05-08-2017, 06:38 PM
Ramsey ad seeks info on 'male'
By ALLI KRUPSKI
Camera Staff Writer
Friday, May 9, 1997
An ad scheduled for this Sunday's Camera offering a reward in the JonBenet Ramsey homicide may include an appeal for information about a well-dressed male approaching young children around Christmastime.
Family spokeswoman Rachelle Zimmer did not return Daily Camera phone calls about the advertisement purchased by the JonBenet Ramsey Children's Foundation and offering a $100,000 reward. The ad also lists a telephone number for Crime Stoppers, the non-profit organization designed to help police solve crimes.
"Anyone with information regarding a well-dressed male approaching young children around Christmastime, please call," a draft of the ad reads.
Boulder Police Chief Tom Koby and other officials said they have no knowledge of the new information request.
"Normally people don't put their own information in (an ad) and use a Crime Stoppers phone number," said Stacy Cornay, public relations consultant for Boulder County Crime Stoppers. "There is a procedure that we follow."
Crime Stoppers authorities must approve the ad before publication, according to their contract with the foundation, but as of Thursday afternoon Cornay hadn't seen the proposed ad.
"I don't know what'll happen with the ad, but I haven't heard anything about police looking for some man talking to kids around Christmas," a source close to the investigation said. "I mean, some people dress up like Santa around that time of year and talk to kids, but that doesn't mean they killed JonBenet."
Family friends offered a different view.
"I hope everything is OK with this ad, because there are other people out there who may have committed this crime who need to be looked at," a family friend said. "There just isn't any way the Ramseys could have killed their daughter."
John Ramsey and a friend found the 6-year-old strangled in the basement of the Ramseys' home on Dec. 26. About eight hours earlier, Patsy Ramsey discovered a ransom note demanding $118,000 and called police.
The Ramsey foundation placed an initial ad in the April 27 Sunday Camera seeking JonBenet's killer or killers.
As of Tuesday, Crime Stoppers had received about 400 phone calls regard-
"There were a couple that would be followed up on, but the majority were not helpful," she said.
Officials also have altered the phrasing of Sunday's ad, Cornay noted. The April 27 ad asked for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the murderer of JonBenet Ramsey.
"The normal language for Crime Stoppers is always arrest and indictment, so that's what it should say," Cornay said.
Cornay also emphasized that Crime Stoppers has no connection to fliers on the Downtown Mall that claim John Ramsey killed his daughter. The posters imitated the April 27 advertisement and began appearing in downtown Boulder on Tuesday. "We want to encourage people to not call those lines unless they have something to contribute to crime investigations," Cornay said.
By ALLI KRUPSKI
Camera Staff Writer
Friday, May 9, 1997
An ad scheduled for this Sunday's Camera offering a reward in the JonBenet Ramsey homicide may include an appeal for information about a well-dressed male approaching young children around Christmastime.
Family spokeswoman Rachelle Zimmer did not return Daily Camera phone calls about the advertisement purchased by the JonBenet Ramsey Children's Foundation and offering a $100,000 reward. The ad also lists a telephone number for Crime Stoppers, the non-profit organization designed to help police solve crimes.
"Anyone with information regarding a well-dressed male approaching young children around Christmastime, please call," a draft of the ad reads.
Boulder Police Chief Tom Koby and other officials said they have no knowledge of the new information request.
"Normally people don't put their own information in (an ad) and use a Crime Stoppers phone number," said Stacy Cornay, public relations consultant for Boulder County Crime Stoppers. "There is a procedure that we follow."
Crime Stoppers authorities must approve the ad before publication, according to their contract with the foundation, but as of Thursday afternoon Cornay hadn't seen the proposed ad.
"I don't know what'll happen with the ad, but I haven't heard anything about police looking for some man talking to kids around Christmas," a source close to the investigation said. "I mean, some people dress up like Santa around that time of year and talk to kids, but that doesn't mean they killed JonBenet."
Family friends offered a different view.
"I hope everything is OK with this ad, because there are other people out there who may have committed this crime who need to be looked at," a family friend said. "There just isn't any way the Ramseys could have killed their daughter."
John Ramsey and a friend found the 6-year-old strangled in the basement of the Ramseys' home on Dec. 26. About eight hours earlier, Patsy Ramsey discovered a ransom note demanding $118,000 and called police.
The Ramsey foundation placed an initial ad in the April 27 Sunday Camera seeking JonBenet's killer or killers.
As of Tuesday, Crime Stoppers had received about 400 phone calls regard-
"There were a couple that would be followed up on, but the majority were not helpful," she said.
Officials also have altered the phrasing of Sunday's ad, Cornay noted. The April 27 ad asked for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the murderer of JonBenet Ramsey.
"The normal language for Crime Stoppers is always arrest and indictment, so that's what it should say," Cornay said.
Cornay also emphasized that Crime Stoppers has no connection to fliers on the Downtown Mall that claim John Ramsey killed his daughter. The posters imitated the April 27 advertisement and began appearing in downtown Boulder on Tuesday. "We want to encourage people to not call those lines unless they have something to contribute to crime investigations," Cornay said.