JonBenet Ramsey was 6-years old when she was found murdered in the basement of her Boulder, Colorado home on the day after Christmas. Twenty-two years later, her murder remains unsolved. The reason why there has been no conviction in this case could be attributed to mistakes made by the Boulder Police Department right from the beginning of their investigation and to what many people define as a lack of cooperation by JonBenet’s parents, John and Patsy Ramsey.
There are only two possible answers to what happened that night. One is that an intruder crept into the house, killed JonBenét in a botched kidnapping attempt while the family slept, then took off, leaving behind a three-page ransom note. The other possibility is that she was killed by a family member. In going over the physical and circumstantial evidence in the case, we’ll address the mistakes in the police investigation that have hindered a conviction and allowed a child killer to remain free before we examine the theories of what actually happened in the Ramsey house that night.
The Daniels Family lived on Dasher Street in the town of Santa Claus, Georgia. Their one-story-red-brick house, with a huge chimney protruding from the front, was nestled snuggly at the end of a cul-de-sac. For Kim Daniels, it was her dream home.
Kim was a drug addict, living out of her car, when Danny Daniels helped her fight off her addiction and fell in love with her. Kim regained custody of her three biological children and she and Danny were married. Danny had a teenage daughter too, and the couple had taken in 3 foster children they planned to adopt. Kim wanted to give these children the childhood she never had.
One cool December night in 1997, The Daniels’ family was destroyed by a mass shooting that is now known as the Dasher Lane Massacre. Four family members were killed, three children were kidnapped, and two children were inexplicably spared.
The village of 300 residents that had been named for Father Christmas and displayed a sign declaring itself “the city that loves children” was rocked by this tragedy. And, when the killer was found, everyone in Santa Claus was forever changed.
Join us at the quiet end on this cool December evening for “The Santa Claus Murders.”
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18-year old Heidi Allen was employed as a clerk at the D & W Convenience Store in New Haven, New York. She opened the store by herself at 5:45 a.m. on April 3, 1994 and her last transaction was recorded on the cash register at 7:42 a.m.
Several customers came and went after that, leaving cash for their purchases on the counter when they couldn’t find a clerk. Finally, a customer flagged down a sheriff's patrol car outside the store and reported that the business was open but unattended.
The investigation into Heidi’s disappearance would reveal that Heidi was likely taken against her will from the store. Her jacket, purse and car keys were left behind in the store when she vanished and her maroon station wagon was in the parking lot.
The primary suspect was the last customer known to be in the store before Heidi vanished. He told police that he had purchased two packs of cigarettes at 7:30 a.m. and left. Detectives didn’t believe him. But there may have been more to Heidi’s story than a random abduction. There was something about Heidi that most people didn’t know. Heidi was working as an informant for the police. Was Heidi the target of drug dealers who wanted to keep her quiet?
Join us at the quiet end today for Where’s Heidi: The Kidnapping of Heidi Allen.
It was a sunny July day in 2009 and 36-year old Diane Schuler was driving southbound in the northbound lanes of the Taconic State Parkway in New York. Witnesses watched in horror as a minivan barreled down the parkway in the wrong direction. Blaring horns, flashing lights, and cars swerving out of her way made no difference. She appeared focused and deliberate as she continued to travel at a high speed toward oncoming traffic.
When the minivan collided head on with an oncoming car, it held five children. Diane, four children, and the three passengers in the other car were killed. The investigation that followed revealed that Diane was intoxicated. Toxicology tests revealed that she had recently ingested both alcohol and marijuana. Her husband Daniel defended his wife, denying that she drank heavily or used drugs.
Daniel believes that there must have been a medical reason for Diane’s behavior. Some believe it was an accident caused by alcohol and drug use. Others believe it was a murder/suicide. Today we’re going to take a look at the day of the crash and the events in Diane’s life leading up to that day. Diane’s life as a responsible professional and an attentive mother didn’t seem to mesh with her being an alcoholic with a death wish. So, what happened that day? Join us at the quiet end for an in-depth examination of the facts in this tragedy.