Any other homicides on record that also had a ransom note?

[Daisy1975]

I apologize if this has been discussed before, but I was thinking about this and then ran into a short article about a Suzanne Degnan, a 6 year old murdered in 1946. She was found murdered, but a ransom note had been left when she was abducted.

William Heirens - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Suzanne Degnan[edit]

On January 7, 1946, six-year-old Suzanne Degnan was discovered missing from her first floor bedroom at 5943 North Kenmore Avenue, Edgewater, Chicago. After searching the apartment and not finding the girl, her family called the police.

Her disappearance earned significant publicity, and police vowed to find whoever was responsible. Police found a ladder outside the girl’s window, and also discovered a ransom note which had been overlooked by the family. The note read:

GeI $20,000 Reddy & wAITe foR WoRd. do NoT NoTify FBI oR Police. Bills IN 5's & 10's [sic].[8]
On the reverse of the note was written,
BuRN This FoR heR SAfTY [sic].[8]

I was looking for any other murders on record that also had a ransom note but then didn't play out as kidnappings. (No ransom demanded, victim murdered, etc.)

 

[DeDee]

I apologize if this has been discussed before, but I was thinking about this and then ran into a short article about a Suzanne Degnan, a 6 year old murdered in 1946. She was found murdered, but a ransom note had been left when she was abducted.

William Heirens - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Suzanne Degnan[edit]

On January 7, 1946, six-year-old Suzanne Degnan was discovered missing from her first floor bedroom at 5943 North Kenmore Avenue, Edgewater, Chicago. After searching the apartment and not finding the girl, her family called the police.

Her disappearance earned significant publicity, and police vowed to find whoever was responsible. Police found a ladder outside the girl’s window, and also discovered a ransom note which had been overlooked by the family. The note read:

GeI $20,000 Reddy & wAITe foR WoRd. do NoT NoTify FBI oR Police. Bills IN 5's & 10's [sic].[8]
On the reverse of the note was written,
BuRN This FoR heR SAfTY [sic].[8]

I was looking for any other murders on record that also had a ransom note but then didn't play out as kidnappings. (No ransom demanded, victim murdered, etc.)

Does the 1932 Lindberg kidnapping qualify? There were actually 13 ransom notes in the Lindberg kidnapping. The ransom amount was actively negotiated to $50K via newspaper ads although the Lindbergs were unaware their baby was dead. $40,000 of the ransom was paid in gold certificates. So, the president called for all gold certificates to be turned back into the gov't. The remains of the Lindberg baby were discovered within 5 miles from home much later. The kidnapper was caught and executed.

http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/history/famous-cases/the-lindbergh-kidnapping/the-lindbergh-kidnapping

 

[Venom]

Here's a kidnapping/murder from Australia. The boy was kidnapped, ransom called to the house and 5 weeks later he was found dead.
http://murderpedia.org/male.B/b/bradley-stephen.htm

 

[Mama2JML]

A baby girl, 10 months old, was kidnapped for ransom in Pennsylvania, circa 2012:

"Yandamuri, 26, an acquaintance of the family who lives in the same apartment complex, faces charges of first and second degree murder, kidnapping and burglary in what police say appears to have been a kidnapping for ransom that went awry."​

More famous 'kidnapping-for-ransom' cases, with unhappy endings, are listed here:

http://listverse.com/2013/08/02/10-unsolved-ransom-kidnappings/

 

[bettybaby00]

Yikes!!!

 

[Tawny]

How many ransom-note-kidnappings end up with a dead child in or near the home they were abducted from?

 

[DeeDee249]

I would bet that NONE of the mentioned kidnappings resulted in the child being found dead in the home. By a parent who knew where to look. Neither did they have ransom notes that ran 3 pages.

 

[ScarlettScarpetta]

I would bet that NONE of the mentioned kidnappings resulted in the child being found dead in the home. By a parent who knew where to look. Neither did they have ransom notes that ran 3 pages.

Except that the note is really not 3 full pages. Looking at it written out it is basically a big paragraph.. Maybe one page. Still maybe more than the rest but not crazy long..

I think this takes more looking into. Just because we don't know of one at the moment does not mean there was not one. And even if there wasn't there is a first time for everything. That it may not have happened before does not mean it did not happen here. IMO

 

[ScarlettScarpetta]

http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/history/famous-cases/the-lindbergh-kidnapping

This is interesting because it looks like the lindbergh baby was killed almost immediately with a huge bash to the head. There were 12 ransom notes in the case.

 

[Daisy1975]

How many ransom-note-kidnappings end up with a dead child in or near the home they were abducted from?

Yes! That was more what I was looking for. I am not always good at expressing here exactly what I mean. I am writing a paper for a criminal justice course. The JonBenet case is the primary focus. Trying to draw any similarities to past cases.

 

[Tadpole12]

Yes! That was more what I was looking for. I am not always good at expressing here exactly what I mean. I am writing a paper for a criminal justice course. The JonBenet case is the primary focus. Trying to draw any similarities to past cases.

Heyya Daisy1975

Maybe the Zahra Baker case would be a good comparative.
[ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Zahra_Baker"]Death of Zahra Baker - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]

"A 911 call was made by Elisa on October 9, 2010 at 5:30 am, reporting a fire in the back of the family residence in Hickory. When the police came for the reported fire, there was a ransom note and the smell of gasoline coming from Adam's company truck, a Chevrolet Tahoe.[5] In a second 911 phone call made when Zahra is reported missing on 2 pm on the same day, Adam Baker explained that during a fire in their backyard a $1 million ransom note was found on his company truck the night before, addressed to Adam's boss and landlord, Mark Coffey. Adam explained that they called 911 earlier that day about the fire and implied that whoever started the fire, may have done so in order to distract the alleged kidnapper, in order to take Zahra. Adam explained the purported kidnapper mistakenly confused Zahra for Mr. Coffey's daughter. Mark Coffey's daughter was unharmed and with her family, Adam stated. Adam said the last time he saw his daughter was at 2:30 am. Apparently, Adam Baker left for work early in the morning and did not return until after Zahra went to sleep.[1]"

 

[ScarlettScarpetta]

Heyya Daisy1975

Maybe the Zahra Baker case would be a good comparative.
Death of Zahra Baker - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"A 911 call was made by Elisa on October 9, 2010 at 5:30 am, reporting a fire in the back of the family residence in Hickory. When the police came for the reported fire, there was a ransom note and the smell of gasoline coming from Adam's company truck, a Chevrolet Tahoe.[5] In a second 911 phone call made when Zahra is reported missing on 2 pm on the same day, Adam Baker explained that during a fire in their backyard a $1 million ransom note was found on his company truck the night before, addressed to Adam's boss and landlord, Mark Coffey. Adam explained that they called 911 earlier that day about the fire and implied that whoever started the fire, may have done so in order to distract the alleged kidnapper, in order to take Zahra. Adam explained the purported kidnapper mistakenly confused Zahra for Mr. Coffey's daughter. Mark Coffey's daughter was unharmed and with her family, Adam stated. Adam said the last time he saw his daughter was at 2:30 am. Apparently, Adam Baker left for work early in the morning and did not return until after Zahra went to sleep.[1]"

The reason that this would not be something I would consider comparable is because they took her dismembered her and hid her.
They killed her and scattered her. That is someone trying to "fake" a kidnapping and made her disappear.
That poor baby. I can not even imagine the evil that people do in this world some days.
I think this case, shows how someone would indeed kill their child and cover it up. You are not covering up a murder if you leave the body in the house.
KWIM>

 

[MyBelle]

The reason that this would not be something I would consider comparable is because they took her dismembered her and hid her.
They killed her and scattered her. That is someone trying to "fake" a kidnapping and made her disappear.
That poor baby. I can not even imagine the evil that people do in this world some days.
I think this case, shows how someone would indeed kill their child and cover it up. You are not covering up a murder if you leave the body in the house.
KWIM>

Actually, there was no "they" it was all the doing of the child's stepmother who tried to implicate the father and failed.

I think it is very possible Patsy, in all of her delusional frenzy, did not anticipate her home being searched right away because of the ransom note. The ransom note implicates John Ramsey so another possibility is that Patsy wanted John present when their daughter was found.

 

[ScarlettScarpetta]

Actually, there was no "they" it was all the doing of the child's stepmother who tried to implicate the father and failed.

I think it is very possible Patsy, in all of her delusional frenzy, did not anticipate her home being searched right away because of the ransom note. The ransom note implicates John Ramsey so another possibility is that Patsy wanted John present when their daughter was found.

Anyone knows if a child is missing there is going to be an intensive search. And a magnifying glass looking into everything and anything on the family.
Sorry for improper pronoun usage.. :blushing:

 

[MyBelle]

Anyone knows if a child is missing there is going to be an intensive search. And a magnifying glass looking into everything and anything on the family.
Sorry for improper pronoun usage.. :blushing:

Today, that is true but I think it might be because of this case. I dunno what was well known in 1996. The cops didn't find JonBenet right away. John Ramsey searched hours later and found her.

 

[ScarlettScarpetta]

Today, that is true but I think it might be because of this case. I dunno what was well known in 1996. The cops didn't find JonBenet right away. John Ramsey searched hours later and found her.

Because they did not search the house correctly. That is the shame of it. Had they searched correctly, They would have found her and We could have the answers needed. It would have meant the body was found sooner, She would not have been touched or moved, They would have cleared the house and declared a Crime scene earlier.

If they had correctly followed procedure and done a thorough search there would be more answers now IMO

 

[MyBelle]

Because they did not search the house correctly. That is the shame of it. Had they searched correctly, They would have found her and We could have the answers needed. It would have meant the body was found sooner, She would not have been touched or moved, They would have cleared the house and declared a Crime scene earlier.

If they had correctly followed procedure and done a thorough search there would be more answers now IMO

That's my point. There was no way for whomever wrote the note to anticipate how the cops would handle it. It can't be assumed the writer knew the cops would immediately search the house because, in this case, cops did not immediately search the house for a body, they were checking for signs of break in and checking doors.

I believe Patsy Ramsey wrote the note because the note had been practiced and it was personalized to John. It tied the fate of their daughter to John's actions. Highly unusual, imo.

 

[ScarlettScarpetta]

That's my point. There was no way for whomever wrote the note to anticipate how the cops would handle it. It can't be assumed the writer knew the cops would immediately search the house because, in this case, cops did not immediately search the house for a body, they were checking for signs of break in and checking doors.

I believe Patsy Ramsey wrote the note because the note had been practiced and it was personalized to John. It tied the fate of their daughter to John's actions. Highly unusual, imo.

Im confused.. Everyone knows what happens in a kidnapping. It has not changed in 50 years. The cops come in and search and start investigating everyone and everything.

It makes no sense for PR to write that note. Not if JBR was in the house. All ransom notes tie the kidnapped to the parents actions..

" You will only get them back if.. We will kill them if... We will hurt them if..
If you want to see them alive again you will....

That is not uncommon.

 

[MyBelle]

Im confused.. Everyone knows what happens in a kidnapping. It has not changed in 50 years. The cops come in and search and start investigating everyone and everything.

It makes no sense for PR to write that note. Not if JBR was in the house. All ransom notes tie the kidnapped to the parents actions..

" You will only get them back if.. We will kill them if... We will hurt them if..
If you want to see them alive again you will....

That is not uncommon.

It has nothing to do with making sense. The murder was committed by someone with a deranged mind.

I've not seen any other ransom note that had a practice draft and was personalized to one parent. It is logic, not sense, to conclude that Patsy wrote it.

 

[ScarlettScarpetta]

It has nothing to do with making sense. The murder was committed by someone with a deranged mind.

I've not seen any other ransom note that had a practice draft and was personalized to one parent. It is logic, not sense, to conclude that Patsy wrote it.

There is no conclusion for me because even the experts don't have proof she wrote it.

A deranged mind would show up other places.. This was a killer. Someone who kills like this was not someone that lived a basically normal existence.

I am sure there are other ransom notes that had practice drafts that were just never found..

Is it logical to conclude that someone is writing a ransom note to fake a kidnapping and leave the practice note in the trash for the cops to find?
I don't know. But for me it seems to be a stretch.