Santa bear



The "santa bear" was a teddy bear that was lying on the second bed in JonBenet Ramsey's bedroom the day after the killing. In their 1998 interviews at the District Attorney's office, John and Patsy Ramsey both claimed they did not recognize the santa bear and had never seen it before. Intruder-theorist Lou Smit speculated that an intruder may have brought a teddy bear into the Ramsey home that night before murdering JonBenet. District Attorney Alex Hunter (a longtime believer in the Ramseys' innocence) made a widely-reported "public appeal" for information about the santa bear.

Police determined that JonBenet did in fact own the santa bear. She had won it in a pageant a month before her death. The pageant organizer gave a detailed history of purchasing the bear and testified that she had personally given it to JonBenet. Video evidence verified this fact.

At the time of their claims about the "santa bear", the Ramseys were also heavily promoting "Santa Bill" McReynolds as a prime suspect in the killing. Some have suggested that their apparent forgetfulness about the bear was in fact an attempt to drum evidence that pointed to "other suspects" as a response to the Grand Jury.

The Ramseys' statements


THOMAS HANEY: We will start with number 5. Can you just describe what you see in there? PATSY RAMSEY: Well, I don't recognize that little (INAUDIBLE) at all. THOMAS HANEY: Little red and white Santa, stuffed animal? PATSY RAMSEY: Um. THOMAS HANEY: Could it have been a recent gift? PATSY RAMSEY: I could see that, you all have that toy, if I could see that, I would know. That doesn't look -- THOMAS HANEY: Did JonBenet have a lot of stuffed animals? PATSY RAMSEY: A lot of stuffed animals. THOMAS HANEY: So if -- PATSY RAMSEY: But I knew 'em, knew 'em. [...] PATSY RAMSEY: This Santa Claus (INAUDIBLE). Where is that? did y'all have that? THOMAS HANEY: I don't think we do, I don't know.

JOHN RAMSEY: I have to get better glasses. Patsy -- if Patsy knows what that little Santa Claus doll is. Strange, I have never seen it before either. LOU SMIT: And that Santa Claus doll is located where? JOHN RAMSEY: In the bed next to JonBenet's. LOU SMIT: Where is that? JOHN RAMSEY: This one. LOU SMIT: Photo 5. JOHN RAMSEY: I have never seen that.

Patsy's sister Pam Paugh made a number of public appearances to talk about the "santa bear".

"It wasn't hers,"... "I believe it was on the other (twin) bed in JonBenet's room." ... "It's an example of something left in the house that didn't belong there and wasn't owned by any member of the family. And, that's pretty significant, in my book."

Santa Bear's "Note"
There was a rumor that the bear had a "secret note" in its pouch. Pam Paugh later repeated this rumor on national television. It turned out not to be true.

PP: The incredible thing that we discovered is that there was something very telling left in the pouch and....

DN:....which you will not be able to disclose, is that correct?

PP: I can tell you that it was a message.

DN: A written message? Verbal message?

PP: Wouldn't be verbal, it was not on tape. There was a message to JonBenét left in the pouch.

DN: What did the message say?

PP: I can't fully disclose that at this time.

DN: Was it a threatening message?

PP: It would seem as mere verbage would go - no. But in the light that she was murdered, brutally so. I believe it was the killer's full intent to do that regardless of what was said in the ransom...

DN: Was it a written message? When I say a written message, was it something written down, in handwriting, on a piece of paper?

PP: I can't disclose that either.

DN: Was it something that would relate to her beauty pageant activities?

PP: Absolutely not.

DN: Was there any sexual content to the message?

PP: Absolutely not.

A friend of Pam Paugh later explained the situation: "I spoke to Pam about the bear and the "note" - - she never opened that pouch, didn't see any "note" ... It seems Pam was told by [FOX reporter] Carol McKinley that there was a message in that pouch on the bear. Thinking Carol had gotten that from a police source, Pam foolishly repeated that bit of information during an interview"