From Steve Thomas' notes

[jameson245]

The things I am posting now come from a copy of Steve Thomas' notes that he had put in a sort of timeline.  I will just concern myself with the 26th of December in this thread.  Using other sources, I hope posters will help make this a complete account of that day, things reported.  After we can weed out the things that clearly were bits of misinformation - - clear out some myths, point out what may have been misreported because the author wanted to push a certain point of view.

Again, posters are encouraged to add information and/or discuss what is posted.  The pages I have are clearly marked ST0000 then the page number - I will attribute each notation to his report.

[jameson245]

Around midnight, Scott Gibbons looked out his kitchen window at the Ramsey residence and observed the upper kitchen lights were on and dimmed low.

ST000048


@@@@@@@@@
My comment - we know now the lights were lights he had NEVER seen used by the Ramseys so were "strange".

[jameson245]

I am not including all entries - - some are simply unimportant, others clearly wrong - like that Patsy found JonBenet missing at 12:45 am - and others because they simply repeat the same information (likely from a different source).

Between midnight and 2 am, Melody Stanton was awoken by what she described as one loud incredible scream, obviously from a child, that lasted three to five seconds and stopped abruptly, and the scream sounded like it had come from across the street south of the Ramsey residence.

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

12:30 - The movie that Chris Stanley, Brad Millard and John Andrew Ramsey were watching ended.

At 1 am, 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.

?? - Cliff Gaston said he fell asleep on the couch at the White residence.

1 am - Adam Vermiere and Luke Vermiere went to bed after watching movies late into the evening. They did not notice or hear anything unusual.

2 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.


5:15 - Stewart Long observed John Andrew Ramsey in Lucinda Johnson's home in Marietta, Georgia.

5:15 - Stewart Long saw John Andrew Ramsey up and crossing in the hallway at the Johnson residence.

5:45 - Patricia Ramsey went into JonBenet's bedroom to wake her in preparation for a short trip. She found JonBenet's room empty and then discovered the note as she walked down the stairs.

5:52 - Date and time crime reported.

[jameson245]

REMEMBER - This is his timeline that he had and printed out on June 23, 1997 - - As I type this up I see errors he had MONTHS to correct or at least note were in conflict with other information. Like the 5:45 entry. We know Patsy said in all RECORDED interviews that she found the note and then ran upstairs to check on her daughter. Interesting that this has the opposite information.
The Ramseys had spoken to lots of people before that June. No one has come forward to say they were told early on by Patsy that she found the empty room first. No police officer is on record saying that as far as I know (Thomas wasn't in the state so he sure didn't hear that.) No one who was in the Fernie house has reported that - and this thread will show how many people were listening to all she said.

[jameson245]

5:52 - crime reported
5:55 - Officer French proceeded to 755 15th Street regarding a ransom demand and kidnapping.
6:00 Sgt. Paul Reichenbach hears Officer French dispatched

PAULA WOODWARD has French arriving at the house at 6:00 and Sergeant Paul Reichenbach arriving two minutes later. In between, John Fernie arrived - his wife Barb came a bit later. The police parked in front of the house and Fernie parked in back and walked around the South side to get to the front door. (That means his prints would have been there before police started their search - - but no prints were there because the walkways were clear.)

6:05 - Sgt. Robert Whitson received a page to call watch supervisor Paul Reichenbach
6:10 Officer Veitch responds to the scene
6:20 - Fleet White, Priscilla White, John Fernie, Barbara Fernie at the Ramsey house

? - no time given - Whitson returns call to Reichenbach. The family is described as wealthy, father, mother, 2 children. Whitson tells Reichenbach to move patrol cars away from the house and starts his 45 minute drive from Loveland to Boulder (Woodward)

6:30 Det. Fred Patterson was contacted by Sgt. Whitson to respond to Boulder


6:30 - 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.

PAULA WOODWARD has the first victim's advocate arriving at 6:30 am and the second at either 6:30 or 7:00. (Different police had different times in their notes.)

6:35 - Linda Arndt receives a call from Sgt. Whitson of a reported kidnapping.

??? - no time given - as he drove to Boulder, Whitson heard radio conversation between Patterson and Arndt and arrangements being made to meet the night shift sergeant (Reichenbach) a few blocks from the Ramsey house to be briefed before going to the house. Whitson wished the radio had been silent as anyone could have been using a scanner. (Woodward book)

6:35 - Sgt. David Kicera told officer Barry Weiss to respond to the scene
6:40 - Officer Barry Weiss arrived at the scene

6:50 - Officer Weiss and Officer Barklow were photographing and fingerprinting areas of the house. Officer Veitch had collected the ransom note.
7:00 - Officer Barklow arrived at the scene
(CLEARLY INFO FROM DIFFERENT SOURCES - BUT WHY NOT CLEAR UP THE QUESTIONS?)

7:00 - Det. Patterson began gathering items he would need at the scene.

7:00 - Fleet White and John Fernie woke Burke Ramsey up and took him to the Fernie residence.

MY COMMENTS - - Now, the time may be right but we know it was John and Fleet who woke Burke up, and that he was taken by Fleet White to HIS house, NOT the Fernie residence. Later entries make it seem like John Fernie went with Fleet and Burke, went first to his house to get HIS children and all the kids were brought to Fleet White's house.
Reasonable activities under the circumstances. ( I don't think Fernie went with Fleet and Burke but went in his own car to get his kids to bring to the Whites' house. JMO)

Again, the confusion that morning made for a lot of errors in reports - - but why had Steve Thomas not made corrections to this timeline that became available to the media and others? This timeline ends at the end of MARCH, 1997. It was printed out in June. Just saying, the misinformation could have been corrected - why was it not? Was this story not made clear because they wanted to protect the fernie children? I think that may be the case.

[jameson245]

7:13 - Reverend Rol Hoverstock arrived at the residence
7:15 - Officer Weiss arrived at the scene (NOTE - also arrived at 6:40.)

7:55 - Det. Arndt and Patterson meet Sgt. Reichenback at the rear of the BaseMar Shopping Center.
8:00 - Sgt. Paul Reichenbach leaves the scene to meet Det. Patterson and Arndt at the BaseMar Shopping Center.

8:00 - Scott Gibbons got up and observed a basement door leading into a kitchen area was standing wide open.

8:00 - Fleet White returned to the White residence with the Fernie children and Burke Ramsey.

8:10 - Det. Linda Arndt and Fred Patterson arrived at the house. (Sources apparently Arndt and Patterson)

8:21 - The three page ransom note was received into Boulder Police Department property.

(Interesting aside - Arndt and Patterson are also noted as arriving at 8:30 - that source was apparently Barry Weiss)


between 9:00 and 9:45 - (several times noted) - Det. Sgt. Robert Whitson arrived at the Ramsey residence. (meets Patterson and Arndt)

PAULA WOODWARD has Whitson arriving at 9:15 and leaving with an unnamed detective at 9:45. While at the house, he had ordered JonBenét's room to be taped off and asked John for samples of both his and Patsy's handwriting. John gave him two pads from the table in the back hall and Whitson took those to the Boulder police department. Officer Veitch had already taken the ransom not to the BPD.

9:00 - Det. Jim Byfield was contacted by Sgt. Bob Whitson and requested to assist in the investigation of a kidnapping.

9:20 - Sgt. Paul Reichenbach left the police department

9:21 Det. Byfield contacted Det. Patterson to tell him that Laurie Vencel, Lafayette State Bank was collecting the money for the ransom.

9:22 - Det Byfield contacted Det. Kithcart to respond to the BPD to assist in the investigation

9:27 Det Byfield contacted Gary Merriman a list of the employees at Access graphics.

9:30 - John Fernie returned to the Ramsey residence after meeting with his banker and arranging to have $118,000 in cash available.

[jameson245]

9:45 - Det. Jeff Kithcart arrived at the Boulder Police Department

9:50 - Det. Everett and Det. Byfield met with Gary Merriman at Access Graphics.

PAULA WOODWARD has in her book that Whitson went to the house for a quick check on things, that he left around 9:45, left the Ramsey house to go to a meeting with the FBI at 10. That he told the other police officers they should also leave. (Time differences being noted)

10:00 - Sgt. Whitson arrived at the scene and Officer French was released from the scene.

10:00 - No one mentioned to Det. Arndt that the suspected kidnappers had not called within the designated time period.

PAULA WOODWARD has this interesting entry in her timeline - 10:00 a.m. - All officers except Detective Arndt leave the home. Nine civilians remain. JonBenet is still missing.
prepared to
10:07 - Det. Everett and Det. Byfield respond to the Ramsey residence.
10:15 - Officer Weiss and Officer Barklow cleared the Ramsey residence


(CLEARLY, the last note is untrue. This kind of confusion didn't help solve anything, that's for sure.)

10:00 - FBI agent Ron Walker (and others) met with Police Chief Tom Koby and others at the BPD. Some officers had been sent out on fact finding missions. Walker had called the FBI offices in Denver, the FBI Special Operations Group and the swat team. People were putting together the ransom money. An airplane was on standby ready to track that ransom money. Technical agents prepared to handle the phone lines were called in. The meeting was just ending when they got the call saying the body was found - - - so that was a three hour meeting. (Woodward book)

[jameson245]

10:30 - Det. Arndt and Det. Patterson sealed the entrance to JonBenet's room

10:30 - All additional police officers and victim advocates other than Linda Arndt and family members and friends leave the Ramsey residence.

Between approximately 1040 hours and 1200 hours - John Ramsey left the house and picked up the family's mail.

(We know that is not true as the mail was delivered right into the house through a mail slot by the front door. The notes covering the actions in the house during this period are NOT to be found in Thomas' timeline.)

[jameson245]

10:45 - Representatives from the FBI arrive at the BPD.

(There are several references to Arndt calling Det. Sgt Mason and asking him to call her back.)

12:30 - Det. Arndt notices John Ramsey to be by himself.

(Between 12:30 and 1:00) Det. Arndt suggested to Fleet White that he and John Ramsey check the house from top to bottom.

13:00 - Fleet White was approached by Det. Arndt and asked as a (inaudible) to occupy John's mind for he and John to look through the house to see if anything was amiss. Fleet told Det. Arndt that it would be, that it would have more of an impact coming from her and asked her if she would ask John.

13:00 - Det. Arndt told John Ramsey to check the house from top to bottom and he immediately went to the basement door with Fleet White following.

13:00 - John Ramsey led Fleet White to the basement where they first went to the train room and examined the broken window and John said he broke it a few months ago. They searched for glass on the floor and then they went to look at a broom closet and then to the wine cellar where John Ramsey found JonBenet Ramsey.

13:00 - FOUR entries have John Andrew, Melinda and Stewart Long arriving at the ramsey house in Boulder at 1 pm.

PAULA WOODWARD has John finding his daughter's body at approximately 1:06 and John Andrew and Melinda arriving at the house at 1:30 pm

[jameson245]

????????????

13:00 - Heather Cox answered the phone and was told by someone unknown to bring Burke Ramsey back to the Ramsey home. Actually the person is known to be Priscilla White.




INTERESTING, this entry. Were plans being made to return Burke to the house? if so, WHY? Since Linda Arndt was the only officer there, would she ask for Burke to be brought back to answer questions? I really doubt that. We know he was NOT returned to the house - so what is that entry about?