Read the Infamous JonBenét Ramsey Ransom Letter Her Father Wants DNA Tested

The two-and-a-half-page letter, addressed to John Ramsey, was a key piece of evidence in the still-unsolved murder of JonBenét Ramsey, its contents published by NBC Denver affiliate KUSA:

“Listen carefully! We are a group of individuals that represent a small foreign faction. We do respect your bussiness [sic] but not the country that it serves. At this time we have your daughter in our posession [sic]. She is safe and unharmed and if you want her to see 1997, you must follow our instructions to the letter.

You will withdraw $118,000.00 from your account. $100,000 will be in $100 bills and the remaining $18,000 in $20 bills. Make sure that you bring an adequate size attache to the bank. When you get home you will put the money in a brown paper bag. I will call you between 8 and 10 am tomorrow to instruct you on delivery. The delivery will be exhausting so I advise you to be rested. If we monitor you getting the money early, we might call you early to arrange an earlier delivery of the money and hence a [sic] earlier delivery pick-up of your daughter.

Any deviation of my instructions will result in the immediate execution of your daughter. You will also be denied her remains for proper burial. The two gentlemen watching over your daughter do not particularly like you so I advise you not to provoke them. Speaking to anyone about your situation, such as Police, F.B.I., etc., will result in your daughter being beheaded. If we catch you talking to a stray dog, she dies. If you alert bank authorities, she dies. If the money is in any way marked or tampered with, she dies. You will be scanned for electronic devices and if any are found, she dies. You can try to deceive us but be warned that we are familiar with law enforcement countermeasures and tactics. You stand a 99% chance of killing your daughter if you try to out smart [sic] us. Follow our instructions and you stand a 100% chance of getting her back.

You and your family are under constant scrutiny as well as the authorities. Don't try to grow a brain John. You are not the only fat cat around so don't think that killing will be difficult. Don't underestimate us John. Use that good southern common sense of yours. It is up to you now John!

Victory!

S.B.T.C.”

Immediately, the letter piqued law enforcement’s interest, as well as their suspicions. Investigators wondered if a possible intruder would have taken the time to pen the nearly-three-page letter during the commission of the crime and further questioned why it wasn’t sent separately.

And since the child’s body was inside the sprawling Boulder home the entire time, why write it in the first place?

Agents with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation ruled that John Ramsey didn’t write the letter. However, their findings regarding Patsy Ramsey were inconclusive, according to The Denver Post. A practice letter was also found inside the home.

Investigators called on some of the nation’s most notable handwriting experts, including Vassar professor Donald Foster, whose claim to fame was connecting Ted Kaczynski to the Unabomber’s widely circulated manifesto. Foster examined the letter and came to believe Patsy Ramsey penned it herself, according to Denver’s The Daily Camera.

However, Foster’s statements, which were to be heard before the grand jury in 1999, drew controversy since he reportedly wrote Patsy Ramsey a letter of his own six months before helping Boulder Police, claiming he “absolutely and unequivocally” believed in the mother’s innocence.

Suspicions toward Patsy Ramsey grew when authorities realized the ransom note was written on her notepad with a pen from inside the home, per ABC News. Authorities also questioned the ransom price, which, according to FBI Agent and ABC News correspondent Brad Garrett, matched a $118,000 bonus John Ramsey had recently received from work.

The sum led those who believed in the family’s innocence to theorize that the culprit had inside knowledge of Mr. Ramsey’s work and/or income.

In 2016, handwriting expert Cina Wong appeared on 20/20, agreeing that it was “highly probable” that Patsy Ramsey was behind the note, according to People.

Renowned forensic scientist Dr. Henry Lee said, “… the writing is more like a female, so by the process of elimination we have a feeling who write that note, [but] nobody can realistically testify and say, Mrs. Ramsey wrote that note,” according to ABC New Haven, Connecticut, affiliate WTNH.

Dr. Lee said “nobody” in the investigative community believed it was “a real ransom-kidnapping case.”

Still, others were unsure who wrote the letter. Patsy Ramsey vehemently denied having knowledge about the letter up until her 2006 death.

While many put stock into the theory that Mrs. Ramsey wrote the letter, those inside the home at the time of JonBenét Ramsey’s murder ­­— including the child’s parents and 9-year-old brother, Burke Ramsey — were cleared of any involvement in the shocking crime in 2008, according to The Denver Post.

Who wrote the letter remains a mystery nearly three decades after JonBenét Ramsey’s murder.