Every time I go to some of those true crime sites--the ones that clearly started out as followers of the neverending Ramsey case--I always try to think of this case as compared to the Ramsey case. But, while I used to be up on all that happened in the Ramsey case, I'm not totally up to speed on it now. I heard that in the Ramsey case, the ransom note was suspect, and they tried to get handwriting exemplars from everyone, but never could get a valid one from Patsy b/c she was always on some sort of medication to help her cope with the horror of the loss. I also read that someone wrote a book analyzing the words of the ransom note, making a case that a person who had had a serious bout with cancer (as Patsy had) might write a note with such wording. Then I heard that a stick used to tighten the garotte around the little girl's neck had turned out to be a fragment of one of Patsy's paintbrushes. Then there was the report that Jonbenet was constantly being taken to the doctor (by her mother) for bladder infections and bedwetting problems. Of course, there's also the recent report that the footprint and handprint do not belong to any outsider, but belonged to close family members.
There was also a report that during one of the first police searches, Patsy sat curled in a chair with her hands over her face, apparently overcome with grief, but one officer claimed to see her peeking at them through her fingers, watching their reactions. That reminds me of my first impression of Ed--he was crying, but no tears were coming out. A lot of people wondered about him at that point. Also, the fact that Ed had to be hospitalized for a few days--we've followed cases like this, how many times have we heard that any of the distraught parents had to be hospitalized?
I also wondered if anyone in the Smart family had ever suffered from mental instability. But I've never heard word one, that this was the case.
The Ramseys--if they did it--had only one little boy to keep quiet. They denied police access to him for a long time, at least in my memory. The Smarts, OTOH, have apparently let several professionals interview Mary Katherine. And the Smarts have 4 other children, including an older one, to "keep quiet." I just don't see how they could hide a big secret for this length of time--if they have one. Also, all those neighbors who came into the house like a herd of elephants that morning, all those neighbors can't have been in cahoots with the Smarts. If there is anything funny about Elizabeth's immediate family, I feel sure that someone noticed something, and I can't believe that that person hasn't talked, or isn't at least on the verge of talking.
If you know someone in SLC, by all means, see if you can get us some more "inside" information!