Featured Image Credit: Netflix
Topics: Netflix, TV And Film, True Crime, Crime, US News, Tyla Recommends
Rhiannon Ingle
Topics: Netflix, TV And Film, True Crime, Crime, US News, Tyla Recommends
Netflix viewers are only just realising the meaning behind JonBenét Ramsey's name after watching the brand-new documentary.
The three-part series, which landed on the streamer earlier this week (25 November), looks into the seriously unsettling case behind the six-year-old's murder which took place on Christmas Day back in 1996.
The police were first called when JonBenét's parents, John and Patsy, found a ransom note that left them beyond 'panic-stricken'.
"We are a group of individuals that represent a small foreign faction," the note began. "We respect your bussiness [sic] but not the country that it serves.
"At this time we have your daughter in our posession [sic]. She is safe and unharmed and if you want her to see 1997, you must follow our instructions to the letter."
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The demands involved John withdrawing $118,000 from his account, which was later called a 'bizarre' sum, instructing: "$100,000 will be in $100 bills and the remaining $18,000 in $20 bills."
"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."
Later in the documentary, we find out that the day took a devastating turn as John eventually discovered JonBenét’s lifeless body in the basement - despite the fact police had already searched the property when she was first reported missing, which was later branded a 'major mistake' on their behalf.
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Following an autopsy, it was revealed that JonBenét had been sexually assaulted and brutally murdered.
Boulder police, who were admittedly inexperienced in handling homicide investigations, quickly turned their suspicions toward the Ramsey family which went on to ignite a decade-spanning media frenzy that painted them as the prime suspects.
This was despite the fact there was no DNA evidence from John, Patsy or their other child, Burke, found on JonBenét that would point to them as the potential murderers.
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Such reporting sparked a nation-wide obsession with the case, leading to a number of extremely conflicting theories described as a 'poisoned well' of false information. The case remains unsolved 28 years later.
Now, while there are a number of extremely interesting points made in the Netflix doc, viewers were also particularly interested in the uniqueness of JonBenét's name and how it came about.
One social media user penned: "I'm watching a JonBenét case and I just... So her dad's name is John. Her brother is also John.. And her name is.. JonBenét...?"
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A second wrote: "The name always struck me. 'JonBenét'."
"Can we talk about how weird the name 'JonBenét' is for a second?" hit out a third. "When I was a kid and this case was all over the news, I assumed 'JonBenét' was some French name I'd never heard of."
They added that the parents opted for the moniker as it was a portmanteau of 'John Bennett' which they 'threw an accent on to make it sound fancy'.
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The Netflix user continued: "I don't have an exact point or theory here, but ... this is super weird, right? I mean, I get that it's not particularly unusual to name a child after yourself, but he already had John Andrew from his previous marriage, and it seems like a stretch too far to change a boy's name to a (made up) girl's name."
John confirmed this in the final episode of the true crime series.
When discussing his late daughter's legacy, he shared: "JonBenét was really proud to be named after her dad."
"I'm glad she was in my life for six years," John concluded.
Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey is currently available to stream on Netflix.