Writer of Ramsey ransom note still a mystery

March 19, 1997
Web posted at: 9:15 p.m. EST

BOULDER, Colorado (CNN) -- A Ramsey family spokesman accused investigators Wednesday of leaking stories reporting similarities in handwriting samples given to police by the victim's mother.

The claim came after The Rocky Mountain News in Denver reported Wednesday on a resemblance between some aspects of Patricia Ramsey's writing and that in a ransom note found in her home the morning her daughter JonBenet was killed.

Earlier this week, asked about Mrs. Ramsey's handwriting samples, Pete Mang with the Colorado Bureau of Investigations told CNN that examinations were still being conducted.

"She has not been eliminated as the author of the ransom note," he said. Contacted again Wednesday for comment on the newspaper report, Mang said, "Handwriting testing is still ongoing at CBI."

Handwriting experts hired by the Ramseys went over the same samples but reached a different interpretation, spokesman Pat Korten said.

"While they noted some similarity between a few of Patsy Ramsey's letters and those found on the note, there were dramatic differences between her handwriting and the note in many other areas," Korten said.

He said those experts had previously eliminated the victim's father, John Ramsey, as a possible author of the letter demanding $118,000 for JonBenet's safe return.

Besides the submitted samples, investigators are comparing Mrs. Ramsey's handwriting with some letters she wrote prior to the death of her daughter.

The 6-year-old girl was found strangled in her family's home on December 26.

Special sections:

CNN Interactive's extended coverage

The JonBenet Ramsey Case

Related sites:

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.

Tell us what you think!

You said it...

Writer of Ramsey ransom note still a mystery

Special sections:

Related stories:

Related sites:

Terms under which this service is provided to you.