Cause of death of this six year old female is asphyxia by strangulation associated with craniocerebral trauma.

She was strangled by a garrote - the garrote was in place when she was hit in the head - that we know because of the lack of bleeding to the terrible wound to her head.

The sexual assault is consistant with an assault at the time of her murder. There is no clear evidence of prior sexual abuse. Of course if she was touched externally, if she was forced to touch someone else, then there would be no physical evidence. But there would have been emotional evidence, behavioral clues. No one saw any of those clues. There will be a thread on prior assault as well as this one.

Here I will share a couple images from the autopsy.

The stun gun images - the Ramseys did not own a stun gun.
http://www.jameson245.com/csback.jpg";>

The garotte - the cord matched nothing in the house and no one ever linked that kind of cord to the Ramseys. The stick used in the garotte was in the basement where the murder took place - the killer had easy access to that paintbrush:

The blow to the head - a would that barely bled.
<img src="

knowing that those "abrasions" are inadequately described and inadequately explained. They are not
insect bites and do appear to be more like stun gun marks than anything else that I can think of.

knowing that the garotte and the depth of the ligature embedded in the neck make it clear that
whoever did this took pleasure in his work that night.

The entire autopsy appears 'cursory'. Oh one might well say it was 'adequate' but for a case that
was sure to be so thoroughly scrutinized they sure did a poor job.

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2 . "."
Posted by jameson on May-25-02 at 07:14 PM (EST)
1 . "Its difficult."
Posted by DonBradley on May-12-02 at 02:02 PM (EST)
It is very difficult to view those photos.
But if comfort can be taken in anything related to those photos, then take comfort in:
knowing that 'accidental death' is impossible when looking at the cracked skull;

knowing that those "abrasions" are inadequately described and inadequately explained. They are not
insect bites and do appear to be more like stun gun marks than anything else that I can think of.

knowing that the garotte and the depth of the ligature embedded in the neck make it clear that
whoever did this took pleasure in his work that night.

The entire autopsy appears 'cursory'. Oh one might well say it was 'adequate' but for a case that
was sure to be so thoroughly scrutinized they sure did a poor job.