terrorist choose a small little girl to molest and kill. There's no way it was a kidnapping gone bad because they wouldn't have been able to take the time to molest and garrotte. Also, the foreigners supposedly wrote such a long ransom note but never followed up later on with any sort of communication rubbing it in or explaining the death. Who ever wrote the note must have been hoping to hide body where it might not be found for "proper burial" as it warned about.

 

[Nuisanceposter]

I suspect the white cord was standard household variety, just like the kind my husband always has in the garage, handy for things like tying your new-bought Christmas tree to the roof of your car so you can drive it home.

 

[BlueCrab]

I suspect the white cord was standard household variety, just like the kind my husband always has in the garage, handy for things like tying your new-bought Christmas tree to the roof of your car so you can drive it home.

Nuisanceposter,

The cord was flat 1/4"-wide white nylon sold in 50' and 100' rolls in the sporting goods aisle at McGuckins Hardware store in Boulder. The brand name was Stansport, which distributes the cord from California. The main use of the cord is for camping. The Ramseys were avid campers and all of the Ramsey children held awards for their camping skills.

BlueCrab

 

[Nuisanceposter]

Nuisanceposter,

The cord was flat 1/4"-wide white nylon sold in 50' and 100' rolls in the sporting goods aisle at McGuckins Hardware store in Boulder. The brand name was Stansport, which distributes the cord from California. The main use of the cord is for camping. The Ramseys were avid campers and all of the Ramsey children held awards for their camping skills.

BlueCrab

Thank you, BC. Ah, yes, there's a photo in DOI of both Burke and JonBenet posing with awards they won at a summer camp. So it's entirely possible and extremely likely that the Rs would have had this particular kind of cord in their possession.

 

[sandraladeda]

Isn't it possible that the cord used was the end of the roll so there was none left to dispose of?

Is it very likely that, if the cord originated at the Ramsey home that a member of a foreign faction (I love using those 2 words, 'foreign faction', it just sounds so ludicrous!) would know where they kept it stashed? Or took the time to search around for it so they could garrotte their little kidnap victim?

imho

PS bluecrab, I never stop being impressed with your vast knowledge of the details of this case. I try not to post too often, as I know so very little, and am trying to read through the many threads before I comment too much....

 

[Nuisanceposter]

Isn't it possible that the cord used was the end of the roll so there was none left to dispose of?

Is it very likely that, if the cord originated at the Ramsey home that a member of a foreign faction (I love using those 2 words, 'foreign faction', it just sounds so ludicrous!) would know where they kept it stashed? Or took the time to search around for it so they could garrotte their little kidnap victim?

imho

PS bluecrab, I never stop being impressed with your vast knowledge of the details of this case. I try not to post too often, as I know so very little, and am trying to read through the many threads before I comment too much....

Excellent point. The "foreign faction" (absolutely ludicrous) needed to depend on the Rs to provide quite a bit...the child, the opportunity, the paper, the pen, the paintbrush that became the garrote handle, why not also assume the cord and the tape and the Maglite came from the Ramsey house also, since those items are items they could very well have had and most probably did have. Maybe that length of cord is all there was left, and that's why there's no more to be found. Same with the tape. And how likely is it that a "foreign faction" bent on kidnapping the daughter of a piddly little no one business man is going to arrive to kidnap her with no supplies, or leave her behind and not see through to acquiring the ransom they claim the crime was about in the first place?

Reading through is great, but don't be afraid to post and comment. Asking questions will get you answers, and then you learn. Blue Crab and many others here are extremely knowledgable on the case, and it pleases me to find people who want to discuss JonBenet. Everyone I know in person is tired of hearing me talk about the Ramseys, and none of them know enough or care enough to debate

 

[BlueCrab]

Isn't it possible that the cord used was the end of the roll so there was none left to dispose of?

sandraladeda,

Yes, that's possible. But the cord comes in 50' and 100' rolls and there was no cord to match it anywhere else in the house. It suggests the cord used on JonBenet could have been brought into house by someone that night.

As you may know, my favorite theory is there was a fifth person who had been let into the house by a Ramsey family member that night and that person brought the cord and the black tape -- both items of which can be used in camping. The intent of the visit was preteen sex games featuring erotic asphyxiation, something the children knew very little about, but predictably things went bad and the midnight rendezvous ended up as a grisly murder. The "guest" left taking the excess cord and tape with him, as well as the other currently missing items of crimescene evidence.

Incidentally, the Shurtape brand of black duct tape used in the crime is wrapped on a rigid roll, and even if the tape is all used up the roll itself remains. The roll is missing, suggesting it had to have been physically carried from the house that night with the other items of missing evidence.

In this theory the fifth person was not an intruder. He was let into the house by a Ramsey. The involvement of a Ramsey family member is borne out by the obvious Ramsey coverup that thwarts identifying who the perpetrator is.

BlueCrab

 

[Linda7NJ]

It's more likely IMO that the cord had been used for something else prior to it being used in the garrote. Right now, I could find several pieces of cord lying around my house in varying lengths. I don't think the cord was cut that night for the purpose it was later found used for.

I think the tape may also have been a used piece removed from a metal table or some other place a Ramsey had used it prior to placing it over Jon Benet's mouth, AFTER she was DEAD. Who tapes a mouth after death occurs? What would be the point? STAGING!

** I almost always precut & prepare duct tape before using it. I am simply not very good at ripping it. So often times I have some unused and left over hanging off the edge of whatever I used while preparing it.

 

[BlueCrab]

It's more likely IMO that the cord had been used for something else prior to it being used in the garrote. Right now, I could find several pieces of cord lying around my house in varying lengths. I don't think the cord was cut that night for the purpose it was later found used for.

I think the tape may also have been a used piece removed from a metal table or some other place a Ramsey had used it prior to placing it over Jon Benet's mouth, AFTER she was DEAD. Who tapes a mouth after death occurs? What would be the point? STAGING!

** I almost always precut & prepare duct tape before using it. I am simply not very good at ripping it. So often times I have some unused and left over hanging off the edge of whatever I used while preparing it.

Linda7NJ,

But that doesn't answer the essential question: Where's the rest of it? No other matching cord or tape was found anywhere in the house.

Incidentally, in regard to duct tape, it seems that men tend to rip it from the roll while females and children tend to cut it off the roll using scissors or a knife. The five-inch-long piece of black duct tape on JonBenet had been cut.

BlueCrab

 

[Linda7NJ]

Maybe it was simply the very last piece. The rest could have ended up anywhere. I could never account for a whole roll of cord. The rest could have been used on any number of camping trips.

I have pieces of rope, cord and wire I can't recall where it came from or what I used it for. I have some right now in my kitchen junk drawer and I know I could find more in my shed, husbands office ( he just stuffs junk anywhere)

Right now, in my large Christmas wrapping paper tote, I have 3 different kinds. I have two pieces of white cord that I had tied all the rolls together with after I finshed with it last year and before I bought the tote, brown fuzzy looking stuff from God knows where and some thin twine I used to tie up a few boxes last year. None is still on the roll.

 

[BlueCrab]

Maybe it was simply the very last piece. The rest could have ended up anywhere. I could never account for a whole roll of cord. The rest could have been used on any number of camping trips.

I have pieces of rope, cord and wire I can't recall where it came from or what I used it for. I have some right now in my kitchen junk drawer and I know I could find more in my shed, husbands office ( he just stuffs junk anywhere)

Right now, in my large Christmas wrapping paper tote, I have 3 different kinds. I have two pieces of white cord that I had tied all the rolls together with after I finshed with it and before I bought the tote, brown fuzzy looking stuff from God knows where and some thin twine I used to tie up a few boxes last year. None is still on the roll.

Linda7NJ,

But you at least have remnants of the cord and tape you used. There were NO tape remnants and NO cord remnants anywhere in the Ramsey house that matched the tape and cord found on JonBenet. The cops turned the house inside out but found none. The closest they came was some black tape on the back of a picture that had been professionally framed, but that tape was not Shurtape brand.

BlueCrab

 

[Nuisanceposter]

So either the cord and tape were brought there and taken away again, or the Ramseys had it there and got rid of all traces of both. Hmmm. Definitely adds weight to the idea that someone who was not a Ramsey was there. Not saying that that person was an intruder, but someone who didn't live there. It has occurred to me that the remnants of cord and tape could have left with Burke and his Nintendo.

 

[Moab]

Linda7NJ,

But you at least have remnants of the cord and tape you used. There were NO tape remnants and NO cord remnants anywhere in the Ramsey house that matched the tape and cord found on JonBenet. The cops turned the house inside out but found none. The closest they came was some black tape on the back of a picture that had been professionally framed, but that tape was not Shurtape brand.

BlueCrab

BC, so what if the one piece of tape was on something given to the Ramseys and the one piece of cord came from a package delivered to them or was a scrap Burke had around for some reason? Then there wouldn’t have been any other pieces in the home then either. Did anyone check the pockets of Patsy’s fur coat she had on when she left the house after the body was found? Or the golf bag of JR’s he had Pammy-Pooh pick up before the funeral? Face it, the BPD didn’t do well in processing the scene, even though they might have said the searched the home completely.

 

[Karole28]

Not only was the house not secured as a crime scene, neither was the surrounding area, neighborhood. And just as the lack of snow blows the 'no footprints in the snow=no intruder' idea, it also offers the opportunity for someone to exit the house & dispose of evidence.

 

[Holdontoyourhat]

Linda7NJ,

But you at least have remnants of the cord and tape you used. There were NO tape remnants and NO cord remnants anywhere in the Ramsey house that matched the tape and cord found on JonBenet. The cops turned the house inside out but found none. The closest they came was some black tape on the back of a picture that had been professionally framed, but that tape was not Shurtape brand.

BlueCrab

NO tape remnants, NO cord remnants, NO legitimate tape usage, NO legitimate cord usage. Thats zero for four (0-4) in evidence that could have turned up after the murder. Thats a strong indication the material came and went with the murder.

 

[IrishMist]

Maybe it was simply the very last piece. The rest could have ended up anywhere. I could never account for a whole roll of cord. The rest could have been used on any number of camping trips.

I have pieces of rope, cord and wire I can't recall where it came from or what I used it for. I have some right now in my kitchen junk drawer and I know I could find more in my shed, husbands office ( he just stuffs junk anywhere)

Right now, in my large Christmas wrapping paper tote, I have 3 different kinds. I have two pieces of white cord that I had tied all the rolls together with after I finshed with it last year and before I bought the tote, brown fuzzy looking stuff from God knows where and some thin twine I used to tie up a few boxes last year. None is still on the roll.

I'm with you on this one, Linda. You could find tape and cord around my house, too. And when you look at the pictures of their basement- with stuff stacked all around, boxes, junk, etc... I don't think it's unreasonable to think that cord and tape were somewhere in the mix.