DA clears Ramsey family

DA clears Ramsey family By The Denver Post Article Last Updated: 07/09/2008 01:44:05 PM MDT

The Boulder District Attorney's Office announced today that new DNA evidence discovered in the clothing worn by JonBenet Ramsey identifies "the perpetrator of the homicide" and excludes all members of the murdered girl's family.

District Attorney Mary Lacy said in a letter posted on the DA's website and first reported by Paula Woodward of 9News that the Ramsey family "be treated only as victims," and she apologized to them.

Six-year-old JonBenét was discovered Dec. 26, 1996, with a garrote around her neck in the basement of her parents' Boulder home.

No one has ever been charged in her death, Boulder police once said "an umbrella of suspicion" was over her parents, Patsy and John Ramsey.

Tabloids pointed the finger at their son, Burke Ramsey, who was 9 when his sister was killed.

But today, in a letter to John Ramsey, Lacy said her office wantwd "to state that we do not consider your immediate family, including you, your wife, Patsy, and your son, Burke, to be under any suspicion in the commission of this crime.

Lacy's office took over the investigation into JonBenet's death in December 2002. Last year, Lacy attended a National Institute of Justice program on forensic Biology and DNA that introduced her to a new techology called "touch DNA," she said in the release.

"Forensic scientists scrape a surface where there is no observable stain or other indication of possible DNA in an effort to recover for analysis any genetic material that might nonetheless be present. This methodology was not well known in this country until recently and is still used infrequently," she said.

At the end of last year her office opted to work with Bode Technology Group near Washington, D.C., on the Ramsey case.

Look, it's bad enough that the media can't get the facts right about this case but let's not spread lies on here.

There was NO indication NONE, ZIP, ZERO, evidence of any past sexual abuse in the autopsy report AS follow up interviews with the medical examinder confirms.

"In the Investigative Reports special, Bill Kurtis also said, "Other media stories have suggested that vaginal inflammation released in the autopsy report suggests previous sexual abuse. This suggestion is not supported by the balance of medical opinion."

"His statement was followed by an interview with Denver Medical Examiner Dr. Thomas Henry. "From what is noted in the autopsy report, there is no injury to the anus, there is no injury to the skin around the vagina and the labia. There is no other indication of healed scars in any of those areas.
There is no other indication from the autopsy report at all that there is any other previous injuries that have healed in that area."

From the actual autopsy report:

On the anterior aspect of the perineum, along the edges of closure of the labia majora, is a small amount of dried blood. A similar small amount of dried and semifluid blood is present on the skin of the fourchette and in the vestibule. Inside the vestibule of the vagina and along the distal vaginal wall is reddish hyperemia. This hyperemia is circumferential and perhaps more noticeable on the right side and posteriorly. The hyperemia also appears to extend just inside the vaginal orifice. A 1 cm red-purple area of abrasion is located on the right posterolateral area of the 1 x 1 cm hymeneal orifice. The hymen itself is represented by a rim of mucosal tissue extending clockwise between the 2 and 10:00 positions. The area of abrasion is present at approximately the 7:00 position and appears to involve the hymen and distal right lateral vaginal wall and possibly the area anterior to the hymen. On the right labia majora is a very faint area of violent discoloration measuring approximately one inch by three-eighths of an inch. Incision into the underlying subcutaneous tissue discloses no hemorrhage. A minimal amount of semiliquid thin watery red fluid is present in the vaginal vault. No recent or remote anal or other perineal trauma is identified.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.