Anthrax to Zodiac

In the last part of Chapter 7, we'll examine the controversy surrounding the DNA collected from the JonBenét's body.

We'll also consider further the possibility the family played a role in the crime. In spite of four secret grand jury indictments against John and Patsy Ramsey for their alleged roles in the murder, in a 2008 letter, the Boulder County DA publicly exonerated the entire Ramsey family of any involvement in the crime.

We'll wind up our consideration of JonBenét's death with Chapter 8, which includes my comments, some tips for keeping your children safe, a quiz to test your knowledge of the case, some snarky humor, and a list of references and cool sites.

Read the whole book in these blog posts, or buy the entire anthology of Anthrax to Zodiac at Amazon.com. You can also get the ebook version of all of Part 2 – Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey? for free by clicking on the button at the bottom of this post.

To access full show notes click here.

In the last part of Chapter 6, we'll take a look at questions surrounding semi-digested pineapple found in JonBenét's small intestine, and we'll explore the relationship between JonBenét and her older brother, Burke.

We'll also discuss the rift between the police and the Boulder DA regarding whether the killer was a member of the household or an intruder—a rift that quickly widened into a chasm and may have caused irreparable damage to the case.

Chapter 7 includes an exploration of the main suspects in the murder, including the jolly "Santa Bill" McReynolds, accused child pornographer John Mark Karr aka Alexis Valoran Reich who confessed to the crime, and Gary Oliva, the known paranoid schizophrenic pedophile obsessed with JonBenét.

Read the entire book for free in these blog posts or get the ebook version of all of Part 2 – Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey for free by clicking on the button below. You can also buy the whole anthology of Anthrax to Zodiac at Amazon.com.

To access full show notes click here.

Six hours after Patsy Ramsey called the Boulder police, JonBenét's father, John, cried out from the basement of their home and emerged from the stairs carrying the corpse of his six-year-old daughter, launching one of the most notorious murder investigations of modern time.

This post contains the last half of Chapter 5 and the beginning of Chapter 6 of Anthrax to Zodiac. We'll take an in-depth look at the events leading up to the discovery of the body and the gross lack of proper police procedure that hobbled the investigation from the very start. Then, we'll do a deep dive into the ransom note and try to reconcile its contents with the events of the crime and its aftermath.

Why wait to read the whole story of JonBenét Ramsey when you can get the ebook version of all of Part 2 – Who Killed JonBenet Ramsey? for free right now by clicking on the button at the bottom of this post? You can also buy the entire anthology of Anthrax to Zodiac at Amazon.com.

To access full show notes click here.

John and Patsy Ramsey enjoyed a traditional Christmas morning at home with their children, six-year-old JonBenét and nine-year-old Burke, before attending Christmas dinner at the home of friends.

According to Patsy Ramsey, she got up early the next morning and discovered a ransom note on the stairs. When she and John couldn't find JonBenét, at 5:52 a.m. on December 26, 1996, she called 911 and frantically indicated that her daughter had been kidnapped.

This post contains the first half of Chapter 5 of Anthrax to Zodiac and covers the case background and the details of the chaotic events of December 26, 1996 before JonBenét's body was discovered.

Why wait to read the whole story of JonBenét Ramsey when you can get the ebook version of all of Part 2 – Who Killed JonBenet Ramsey? for free right now by clicking on the button at the bottom of this post? You can also buy the entire anthology of Anthrax to Zodiac at Amazon.com.

To access full show notes click here.

This post concludes Chapter 3 of Anthrax to Zodiac with more detail on the government's case against Dr. Bruce Ivins.

Ultimately, after Dr. Ivins's death, the FBI declared that they had gotten their man and promptly closed the case despite the fact that Dr. Ivins died an innocent man, having never been charged, let alone convicted, of anything. Over twenty years later, we are still left asking, "Who mailed the anthrax letters?"

We conclude wIth my comments, some tips for using the mail safely, a quiz to test your knowledge, some snarky humor, and a list of references and cool sites for further reading.

To access full show notes click here.

So who actually mailed the anthrax letters? In the first part of the investigation, the government focused its attention on bacteriologist Dr. Steven Hatfill. But, eventually, the FBI admitted that Dr. Hatfill was not involved at all, publicly exonerated him, and paid him almost five million dollars in damages for illegally leaking his name to the press.

Next, the task force unequivocally declared that deceased government virologist and anthrax specialist Dr. Bruce Ivins was the perpetrator. Based on genetic testing of the anthrax spores in the letters, the government concluded that the only possible source for the spores was Dr. Ivins's lab.

This post contains the first part of Chapter 3 of Anthrax to Zodiac where we examine the details of the accusation and exoneration of Dr. Hatfill and the early part of the investigation into Dr. Ivins.

To access full show notes click here.

In Chapter 2, we take a look at the actual mailings and examine the total extent of the contamination and total cost of the cleanup. We also explore the general investigative strategies that guided the FBI's Amerithrax investigation and consider the amazing scope of the failed efforts of the task force.

To access full show notes click here.

This post contains the second half of Chapter 1 of Anthrax to Zodiac. Here, we examine the meat of the timeline of events involved in the mailings and learn, step by step and day by day, how the bioweapons successfully penetrated the halls of power in the US government and leading media outlets while federal agents, caught flat-footed by the attacks, struggled to discern what was actually happening and formulate a response. Then, we look at the toll of the attacks in lives and illness—five people dead, twenty-two more confirmed anthrax infections, and 32,000 people treated with prophylactic antibiotics.

Read the entire book free of charge in these blog posts or buy the ebook, paperback, or audiobook version of the complete anthology of Anthrax to Zodiac at Amazon.com. Also, you can get the ebook version of Part 1 - Who Mailed the Anthrax Letters? for free by clicking on the button at the bottom of this post.

To access full show notes click here.

On September 11, 2001, Americans watched in disbelief as jumbo jets crashed into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania. The country was under attack.

Families huddled around their televisions, waiting to see if other hijacked planes were still in the sky, on a collision course with more iconic symbols of American democracy.

In the weeks immediately following 9/11, in a state of collective shock, America anxiously waited for the next shoe to fall.

Then the anthrax letters came.

Despite spending hundreds of thousands of investigative hours and hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars, the government never charged or tried, let alone convicted, a single suspect.

So, over twenty years later, we are still left wondering who unleashed the worst bioterror attack in American history.

This post contains the first half of Chapter 1 of Anthrax to Zodiac. We examine the background and context of the attacks and look at the early part of the timeline of events involved in the mailings.

To access full show notes click here.

Welcome to "Anthrax to Zodiac," a thrilling investigative series that takes you on a journey into the most perplexing and captivating unsolved crimes in American history. Join Denise Diana Huddle, a renowned private investigator and archival researcher, as she delves into seven chilling mysteries that have haunted America.

From the unsettling anthrax letters that shook the nation in the aftermath of 9-11, to the enigmatic and still unidentified Zodiac Killer, these cases demand answers. Together, we'll traverse the years from 2001 to 1892, exploring the botched investigation surrounding the tragic murder of JonBenét Ramsey and unraveling the perplexing enigma of D.B. Cooper, the nation's only unsolved hijacking.

Prepare yourself for the unspeakable horror that surrounds the Black Dahlia and the haunting Lindbergh baby kidnapping. And of course, we'll dive into the infamous ax murder of Lizzie Borden's parents, a crime that has confounded the nation for over a century.

Throughout this captivating journey, we'll challenge conventional theories, present new evidence, and peel back the layers of these haunting mysteries. The truth may not be as clear-cut as once believed, and it's up to you, the listener, to weigh the evidence and draw your own conclusions. Join us on this gripping expedition into the heart of darkness as we strive to uncover the identities of those responsible for these heinous acts.