The former Colorado police chief at the centre of the investigation into the infamous JonBenét Ramsey unwittingly acknowledged online that officers initially mishandled the crime scene.
Mark Beckner, the former chief of the Boulder Police Department, spoke about the high-profile 1996 slaying of child beauty queen during an “Ask Me Anything” or “AMA” session on Reddit, on Saturday, stating that he regretted how the investigation was handled in its early stages.
In an interview Tuesday with the Daily Camera, Beckner said he didn’t realize his comments would be available for anyone to read online.
“I talked to the organizer, and my impression was that this was a members-only type group that talked about unsolved mysteries all around the world,” said Beckner. “I didn’t know it was an open-architecture type thing, or I wouldn’t have done it. It was a misunderstanding and naivete on my part.”
READ MORE: Jurors wanted child abuse charges against Ramseys
The 59-year-old former chief was participating in the AMA in a Reddit subgroup that focuses on unsolved mysteries. Most of his comments during the session have been deleted, but The Denver Post saved the original response threads.
Ramsey’s murder drew international attention. The 6-year-old was found dead in the basement of her parents’ home on Boxing Day in 1996, with duct tape covering her mouth and a cord wrapped around her neck. Her body also had apparent signs of sexual assault.
Hours earlier, her mother Patsy Ramsey called the police to report her daughter was missing and a ransom note, demanding $180,000 in exchange for the girl, had been found. The shocking story was fodder for tabloids, with the ensuing investigation being closely followed by the public.
In the Redditt AMA, Beckner said he regretted not doing a better job of securing the crime scene and interviewing the parents earlier in the investigation.
“Letting them go was a big mistake, as they soon lawyered up,” he wrote. The parents were not formally interviewed in the case until five months later, in May of 1997.
Suspicion Ramsey’s parents were involved in her murder quickly spread among the public and in the media, as many saw the heavily made-up photos of the child beauty queen and accused the parents of exploiting their daughter.
No one has ever been prosecuted in the case, but court documents released in 2013 show a grand jury recommended indictments against the Ramseys, for child abuse resulting in death and being an accessory to a crime, including murder.
READ BELOW: John Ramsey Grand Jury court documents
*With files from the Associated Press
Comments