JonBenet crime scene mishandled

BOULDER, COLO. — In his most extensive comments on the JonBenet Ramsey case, the former Colorado police chief who led the investigation into the high-profile 1996 slaying of the 6-year-old beauty queen acknowledged online that officers botched the initial handling of the crime scene.

Mark Beckner, former chief of the Boulder Police Department, partici- pated Saturday in an “Ask Me Anything” session on the social-networking and news site Reddit. He told the Daily Camera newspaper on Tuesday that he didn’t realize his comments would filter out to the rest of the world.

“I talked to the organizer, and my impression was that this was a members-only type group that talked about unsolved mysteries all around the world,” said Beckner, 59.

JonBenet Ramsey was found dead in the basement of her home on Dec. 26, 1996, after her mother, Patsy Ramsey, called 911 to say her daughter was missing and a ransom note had been found.

In the Reddit forum, Beckner said police should have separated JonBenet’s parents and gotten full statements from Patsy and John Ramsey that day. The case was initially mishandled due to short staffing during the Christmas holiday.

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