1996-12-26: Search Warrant 755 15 Street, Boulder, Colorado

December 26 1996
Search Warrant
In the County Court
County of Boulder
The People of the State of Colorado
Before the Honorable Diane R. MacDonald, Judge

SEARCH WARRANT

TO Detective James R. Byfield or any officer authorized by law to execute search warrants within the County of Boulder, State of Colorado, having this date filed an affidavit for search warrant, which is incorporated herein by reference and which states probable cause in conformity with the provisions of Colorado Rules of Criminal Procedure (Rule 41), for the following described property, to-wit: See Attachment B

believed to be situated at the place known as: 755 15th Street, City and County of Boulder, State of Colorado including the premises, a 1995 Jaguar 4 door with Colorado passenger license plates #MAN8301 which is located in attached garage, a 1996 Jeep Cherokee utility vehicle with Colorado license plate #MAH5615 which is located in the attached garage, and the curtilage of the premises. The property is described as a multiple story wood frame house with an attached garage which contains two vehicles, a 1995 Jaguar 4 door with Colorado passenger license #MAN8301, and a 1996 Jeep Cherokee utility vehicle with Colorado passenger license #MAH5615; the house has a brown brick exterior with tan siding, with brown and white trim. The numbers "755" appear to the left (south) side of the front door. It is the third house south of Cascade Street, on the west side of 15th Street, with the front door facing east, towards 15th Street,

County of Boulder, State of Colorado. Upon one or more of the grounds set forth in Rule 41, Colorado Rules of Criminal Procedure, namely:

Certain property which is designed or intended for use or which is or has been used as a means of committing a criminal offense, or the possession of which is illegal, or which would be material evidence in a subsequent criminal prosecution.

I am satisfied that there is probable cause to believe that the property so described is located on the premises above described.

YOU ARE THEREFORE COMMANDED to search forthwith the place or person described for the property described (during the daytime) (at any time), and to make return of this warrant to the undersigned Judge with ten days thereof, and to deliver to the person from whom the property is taken or from the premises from which the property is taken, a copy of this Warrant together with a receipt for the property taken, or, in lieu thereof, to leave a copy of the Warrant and receipt at the place from which the property is taken, and to deliver to the undersigned Judge a written inventory of the property taken with the return of this Warrant.

Dated this 26th day of December, 1996, in the County of Boulder, State of Colorado.

Diane R. MacDonald

Signature of Judge

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AFFIDAVIT FOR SEARCH WARRANT

Your Affiant is Jim Byfield, a Detective with the Boulder Police Department. After being duly sworn, Your Affiant states the following:

Through official police reports and conversations with other members of the Boulder Police Department, including commissioned officers Linda Arndt, Michael Everett, Rick French, Tom Trujillo and Larry Mason. Your Affiant personally learned the following from those officers:

On December 26, 1996, at approximately 5:52 a.m., Boulder Police Officers Karl Veitch and Rick French responded to 755 15th St., Boulder, Colorado, regarding a possible kidnapping. The residents of 755 15th St., John and Patsy Ramsey, informed the officers of the following:

The Ramsey's reside at 755 15th St., and are the parents of JonBenet Ramsey, who is six years old.

This morning at approximately 5:45 a.m., Patsy Ramsey discovered that JonBenet Ramsey was missing from the residence. JonBenet was last seen by Patsy Ramsey in the residence at approximately 10:00 p.m. December 25th.

On the floor of the residence the Ramseys found a hand written note, a copy of which is attached hereto as "Attachment A" and incorporated in to this affidavit.

According to Officers French and Veitch there were no obvious signs of forcible entry into their residence and the Ramsey's believed that the house was locked when they went to bed.

Your Affiant, through Boulder Regional Communications Center Dispatch, was advised at approximately 1:05 p.m. on December 26th, 1996, that the body of JonBenet Ramsey was discovered in the basement of 755 15th St., Boulder, Boulder County, State of Colorado. Your Affiant personally met with BPD Detective Linda Arndt. Det. Arndt personally provided Your Affiant with the following information:

Det. Arndt had been inside the residence located at 755 15th St. Boulder, Boulder County, Colorado from approximately 0800 hours until 1435 hours on December 26, 1996. Det. Arndt had been called out to respond to this residence earlier this morning on the report of the 6 year old female child at this residence who had reportedly been kidnapped. There was no sign of forced entry to this residence. The female child, JonBenet Ramsey, had last been seen by her father, John Ramsey, at approximately 2200 hours on December 25, 1996. This information had personally been told to Det. Arndt by John Ramsey. JonBenet had last been seen in her bed. JonBenet's bedroom is located on the second floor of the residence. According to John Ramsey, the only persons at this residence from approximately 2200 hours on December 25, 1996 until 0545 hours on December 26 were: John Ramsey (father of JonBenet); Patricia "Patsy" Ramsey (mother of JonBenet); and Burke (10-11 year old brother of JonBenet). When Det. Arndt arrived at the Ramsey residence, persons present included: John Ramsey, Patsy Ramsey, Priscilla and Fleet White (friends of the family), Barbara and John Fernie (friends of the family), the pastor from St. John's Episcopalian Church (1400 block in Boulder), BPD officers Rick French and Barry Weiss. Ofc. French personally told Det. Arndt

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that the White's and Fernie's had been phoned by either John or Patsy Ramsey shortly after the note was found and had immediately come over to the Ramsey residence. The pastor also responded to the Ramsey residence shortly after the note was found.

Patsy told Det. Arndt that she found a note at the bottom of the staircase leading from the first floor to the second floor. Refer to Attachment A. The note was found at approximately 0545 hours on December 26. Det. Arndt had personally viewed this note. The note was written on white lined paper with a felt type writing utensil with black ink. The note stated that JonBenet had been kidnapped. The note stated that JonBenet would be decapitated if the demands of the note were not met. The note stated that police were not to be contacted. The note stated that $118,000 was demanded as ransom. The author(s) of the note stated that they would phone Mr. John Ramsey "tomorrow" between 0800-1000 hours.

Detective Arndt monitored incoming phone calls to the Ramsey residence from approximately 0800-1300 hours. John Ramsey answered the incoming phone calls. None of the incoming calls were from the reported kidnappers. At approximately 1300 hours Detective Arndt asked John Ramsey, Fleet (friend of the family, and John Fernie to check the interior of the residence for any sign of JonBenet, or anything that may have been left or taken that belonged to JonBenet. JonBenet's bedroom had been sealed off by Detectives Arndt and Fred Patterson at approximately 1030 hours. John Ramsey immediately went to the basement of the house, followed by Fleet White and John Fernie. Within a few minutes, Fleet came running upstairs, grabbed the telephone in the back office located on the first floor, and yelled for someone to call for an ambulance.

Detective Arndt ran to the front of the house, where the door leading to the basement was located. Det. Arndt saw John Ramsey run up the basement stairs. John Ramsey was carrying a young girl in his arms. Both arms of the girl were raised above her head. There appeared to be a string hanging from the girls' right wrist. The girl's lips were blue; she appeared to have livor mortis on her back side of her body; she had rigor mortis; she was not breathing. JonBenet was dressed in a light colored long-sleeved turtleneck and light-colored pants (similar to pajama bottoms). John Ramsey placed the girl onto the floor, inside the front door. The girl was identified by John Ramsey as being JonBenet. JonBenet was not breathing; her body was cool to the touch; she had a white cloth string around her neck, similar to the cloth string around her wrist; there was a red circular mark in the front of her neck, about the size of a quarter, at the base of her throat; she had an odor of decay to her; she had dried mucous from one of her nostrils. Based on Det. Arndt's experience, JonBenet appeared to be dead, and appeared to have been dead for a period of time. John Ramsey told Det. Arndt that he had found JonBenet in the wine cellar in the basement, underneath a blanket, with her wrists tied above her head and a piece of tape covering her mouth. John Ramsey had removed the tape from her mouth before he carried JonBenet upstairs to the first floor. Detective Arndt personally told Your Affiant JonBenet's body was left inside the residence.

Det. Michael Everett informed Your Affiant that after the discovery of the girl's body that he walked through the basement area of the house to attempt to determine if any persons were present in the basement. In the area where Det. Arndt had told Det. Everett that the decedent had been found by her father he observed two blankets on the floor in the center of the room. (BLACKED OUT ARE)

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The scene is currently being secured by members of the Boulder Police Department.

Your Affiant has investigated numerous crime scenes including at least twin homicide crime scenes. Your Affiant knows through personal experience, training, and the details stated within this affidavit that the following items may be found at this potential homicide crime scene and can be material evidence in a subsequent criminal prosecution;

Still and video photography, measurements, implements or articles of every kind that could have caused or contributed to the injuries of the victim, trace material of every kind such as clothing, fibers, hair, body fluids, latent prints and the objects on which they are found, documentary evidence tending to establish the motive, identity of the victim, any suspects or witnesses, the body of JonBenet Ramsey, any writing paper or pads lined and white in color, any examples of handwriting, any felt-type writing utensil with black ink, (BLACKED OUT AREA) light colored cloth string type material including shoes or clothing missing drawstrings or shoestrings, and footprints or other physical evidence of intruders either inside or outside of the residence.

Your Affiant requests a search warrant for the premises, for a 1995 Jaguar 4 door with Colorado passenger license plate #MAN8301 which is in the garage of the premises, for a 1996 Jeep Cherokee utility vehicle with Colorado license plate #MAH5615 which is located in the garage of the premises, and for the curtilage of the premises which is located at 755 15th St., Boulder, Colorado to search for the items listed in Attachment B, which is attached and incorporated into this affidavit.

Your Affiant believes that a search of these areas at 755 15th St., Boulder, Colorado, might lead to the discovery of items that would be material evidence in a subsequent criminal prosecution. The residence at 755 15th St., Boulder, Colorado is described by Detective Linda Arndt to Your Affiant as a multiple story wood frame house with an attached garage which has a brown brick exterior with tan siding and brown and white trim. The numbers "755" appear to the left (south) of the front door. It is the third house south of Cascade Street on the westside of 15th Street. The front door to the residence faces east, toward 15th Street.

Det. Arndt told Your Affiant that she briefly viewed the two (2) vehicles parked inside the attached garage. She described one of the vehicles as a Jaguar 4 door and the other vehicle as a utility type vehicle. Detective Arndt obtained a Cosin printout of the vehicles listing to John Ramsey. The Cosin printout indicated that John Ramsey is the driver of a 1995 Jaguar 4 door with Colorado passenger license #MAN8301. Cosin indicated that John Ramsey is the driver of a 1996 Jeep utility vehicle with Colorado passenger license #MAH5615.

James R. Byfield

Affiant

Signature

Sworn to and subscribed in my presence this 26th day of December, 1996, in Boulder, Colorado.

Diane R. MacDonald

Judge

Signature

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ATTACHMENT A

Mr. Ramsey,

Listen carefully! We are a group of individuals that represent a small foreign faction. We respect your business but not the country that it serves. At this time we have your daughter in our possession. 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

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money and hence a earlier 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 us. Follow our instructions

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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.

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ATTACHMENT B

1) All material evidence to be developed by a thorough scene investigation of the premises, including but not limited to: still and video photography, measurements, implements or articles of every kind that could have caused or contributed to the injuries of the victim; trace material of every kind such as clothing, fibers, hair, body fluids, latent prints and the objects on which they are found; documentary evidence tending to establish the motive, identify of the victim, any suspect or witnesses.

2) The body of JonBenet Ramsey

3) Any and all writing paper or pads, lined and white in color.

4) Any and all examples of handwriting found in the home.

5) Any felt-type writing utensil with black ink.

(BLACKED OUT AREA)

6) Light colored cloth string type material.

7) Shoes or clothing missing drawstrings or shoestring.

8) The curtilage of the home including the garage, the vehicles in the garage and outbuildings for footprints and physical evidence of intruders.

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RETURN AND INVENTORY

COUNTY OF BOULDER
STATE OF COLORADO

I, James R. Byfield, received the within Search Warrant on December 26, 1996, and duly executed it as follows: On December 26, 1996, at 8:00 o'clock p.m., I searched (the premises described in the search warrant and left a copy o the search warrant with together with an inventory of the property.

The following is an inventory of property taken pursuant to the search warrant: