The Little Beauty Queen

0:00 Speaker 1: True crime story the disappearance of John Benay Ramsey December

0:05 Speaker 1: twenty sixth, nineteen ninety six, Bolder, Colorado. A beautiful home,

0:10 Speaker 1: a wealthy family, a six year old beauty queen, and

0:14 Speaker 1: a murder mystery that would capture the attention of the

0:17 Speaker 1: entire world. John Beney Ramsey was a young girl known

0:20 Speaker 1: for her bright personality, love of performing, and participation in

0:25 Speaker 1: child beauty pageants. She lived with her parents, John and

0:29 Speaker 1: Patsy Ramsey, and her older brother Burke, in a large

0:32 Speaker 1: home in Bolder. On the morning after Christmas, everything changed.

0:37 Speaker 1: Patsy Ramsey woke up early and discovered something horrifying on

0:41 Speaker 1: the staircase inside their home, a handwritten ransom note. The

0:45 Speaker 1: message claimed that John Benay had been kidnapped and demanded

0:48 Speaker 1: a large amount of money for her safe return. Panicked,

0:51 Speaker 1: the family called police. Officers arrived and began searching the house,

0:56 Speaker 1: but as hours passed, something became increasingly strange. There was

1:01 Speaker 1: no sign of a kidnapping, no broken windows, no forced entry,

1:06 Speaker 1: no clear evidence that anyone had taken John Benay from

1:09 Speaker 1: the home. Then, later that day, the discovery came that

1:13 Speaker 1: changed the investigation forever. John Ramsey found his daughter's body

1:17 Speaker 1: in the basement. The six year old girl was dead.

1:20 Speaker 1: The case immediately became one of the most controversial investigations

1:24 Speaker 1: in American history. A family under suspicion. Because the crime

1:29 Speaker 1: happened inside the family home, investigators naturally looked closely at

1:33 Speaker 1: everyone who lived there. The Ramseys quickly became the focus

1:37 Speaker 1: of intense public attention. People questioned everything the ransom note,

1:42 Speaker 1: the timeline, the evidence inside the house, the actions of

1:46 Speaker 1: the family. After John Benay was found. The media followed

1:50 Speaker 1: every detail. The family maintained that an intruder was responsible,

1:55 Speaker 1: but many people wondered how a stranger could enter such

1:58 Speaker 1: a large home, commit a crime and leave without being seen.

2:02 Speaker 1: The investigation police collected evidence from the house and interviewed

2:07 Speaker 1: family members. The ransom note became one of the most

2:10 Speaker 1: discussed pieces of evidence. It was unusually long and contained

2:14 Speaker 1: details that investigators found suspicious. Some experts questioned the handwriting,

2:20 Speaker 1: while others argued that the evidence was not enough to

2:23 Speaker 1: identify the writer. The case became filled with theories. Some

2:27 Speaker 1: believed someone inside the home was responsible, others believed an

2:31 Speaker 1: unknown intruder committed the crime. Over the years, countless suspects

2:36 Speaker 1: were investigated. The media storm. The Ramsay family became one

2:40 Speaker 1: of the most recognizable families in America. Every interview, every statement,

2:46 Speaker 1: every mistake, everything was analyzed. Public opinion became divided. Some

2:52 Speaker 1: people believed the family was hiding the truth. Others believed

2:56 Speaker 1: they were victims who lost their daughter and were unfairly blamed.

3:00 Speaker 1: The intense media coverage made the investigation even more complicated.

3:04 Speaker 1: New leads and unanswered questions. Over the years, DNA evidence

3:09 Speaker 1: was tested, investigators continued reviewing the case. Several individuals were

3:15 Speaker 1: considered suspects, but no one was ever convicted. The case

3:19 Speaker 1: remained officially unsolved. John Beney's parents continued to say they

3:23 Speaker 1: wanted answers and justice for their daughter. The mystery that

3:27 Speaker 1: remains more than two decades later, John Beney Ramsey's death

3:31 Speaker 1: remains one of America's most famous unsolved crimes. A little

3:35 Speaker 1: girl went to sleep on Christmas night, and by morning

3:39 Speaker 1: her life was gone. A family home became a crime scene,

3:43 Speaker 1: A mystery was created, and the question remains, who killed

3:47 Speaker 1: John ben Ay Ramsey