Investigator Reveals Theory About JonBenet Ramsey Ransom Note That May Help Identify Her Killer
The clue that has perplexed many.
Wikimedia Commons / Boulder Police Department A signature at the bottom of the ransom note allegedly written by JonBenét Ramsey’s killer may be a clue that her murderer was student in a nearby college.
JonBenét Ramsey’s murder remains unsolved and the case left behind countless unanswered questions.
Those who have an interest in the case have gone through the facts time and time again. One of the most puzzling pieces of the puzzle to this day is the ransom note that Patsy Ramsey discovered on Christmas morning in 1997, which led to the 911 call that kicked off this investigation, which has become a nationwide fascination.
A private investigator from Utah believes he may have discovered a connection between the bizarre note and Boulder, Colorado that could point in the direction of the true culprit.
What did the ransom note for JonBenet Ramsey say?
The mysterious two-and-a-half-page letter was allegedly left on the stairs of the Ramsey home before her parents realized JonBenet was missing.
It was written using stationary that was found in the home.
The letter addressed to John Ramsey demanded $118,000 in exchange for JonBenét’s safe return. This happened to be the exact amount of the bonus John received earlier in the month – this detail has prompted many to theorize it was written by someone known to the family.
It was signed “Victory! S.B.T.C.” – the meaning of the signature is one of many unsolved details about the case.
The new theory suggests JonBenet Ramsey was killed by a local college student.
The U.S. Sun reports Utah investigator Jason Jensen believes he has discovered a connection between the acronym closing out the ransom note and the University of Colorado - Boulder, located less than half a mile from the Ramsey family home.
The connection comes from a research paper published by two physicists at the university in March 1996, 9 months before JonBenét's murder.
The paper, written by Alex Zunger and Alberto Franceschetti, focuses on comparisons between pseudopotential and single-band truncated-crystal (SBTC) calculations.
"The author of the ransom note may have been a student of one of these professors or perhaps a sibling of one of the students," theorized Jensen, a veteran PI, per The Sun.
"The odds of a paper being written in March 1996 referencing SBTC and a ransom note signed SBTC in Dec. 1996 just 1/2 mile apart seems uncanny to me," he added.
"I believe the killer or attempted abductor was a local, someone likely living in the neighborhood, so I find this link of SBTC back to the university to be quite compelling."
Jensen believes that the vocabulary used in the ransom notes points to an author that “may have had a high school education and read a lot.”
"That is because of three of the words: attaché, deviation, and countermeasures. They are all 11th Grade Vocabulary words,” he shares.
"Also the choice to use the printed font of 'a' and 't' rather than the grammar school taught forms of 'a' and 't', indicates that the person read a lot of books.”
The theory supports the Ramsey family’s longtime belief an intruder murdered JonBenét.
The Ramsey family had their names cleared using DNA evidence though conspiracy theories continue to rage in the case. No member of the family — which included John Ramey, the since-deceased Patsy Ramsey, son Burke Ramsey, and John’s older children from a previous marriage — was ever formally named as a suspect despite public scrutiny.
The family long held the belief that an intruder broke into their home and killed JonBenét. Jensen agrees with this after conducting his own investigation of the facts of the case.
John Ramsey continues to fight for justice for his daughter.
In recent months, John Ramsey has been fighting for independent testing of DNA evidence using newer technology to see if the killer’s DNA can be identified. He has started a petition calling for Colorado Governor Jared Polis to force the Boulder Police Department’s hand in releasing the evidence to a group of researchers who have offered their services. To date, it has nearly 25,000 signatures.
Angela Andaloro is a writer who passionately explores all things entertainment, parenting, and true crime. Follow her on Twitter here.