State investigators find no fingerprints on flashlight, batteries from Ramseys' kitchen

By Charlie Brennan
News Staff Writer

A flashlight that might have been used to smash JonBenet Ramsey's skull showed no fingerprints, even on its batteries.

The Colorado Bureau of Investigation found no prints on the police-style flashlight, which was in the Ramseys' kitchen, but that may have limited significance, a law enforcement source said Friday.

That's because almost two years into the investigation police are still unsure what caused the 81/2-inch fracture along the right side of the child's skull.

A broadcast report Friday raised the possibility that the batteries were free of fingerprints or residue because they were wiped clean. But law enforcement sources did not confirm such a conclusion.

If the batteries were wiped, they might not be the first piece of evidence to have been sanitized. Boulder County Coroner John Meyer, who conducted the autopsy on 6-year-old JonBenet, said the child's pubic area showed evidence consistent with having been wiped by a cloth.

JonBenet was found in her parents' basement the afternoon of Dec. 26, 1996, about seven hours after her mother reported finding a ransom note demanding $118,000 for her safe return.

Although forensic pathologists have said the blow to her head could have proved fatal on its own, Meyer determined her death was caused by being strangled with a garrote.

Former FBI profiler Gregg McCrary, who has followed the case closely, was not surprised that fingerprints were not found on the flashlight. Rough or textured surfaces don't easily retain fingerprints.

The batteries are another story.

"That's a little more suspicious," McCrary said. "By their nature, batteries would be a better surface on which to leave fingerprints because they're typically shiny and smooth."

If the flashlight was used to strike a blow to JonBenet's head, and if the killer had taken the time to wipe down the batteries, McCrary thinks that would support his suspicion that the crime was committed by someone close to the family.

"An intruder would have spent very little time in the house," McCrary said. "They'd want to put as much time and distance between themselves and the crime scene as possible.

"Why not just take the flashlight with you, if you want to get rid of it? To wipe down batteries is just not consistent with an intruder."

A Boulder grand jury has been hearing evidence in the case since Sept. 15.

November 7, 1998