www1.dailycamera.com/bdc/county_news/article/0,1713,BDC_2423_1509667,00.html

Ramseys want case reassigned 

Slain girl's family asks that fresh tips be given to another police agency 
By Matt Sebastian, Camera Staff Writer
October 29, 2002 

John and Patsy Ramsey have asked the Boulder County district attorney to find another
 police agency to investigate fresh leads into their daughter JonBenet's Christmas 1996 slaying. 

If that doesn't happen, the Ramseys may sue to force the Boulder Police Department to turn its
 case over to another agency, L. Lin Wood, the family's attorney, said Monday. 

"The Ramseys want this case investigated," Wood said in a telephone interview. "They cannot 
sit back and see that nothing is being done to find out who killed their daughter." 

Wood, who first made his threat Monday morning on NBC's "Today Show," said he'd like to see
 the case in the hands of the Boulder County Sheriff's Office, "where there are competent and 
experienced homicide investigators on staff." 

Sheriff George Epp acknowledged that his department could claim jurisdiction over the crime, 
because it occurred within county limits. But Epp said he has no plans or desire to do so. 

"The way we work is that if another police agency asks for mutual aid, we try to help them out," 
Epp said. "We are not generally in the habit of taking an investigation over because a lawyer for
 the victim's family is not happy with how the case is being investigated." 

Wood issued his request to District Attorney Mary Keenan in a letter several weeks ago. He 
said he has not received a response from the prosecutor. 

Keenan could not be reached for comment Monday. Epp confirmed that he received a copy of 
Wood's letter to the district attorney. He declined to provide a copy. 

Boulder police Chief Mark Beckner said he would not discuss the Ramsey case or his department's
 handling of the investigation. 

The Ramseys, who remain under suspicion in their daughter's death, have long accused Boulder
 police of not investigating other suspects. JonBenet, 6, was found beaten and strangled in the
 basement of the family's 15th Street home Dec. 26, 1996. 

Wood said he has tried unsuccessfully to persuade Boulder police to investigate fresh leads
 generated by Lou Smit, a homicide investigator who quit the Ramsey investigation after 
concluding that police were targeting the victim's parents. 

"We're simply looking for some agency to start over again and give this case a full and complete
 investigation," Wood said.