Steve Thomas

Steve Thomas

"What I witnessed for two years of my life was so fundamentally flawed, it reduced me to tears," he said. "I cannot continue to sanction by silence what has occurred in this case."

After the Case
In 2000 Thomas was working in construction. He said "Do I miss police work? I miss the hell out of police work. I didn't anticipate that at 38 years old, I'd be a carpenter ... Do I miss police work in Boulder, Colorado? Not for a second."

Criticism of Steve Thomas
Supporters of the Ramseys claim Steve Thomas was financially motived, and that he resigned from the case and eventually wrote his book in the hopes of becoming rich.

John Ramsey: He's a profiteer. He's the only person from inside the system who has written a book, who has gone on national television. It's disgraceful, absolutely disgraceful.

In a CNN interview, District Attorney Alex Hunter described Steve Thomas as "pecking at the bones of a sweet little dead girl". Hunter said his book was written "clearly for profit" and said Steve Thomas should have taken his concerns to the confidential Supreme Court Grievance Committee rather than telling the public.

Patsy Ramsey offered a slightly different assessment of Steve Thomas, saying he was driven primarily by ego: "He was headed down a wrong path. He was at the point of no return. And his ego is the size of a barn, and he can't put it aside to try to find the murderer of this child."

Defenses of Steve Thomas
"He's one hell of an investigator and a good cop," says Jim Kolar, now working in Telluride.

Greg Idler: "The best police officer I have ever worked with,"... "Excellent in investigations and at interviewing. Steve never let anything die; he always worked it to the end. And he's an expert when it came to deceptive responses from suspects. Steve has never been one to take the easy or the most popular way. He's the one who wants to get justice."