I'm sorry, but that was not the amount, though that amount was published in the news and in the media. I was following the case back then, and I remember very well. At some point years ago, it came out that was not the amount at all, and the actual amount was published. The newspapers often make mistakes.
As to whoever said the the kidnap letter was staged, they are probably right. But, imo, the letter was definitely not staged by a parent, but by the intruder himself, as he waited in the house for the Ramseys to come home from their party. A clever thing to do, and it accomplished exactly what it was set up to do; throw the police and everyone else off track. But people who break into houses are often clever enough to do such things. In fact, for many of them, throwing the police off track is more interesting than committing the crime. :crazy: