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#1
December 23rd, 1996
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Preparations had been underway all day for the third Christmas party hosted by the Ramseys in one month. This was the "Children's Party". About 30 friends attended.  There were Christmas trees decorated in almost every room, decorations were everywhere and the mood was festive.
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Linda Pugh arrived at 9 am to help prepare for the afternoon party. Her 12 year old daughter, Ariana, was involved too, helping with flower arrangements. Santa was scheduled to appear to visit, hand out gifts and read a note about each guest. The notes were personal in nature, written by Patsy.
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The Guest List (not official and I removed the names of the children)
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 People at the Ramsey's Christmas party Dec. 23, 1996, 5pm-8pm
*  John and Patsy Ramsey, Burke (9), JonBenét (6)
*  Don Paugh
*  Fleet and Priscilla White, daughter (5-6), son (7-8)
*  Mr. & Mrs. R.A. Brown (Priscilla's parents)
*  Cliff Gaston, boyfriend of Priscilla's sister, Allison Shoeny (attended alone, without his
girlfriend) Visiting the Whites - from California

*  Bill Cox, husband of Priscilla's niece Heather. (attended alone, without his wife) Visiting the Whites -  from California
*  John and Barbara Fernie, son (10), daughter (14-15?)
*  Friend of the Fernies - male (about 9)
*  Glen and Susan Stine, son (9)
*  Susan Stine's mother
*  Glen Stine's mother
*  Larry and Pinkie Barber, two daughters (8 and 6)
*  Joe and Betty Barnhill
*  The Barnhill's boarder, Glenn Meyer, was not invited.  He went to the house to tell the Barnhills something about the dog barking and was invited to join the party.  He did for a short time.
*  Linda Hoffman-Pugh,  her daughter, Ariana (12)
*  Bill and Janet McReynolds (Santa)
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Another way to look at this -
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There were 5 children ages 6- 8:  4 girls and one boy:  2 Barbers, 2 Whites & JonBenet.
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There were 4 boys 9-10:  Stine, Ramsey, Fernie & Fernie friend.
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There were 2 older girls:  Fernie & Hoffman Pugh.
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The Ramseys had invited their circle of friends - the Whites, Fernies, Stines, Barbers, Barnhills (the Walkers were invited but did not attend) and THEY had brought assorted parents and other relatives.
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In all there were 23 adults at the party (including Santa and his wife).
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34 people at that party - THAT makes a rather full house!
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#2
The party started early, JonBenét and her friend hung up coats before the children ran happily through the house. Adults talked, laughed, socialized. Santa arrived at 5, just as the party began. The children met him outside. They were all very excited.
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Patsy had arranged for the guests to decorate gingerbread houses, each family decorated a house with frosting and candy.
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personal note - ò¿ó - It was rumored that the gingerbread houses had been delivered by a son of the Santa - that was not true. The undecorated gingerbread houses had been bought at Safeway.
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There WAS another gingerbread house - In 1994, Patsy had hired a baker to make a
large (3-ft square) gingerbread house that looked like the Ramseys house. This was displayed during the "house tour". "Santa" Bill McReynolds saw that gingerbread house - and he later made a gift of ANOTHER gingerbread house to the Ramseys - a very ornate one his son had made.
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#3
At 6:47, Fleet White, a guest at the Ramsey house dialed 911, but hung up before speaking to the operator. An officer was dispatched to the house and left minutes later without filing a report.



From Boulder Press Release #15 -Police Review 9-1-1 Hang-up Call on Dec. 23
Boulder Police have reviewed records detailing the 9-1-1 hang-up call from the Ramsey house, 755 15th St., on Dec. 23, 1996 at 6:47 p.m. A Boulder Police officer was dispatched to the location and confirmed the following information: It appears that during a party at the home a telephone user mis-dialed while making a long distance call.
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personal comment - ò¿ó - The international access number is 011. This is what is dialed to reach any number out of the country. While many of us have never needed to use this code, remember the social standing of this family and some of their friends. Whether for business, personal or pleasure, it is quite credible that this call was a simple error by someone who has watched his little transgression become part of the lore surrounding the Ramsey case.
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While traveling to Boulder in October, 1998, I learned that Fleet White had spent a considerable amount of time on the phone in the first floor family room during the party. Fleet's mother was ill and Fleet was arranging for her treatment. He was upset and frustrated as any of us might have been. I don't think the 911 call was any more than an accident.
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#4
Information on Fleet White at the party:
During the Dec. 23rd party, for much of the time Fleet was using the phone in
the family room on the first floor. There were several people in there eating
their buffet dinners. He made a number of calls regarding his mother, who
was hospitalized in Aspen. He seemed to be trying to get some medicine or test
results to Aspen . Some of the calls seemed to be to messenger services.
Because it was evening, he was having a hard time getting what he needed,
getting transferred around. He was agitated throughout the time.
Fleet was using a white letter-sized notepad on which he was taking notes. He
would kneel in front of the telephone table and write on the pad, which he had
put on the table. A few pages were folded over on the pad, maybe because he or
someone else had already written on them. It seemed pretty clear that he
didn't bring the pad with him to the party. After a while, when he had made
the arrangements he needed to, Fleet left the part early to go to Denver to
pick up the medical equipment/tests from somewhere (a medical supply place, a
hospital? -- it was unclear from the calls) and take it to DIA to be flown to
his parents in Aspen. Another man at the party asked Fleet if he wanted him to
go, and Fleet said no. The two men that the Whites brought to the party may
have gone with Fleet, but it isn't clear. Fleet took the white notepad with
him to go to Denver because it had the directions and information on it that he
needed.
The DA learned about this at the latest by August 1997, and his office and the
police by at least summer of 1998 (if Hunter hadn't told them prior).
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#5
"Santa" Bill McReynolds, a retired CU journalism professor, was a Boulder "character". With his trailing white beard and hair, the kids could easily believe Santa really lived in the nearby hills, not at the North Pole. He loved playing the part of Santa, enjoyed talking to the adults as Santa, but especially the kids, the believers. Santa Bill McReynolds would be adding to the festivities at the Ramsey house for the third year in a row. His wife would be meeting the Ramseys for the first time.
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Santa had had open heart surgery 4 months earlier. While he was recovering well, he was still hesitant to take on a full load as Santa, so his wife, Janet, joined him at the Ramsey party. Gifts for the guests were waiting outside the Ramsey house and transferred to Santa's bag before he joined the festivities.
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From 7 to 8, Santa socialized with the guests and handed out brightly wrapped gifts. Little did Bill McReynolds know that he would soon be the most famous Santa in the country. Before Spring, he would have people all over the country won over, intrigued, confused, and simply enraged.
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Obviously a suspect in many minds, he had parents around the country hoping that he, of all people, hadn't done it. For Santa to have killed a six year old girl was like bad fiction in most minds. Still, he was suspect, as was his wife, and the world watched them closely.
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#6
Mrs. Santa, Doris "Janet" McReynolds, was a character as well. A smaller woman, her
"not white but auburn" hair and easy smile made her look like anyone's older aunt. A movie reviewer for years, she had tried her hand at writing plays as well.
The only play the public has been made aware of - award winning HEY RUBE - was performed off-off Broadway at the NY Interart theater. It opened on March 15th, 1978 and ran for 16 performances. It was based on the true story of Sylvia Likens, a young girl who was held captive in an Indiana basement in 1965. She was abused, tortured, and finally killed. A book by Kate Millett, The Basement, details the Likens murder - and the motive or explanation for the crime seemed to be simply doing what one daydreams about doing, making fantasy fact. The book is an upsetting read - I doubt the play was uplifting for anyone.
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Concerning the play, the reviews were not flattering. The NY times review said, "It is not clear what the author intended to write. The play could be a psychological study of the killer, a sociological study of sexism, a sympathetic profile of the hapless victim, or a courtroom melodrama." But it was the 70's and free speech and "deep" interpretive plays abounded. The play itself was never published.
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One bit of the play did make it onto the Internet. A young girl went to her mother and reported that she had been "touched" by a man - a stranger.
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Anna: The way he looked at me, Mama. I couldn't run because I had Ruthie and then he sort of brushed against us and he put his hand - -
Mabel: Where did he put his hand, Anna?
Anna: Right in my crack. I just wanted to die.
Mabel: You go take a nice bath, Anna. It'll relax you.
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In 1977, Janet gave a local paper an interview and said "I've always been interested in the way victims frequently seem to seek their own death, or to deliberately choose their own murderer." This quote, and other views and statements Janet shared, caused some alarm among followers of the Ramsey case.
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When they were reportedly investigated, people took a deep breath. When no arrest followed, the Santas were all but dropped from the internet discussions - for a while. People were always aware that they had not been officially cleared.
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Janet stood by Santa. She was at his elbow constantly, not silently, but adding her own view to the chaos. Bill had told her what an angel JonBenét was. She stood by him when he showed the world (via tv) his harp and said he wanted to carve her name on it. She stood by as he showed the world the picture of JonBenét in his home, a kind of shrine, the picture and the little vial of glitter (a gift from JonBenét) he wants mixed with his ashes after he dies.
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She showed a few moments of temper when asked for a copy of her play, said she would give an advance copy to the reporter AFTER he found her a publisher! Sleuths who watched her from across the country watched her closely.
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Later, information was revealed about two children of Bill and Janet McReynolds. A daughter, Jill, had been abducted with a friend when she was nine years old . The friend was molested and then both girls released. This 22 years TO THE DAY before JonBenét's murder. No one was arrested in the case. A son, Jesse, came to light when he publicly announced he was innocent! He had an alibi - he had been at a family party. He said he had been asked for samples and had cooperated. He said he didn't do it and didn't know why the Ramseys were trying to blame him. People all over the net wondered what he was talking about - we had never heard of him! One interesting thing came out though. The parents said they were in bed at 8 that night - Jesse said they could vouch for him because they were all at a family party.
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The name McReynolds never left the discussion for long.
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#7
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The Party ran until 8 o'clock. It was a children's party.
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It was reported that the Pughs left at 6:30, about an hour after the McReynolds reached the house..
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#8
    Page 7 -of Steve Thomas' book -    some unnamed source says JonBenét, at the party on the 23rd, was alone and sobbing, said  "I don't feel pretty." 

This story was later attributed to Judith Phillips - - and she was not at the party.    So she was telling people that someone was saying.... and the BORG was loving it.  

Meanwhile we have pictures of JonBenet at the party, happy as can be, decorating gingerbread houses and posing with the other kids.
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#9
DOI Page 95

"On December 23 thirty-one people arrived for the party; the Whites, the Barnhills, the Fernies, the Stines, and the Barbers, and all their children, plus their assorted house guests. Later that evening, Glenn Meyer, a single man who rented a room in Joe and Betty Barnhills basement, showed up looking for them. I invited him in because the Barnhills were good neighbors - our family dog, Jacques, lived part-time at their house."
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