JonBenét Ramsey Case Encyclopedia

Before 6:00 AM

Midnight Neighbor Sees Lights at Ramseys. Around midnight, Scott Gibbons looked out his kitchen window at the Ramsey residence and observed the upper kitchen lights were on and dimmed low (Steve Thomas notes).

Between midnight and 1 am, Stewart Long and Melinda Ramsey returned to the home of Lucinda Johnson in Marietta, Georgia (Steve Thomas notes).

12:30 AM | The movie that Chris Stanley, Brad Millard and John Andrew Ramsey were watching ended (Steve Thomas notes).

1:00 AM | JAR in Georgia. Brad Millard, Chris Stanley and John Andrew Ramsey returned to the Millard home in Georgia so that John Andrew Ramsey could pick up his mother's vehicle (Steve Thomas notes).

?? | Cliff Gaston said he fell asleep on the couch at the White residence (Steve Thomas notes: although time uncertain, this event was listed in this location on Thomas's list, so presumably was sometime in early AM).

1:00 AM | Neighbors Adam Vermiere and Luke Vermiere went to bed after watching movies late into the evening. They did not notice or hear anything unusual (Steve Thomas notes).



2:00 AM | Neighbor Heard Scream. Neighbor Melody Stanton heard scream (details). Steve Thomas notes place the time of the scream at between midnight and 2:00 AM.

2:00 AM | Allison Shoeny and Priscilla White finished talking at the kitchen table at the White residence and then Allison woke Cliff Gaston up and took him to Daphne's room where they spent the rest of the night (Steve Thomas notes).

5:15 AM | Stewart Long observed John Andrew Ramsey in Lucinda Johnson's home in Marietta, GA (Steve Thomas notes).



5:15 AM | Stewart Long saw John Andrew Ramsey up and crossing in the hallway at the Johnson residence in Marietta, GA (Steve Thomas notes).



~5:30 AM | John Ramsey Awoke. "The family planned to rise early the following morning because they were to fly to Charlevoix, Michigan for a family vacation. (SMF P 13; PSMF P 13.)" (Carnes 2003:6). "Defendants assert they woke around 5:30 a.m. and proceeded to get ready for their trip. While Mr. Ramsey took a shower, Mrs. Ramsey put back on the same outfit she had on the night before and reapplied her makeup. (SMF P 15.)" (Carnes 2003: 7) John Ramsey reportedly awoke before Patsy, at about 5:30, and dressed after showering (Schiller 1999a:77).

~5:33 AM | Patsy Ramsey Awoke. Patsy Ramsey awoke "a few minutes later;" dressed, put on make-up and went to 2nd floor to rinse out JBR jumpsuit and then went downstairs to kitchen (Schiller 1999a:77). Ramsey & Ramsey (2001:10) states she put clothes for trip into plastic bag (there is no allusion to rinsing the jumpsuit).

~5:45 | Ransom Note Discovered. "Mrs. Ramsey then went down the backstairs towards the second floor, then the spiral stairs towards the ground floor, where, on a step near the bottom of the stairs, she discovered a handwritten note on three sheets of paper that indicated JonBenét had been kidnapped (the "Ransom Note"). (SMF P 16)." (Carnes 2003:7). Patsy Ramsey "told Det. Arndt that she found a note at the bottom of the staircase" at "approximately" 5:45 AM (Byfield 1997:1).

~5:45 AM | JBR Found Missing. "As she descended the back stairwell, she discovered the Ransom Note and read only those few lines stating that JonBenét was kidnapped, but "safe and unharmed," and demanding $118,000 for her return. (SMF P 17; PSMF P 17.) Mrs. Ramsey immediately screamed and proceeded to check JonBenét's room, which was empty. (SMF P 18; PSMF P 18)." (Carnes 2003:11-12). Patsy Ramsey discovered JBR missing at "approximately 5:45 AM" (Byfield 1997:1).

Before 5:52 AM | Parents Checked on Burke. "After hearing Mrs. Ramsey's scream, Mr. Ramsey ran downstairs and met Mrs. Ramsey in the stairwell. Together, they checked on their son who appeared to be asleep in his room. (SMF P 18; PSMF P 18.)" (Carnes 2003:12).

Before 5:52 AM | John Ramsey Read RN. "Mr. Ramsey then went downstairs to read the Ransom Note, while Mrs. Ramsey called the police, informing them that her child had been kidnapped. (SMF P 19; PSMF P 19)" (Carnes 2003:12).

5:52 AM | Patsy Ramsey Made 911 Call. John told Patsy to call police; 911 call logged at 5:52 AM (Schiller 1999a:78). The Daily Camera places this call at 5:45 AM, as does Bardach (1997).

After 5:52 AM | Ramseys Phone Family Friends. Fleet & Priscilla White and John & Barbara Fernie (friends of family) had been phoned "shortly after the note was found" (Byfield 1997:1). Schiller (1999a:78) states that Patsy had called Whites & Fernies "immediately after" the 911 call; Ramsey & Ramsey (2001: 12-13) states she called Fernies first and then Whites. Schiller places the call to the Whites at "at about 6:00 AM" with house guest Clif Gaston picking up the phone (1999a:44); since the call was placed before Officer French arrived, it must have been before 5:59 AM since that is the time Schiller has French arriving at the house.

5:55 AM | Officer French Dispatched. Officer French proceeded to 755 15th Street regarding a ransom demand and kidnapping (Steve Thomas notes).

5:59 AM | Officer French Arrived. BPD officers Karl Veitch and Rick French are reported to have "responded to" 911 call at 5:52 AM, but it is not clear whether this denotes actual time of arrival at the house (Byfield 1997:1. "Office Rick French of the Boulder Police arrived at the defendants' home in a marked car a few minutes before six a.m., followed soon after by Detective Linda Arndt. (SMF P 21; PSMF P 21.)" (Carnes 2003:14). BPD Officer Rick French was the first law officer to arrive at Ramsey house at 5:59 AM (Schiller 1999a:77), i.e., 7 minutes after the 911 call (Schiller 1999a:78). Glick et al. (1998) concurs French arrived "just before 6 a.m." The Daily Camera has French and Veitch arriving at the Ramseys at 5:45 AM.

After 5:59 AM | Officer French Read RN. In a story based on reading police reports, Newsweek reporters claim "French read the ransom note and later conducted a quick search of the house" although no timeframe is given for this (Glick et al. 1998). In contrast, Schiller claims French did the house search and then read the ransom note (Schiller 1999a:7; source and summary provided by Internet poster Athena). French himself stated in a Vanity Fair interview that after being greeted by Patsy on arrival, "John Ramsey directed me through the house and pointed out a three-page handwritten note which was laid on the wooden floor just west of the kitchen area" (Bardach 1997).

6:00-7:00 AM

6:00 AM | Sgt. Paul Reichenbach hears Officer French dispatched (Steve Thomas notes).



6:05 AM | Sgt. Robert Whitson received a page to call watch supervisor Paul Reichenbach (Steve Thomas notes).

After 6:00 AM | Officer French Searched Basement. However, according to Schiller, after arriving at 6:59 AM, French "immediately" searched the house looking for a point of entry; only after he did that search did he read the ransom note. The Newsweek story based on police reports is consistent with Schilling on timing even though it asserts that the search came after reading the RN (Glick et al., 1998). Thomas's account is far different in terms of timing: "with detectives finally on the scene [they arrived at 8:10 according to Thomas] to handle witnesses, French checked the garage and lower levels of the house, looking for places through which the kidnapper might have carried off the child. He found none. The house was messy, but he saw no sign of a struggle" (Thomas 2000:22-23). Reconciliation of these conflicting accounts is provided at the end of the following event.

After 6:00 AM | Officer French Fails to Search Wine Cellar Room. Glick et al. (1998) states that in French's search of the basement (time unstated), "he came to a door secured with a wooden latch. According to police reports obtained by NEWSWEEK, he paused for a moment in front of the door--but walked away." JBR's body was later found behind this same door, so why did French not open the door? "In the police report French filed about the events that morning, he says he didn't open the door to the basement room because he was looking for exits the kidnapper might have used. He noticed the latch was on the wrong side for a door leading out of the house. So he kept moving" (Glick et al. 1998).

This is consistent with Schiller who reports: "Rick French....was reportedly still tortured by his failure to open the wine cellar door when he searched the house in those first few minutes" (Schiller 1999a:660; source and quote provided by Internet poster Athena ).

Thomas provides a very similar account: "In the basement he also came to the white door at the far end of the that was closed and secured at the top by the wooden block on a screw. French was looking for exit points from the house and the door obviously was not one. No one could have gone through that door, closed it behind them, and locked it on the opposite side by turning the wooden latch, so he did not open it." (Thomas 2000:22-23).

This raises the question of how to resolve a 2-hour discrepancy between what might be viewed as "insider" accounts. Glick et al., do not provide an exact time, but it is clear that it nearly matches Schiller's rather than Thomas's as they flatly assert: "He noticed the latch was on the wrong side for a door leading out of the house. So he kept moving. Soon other officers arrived, including detectives and a forensics team that began dusting the house for fingerprints and searching for other clues" (Glick et al., 1998), so the search clearly was before the other detectives arrived, a flat contradiction of Thomas. Given that Glick et al. are professional reporters relying on police reports and produce a story consistent with Schiller, who conducted numerous interviews, their account probably should be accorded more credence than Thomas's even though he too in theory had access to the same police reports.

~6:03 AM | Whites Arrived. Fleet & Priscilla White arrived at Ramsey house "minutes after" 6:00 AM (Schiller 1999a: 44). This is consistent with the search warrant affidavit that Whites had been phoned "shortly after the note was found" and "immediately" come over (Byfield 1997:1). Whites reportedly came "promptly" after being called (Carnes, 2003:12). However, acandyrose.com gives the arrival time for both Whites as 6:30 AM without providing documentation/source.

~6:06 AM | Fleet White Searched Basement. Fleet White went downstairs to basement to look for JBR (Schiller 1999a: 44). This time is supported by Carnes (2003:14): "The Whites arrived at defendant's home at approximately 6:00 a.m., and Mr. White, alone, searched the basement within fifteen minutes of arrival. (SMF P 23; PSMF P 23.) Mr. White testified that when he began his search, the lights were already on in the basement and the door in the hallway leading to the basement "wine cellar" room was opened. (SMF P 25; PSMF P 25; White Dep. at 147, 151-52.)" (Carnes 2003:14).

After 6:06 AM | Fleet White Searched Train Room. "He further testified that a window in the basement playroom was broken. (SMF P 26; PSMF P 26; White Dep. at 28, 152 & 154.) Under the broken window, Mr. White states there was a suitcase, along with a broken shard of glass. (SMF P 27; PSMF P 27; White Dep. at 28-29, 156-59, & 15 265.) He does not, however, remember whether the window was opened or closed. n11 (SMF P 28; PSMF P 28; White Dep. at 153.)" (Carnes 2003:14).

After 6:06 AM | Fleet White Searched Wine Cellar Room. "Mr. White also opened the door to the wine cellar room, but he could not see anything inside because it was dark and he could not find the light switch. (SMF P 29; PSMF P 29; White Dep. at 159-61.)" (Carnes 2003:14).

6:10 AM | Officer Veitch Arrived. BPD officer Karl Veitch "responds to the scene" at 6:10 (Steve Thomas notes). "Contrary to normal protocol, the police did not seal off the defendants' home, with the sole exception being the interior of JonBenét's bedroom. In other words, any person in the Ramsey house could, and often did, move freely throughout the home. (SMF P 21; PSMF P 22.)" (Carnes 2003:13).

After 6:10 AM | John Fernie Arrived. Veitch arrived before Fernies (Ramsey & Ramsey 1999a: 14). John Fernie arrived at Ramsey house; his wife Barbara Fernie came "later" (Schiller 1999a: 44); Fernie was the first friend to arrive and he tried the patio door first (Schiller 1999a:78). This is consistent with the search warrant affidavit that Fernies were phoned "shortly after the note was found" and "immediately" come over. (Byfield 1997:1)

Before 6:20 AM | Barbara Fernie Arrives. "Fleet White, Priscilla White, John Fernie, Barbara Fernie at the Ramsey house" as of 6:20 AM (Steve Thomas notes).

6:30 AM | Det. Fred Patterson was contacted by Sgt. Whitson to respond to Boulder (Steve Thomas notes).



6:30 AM | Fleet White Searches Basement. Within approximately 10-15 minutes of his arrival, Fleet White searched the basement of the Ramsey residence. He noticed the lights were on, saw the broken window in the train room and looked for broken glass and found a small piece of glass. The latch on the window was in the unlocked position and his impression was that the window was closed. He looked in the wine cellar but could not see anything and went back upstairs (Steve Thomas notes).



6:35 AM | Linda Arndt receives a call from Sgt. Whitson of a reported kidnapping (Steve Thomas notes).

6:35 AM | Sgt. David Kicera told officer Barry Weiss to respond to the scene (Steve Thomas notes).

6:40 AM | Officer Weiss Arrives. Officer Barry Weiss arrived at the scene (Steve Thomas notes). A later portion of Thomas notes show Weiss arriving at 7:15 AM.

Before 6:45 AM | John Ramsey Calls Pilot. John Ramsey leaves message for his pilot Michael Archuleta who returns the call a few minutes later; Patsy answers the phone (Schiller 1999a:78).

6:45 AM | Weiss, Barcklow and Reichenbach Arrive. BPD officers Barry Weiss, Sue Barcklow, and Sgt. Paul Reichenbach arrive at Ramsey house (Schiller 1999a:79); However, Thomas (above) shows Weiss arriving at 6:40 AM and his timeline also shows (in a direct contradiction) that Barcklow arrived at 7:00 AM). The search warrant affidavit confirms that Weiss was at the house when Arndt arrived at 8:00 AM (Byfield 1997:1).

6:45 AM | Victims Advocates Arrive. Mary Lou Jedamus and Grace Morelock, BPD Victim Advocates, arrive at Ramsey house (acandyrose.com). "Early that morning, police had called in a team of victims' advocates, trained in helping families through traumatic situations, who arrived with bagels and coffee." (Glick et al. 1998).

6:45 AM | Priscilla White called niece at White house (Schiller 1999a:44).

6:50 AM | Officer Weiss and Officer Barklow were photographing and fingerprinting areas of the house. Officer Veitch had collected the ransom note (Steve Thomas notes).

7:00-8:00 AM

7:00 AM | Det. Patterson began gathering items he would need at the scene (Steve Thomas notes).

7:00 AM | Burke Ramsey is awakened and dressed (Steve Thomas notes; Schiller 1999a:45 gives time as ~7:00 AM).

7:13 AM | Rev. Hoverstock Arrived. Reverend Rol Hoverstock arrived at the residence (Steve Thomas notes). Rev. Hoverstock from St. John's Episcopalian Church arrives at Ramsey house just before Burke left to go to White's house (Schiller 1999a:45); the search warrant affidavit states the pastor arrived "shortly after the note was found" (Byfield 1997:1). However, acandyrose.com gives Hoverstock's arrival time as 7:00 AM without providing documentation/source.

After 7:13 AM | Burke Ramsey Taken to Whites. Burke Ramsey is taken by Fleet White and John Fernie to pick up the Fernie children and then taken to the White's home (Schiller 1999a:45). However, acandyrose.com gives this time as 7:00 AM without providing documentation/source.

Between 7:00-8:00 AM | John Ramsey Searched Basement. "at around ten a.m., Mr. Ramsey also searched the basement area alone. He testified he found the broken window partially open. (SMF P 30; PSMF P 30; J. Ramsey Dep. at 30.) Under the broken window, Mr. Ramsey also saw the same suitcase seen earlier by Mr. White. Mr. Ramsey testified that the suitcase belonged to his family, but was normally stored in a different place. (SMF P 31; 16 PSMF P 31; J. Ramsey Dep. at 17.) *1331 Mr. Ramsey then returned upstairs. Plaintiff Chris Wolf theorizes that Mr. Ramsey actually found JonBenét's body at this time. (PSDMF P 57.)" (Carnes 2003:14]. Internet poster Bluecrab claims he did more than just check the window.

Carnes Timeline May be Wrong . In his 1998 testimony, John Ramsey provides several different times for when he searched the basement on his own. He first states "It would have been that time period: seven to nine." (p. 155, lines 19-20) and later reiterates "it was probably some time between seven and nine" (p. 157, lines 12-13). When asked whether it was before or after Whites and Fernies arrived, John stated: "I think it was after, because they came fairly early" (p. 174, lines 1-2). He then reiterated: "The best I can do is, it was, I believe, after the police came. Because they had gone through the house before I figured out what I'm going to do. It was before ten o'clock. They had already done some preparation before that. So it would have been before. Probably before nine. So then somewhere between seven and nine." (p. 174, lines 5-11). But when reminded that the RN said a phone call would come between 8 and 10 AM, NOT 10-12 AM, as John had supposed, John made clear that he had visited the basement prior to that time since "When we were ready for the phone call and I was prepped about what I was going to say and I was getting the family ready. And so between that period of time we were just waiting for the phone call and I was near the phone. And I was either in the study or on the first floor. I just waiting for it." (p. 174, lines 22-25; p. 175, lines 1-3). In response to a query from Mike Kane, John Ramsey confirmed that his trip to the basement "would have been before that time period." (p. 175, lines 6-7).

Was John's Trip Much Earlier? However, Internet poster Amber believes John must have visited the basement before either Fleet White or Officer French since he found a chair in front of the train room door and there's no good reason to believe White or French would have re-blocked the door with the chair after they entered the train room (which both did according to their own accounts). If so, John's trip would have been before 6:00 AM.

7:30 AM | Ransom Amount Assembled. John Ramsey collected the $118,000 demanded in the ransom note (AngelFire timeline).

7:33 AM | BPD Canine Unit on Standby (acandyrose.com).

7:55 AM | Reichenbach Briefs Arndt and Patterson. Sgt. Reichenbach meets with BPD Detectives Linda Arndt and Fred Patterson at the Basemar Shopping Center to brief them on the case (Steve Thomas notes give time as 7:55; Schiller 1999a:79 gives time as prior to 8:00 AM).

8:00-10:00 AM

8:00 AM | Neighbor Scott Gibbons got up and observed a basement door leading into a kitchen area was standing wide open (Steve Thomas notes).



8:00 AM | Fleet White returned to the White residence with the Fernie children and Burke Ramsey (Steve Thomas notes).

8:10 AM | Arndt and Patterson Arrive. Linda Arndt arrives at Ramsey house at "approximately" 8:00 AM (Byfield 1997:1); she monitored incoming phone calls to the Ramsey residence from approximately 0800-1300 hours (Byfield 1997:2). Patterson's arrival time is not mentioned in the search warrant affidavit, but Schiller (1999a:10) has him arriving with Arndt at 8:10 AM. "Detective Arndt and Patterson arrived at the Ramsey house at 8:10 a.m., and Officer Rick French gave them an updated briefing." (Thomas 2000:22). This same time is provided by Steve Thomas notes, although a later entry in the same notes shows a contradictory entry indicating that Arndt and Patterson arrived at 8:30.

8:21 AM | The three page ransom note was received into Boulder Police Department property (Steve Thomas notes).

Time Unstated | Police Tapped Phones. BPD followed standard procedure by putting taps inside the house and at John Ramsey's office (Glick et al. 1998).

Time Unstated | Arndt Instructed John Ramsey. "Linda Arndt told John Ramsey what to say if the ransomer called: demand to talk to JonBenét. John Ramsey took notes. "Must talk to JB," he scribbled." (Glick et al., 1998).

Time Unstated | Advocates Cleaned Kitchen. "After using the kitchen, the advocates began tidying it up, a law-enforcement official told NEWSWEEK. One friend helped clean the kitchen, wiping down the counters with a spray cleaner--and possibly wiping away important evidence." (Glick et al. 1998).

8:36 AM | JAR and MR Board Plane. John Andrew and Melinda Ramsey borded a Delta flight to Minneapolis (AngelFire timeline).

9:00 AM | Det. Jim Byfield was contacted by Sgt. Bob Whitson and requested to assist in the investigation of a kidnapping (Steve Thomas notes).



9:20 AM | Sgt. Paul Reichenbach left the police department (Steve Thomas notes).



9:21 AM | Det. Byfield contacted Det. Patterson to tell him that Laurie Vencel, Lafayette State Bank was collecting the money for the ransom (Steve Thomas notes).



9:22 AM | Det Byfield contacted Det. Kithcart to respond to the BPD to assist in the investigation (Steve Thomas notes).



9:27 AM | Det Byfield contacted Gary Merriman a list of the employees at Access graphics (Steve Thomas notes).

9:30 AM | Ransom Amount Arranged. John Fernie returned to the Ramsey residence after meeting with his banker and arranging to have $118,000 in cash available (Steve Thomas notes).

~9:30 AM | Sergeant Whitson Arrived. BPD Sergeant Bob Whitson arrived at house, entering through rear exterior kitchen door (Byfield 1997:4). Steve Thomas notes give arrival time between 9:00 and 9:45 and a later entry shows 10:00 AM and that Officer French was released from the scene.

9:45 AM | Det. Jeff Kithcart arrived at the Boulder Police Department (Steve Thomas notes).



9:50 AM | Det. Everett and Det. Byfield met with Gary Merriman at Access Graphics (Steve Thomas notes).

10:00 AM | No one mentioned to Det. Arndt that the suspected kidnappers had not called within the designated time period (Steve Thomas notes).



10:07 AM | Det. Everett and Det. Byfield respond to the Ramsey residence (Steve Thomas notes).



10:15 AM | Officer Weiss and Officer Barklow cleared the Ramsey residence (Steve Thomas notes). This entry is obviously incorrect insofar as all of the family and friends were still present when the body was discovered at 1:00 PM.

~10:30 AM | JBR Bedroom Sealed. "JonBenét's bedroom had been sealed off by Detectives Arndt and Fred Patterson at approximately 1030 hours (Byfield 1997:2). "Police reports also show that officers did little to protect the integrity of the crime scene. Believing the crime was a kidnapping, the cops cordoned off JonBenét's bedroom with yellow and black crime-scene tape to preserve whatever evidence her abductor may have left behind. But strangely, they didn't seal the rest of the house--also potentially part of the crime scene" (Glick et al. 1998). Steve Thomas notes give the time as 10:30.

10:30 AM | All additional police officers and victim advocates other than Linda Arndt and family members and friends leave the Ramsey residence (Steve Thomas notes).

After 10:40 AM | JR Picks Up Mail. "Between approximately 1040 hours and 1200 hours - John Ramsey left the house and picked up the family's mail" (Steve Thomas notes). Jameson has observed: "We know that is not true as the mail was delivered right into the house through a mail slot by the front door."

10:45 AM | Representatives from the FBI arrive at the BPD (Steve Thomas notes).