JonBenet Skull Fractured, Autopsy Finds

JonBenet Ramsey’s skull was fractured by a vicious blow and she may have been sexually assaulted before being strangled, according to portions of her autopsy report, which was released officially Monday.

Her body was found with one cord around her neck and another around her right wrist, and there were blood and abrasions in the 6-year-old beauty queen’s vaginal area, according to the autopsy.

The report said the bruise on the right side of Ramsey’s head was 8 inches long.

The grisly details confirmed earlier reports on how the youngster was killed that were based on anonymous sources. All but six portions of the autopsy were made public Monday after the state Supreme Court refused to hear arguments made by prosecutors to keep the records sealed.

JonBenet’s body was found in her family’s basement Dec. 26. Her father, John Ramsey, found the body about eight hours after her mother, Patsy Ramsey, said she discovered a ransom note demanding $118,000.

Part of the autopsy report confirming that JonBenet was strangled and indicating possible sexual assault was released in February, but Boulder County Coroner John Meyer sought to keep the rest under seal, bowing to investigators’ concerns that releasing details could jeopardize the case.

In May, Boulder District Judge Carol Glowinsky ordered all but six portions of the report released. The Colorado Court of Appeals last month rejected an effort to get that ruling overturned.

The six portions not released Monday include the time of death and the position of the girl’s body, information police contend could hurt the investigation if it were widely known.

A description of the head wound had been edited out of the abbreviated version of the autopsy released in February, as was a reference to the cord used to strangle the girl.

Investigators wanted the autopsy kept secret to ensure that details elicited from suspects came from direct experience, Madeline Mason, Boulder deputy county attorney, told reporters.

“If that same piece of information now comes out in the autopsy report and someone comes in and tells you that, you don’t know how to evaluate it. You don’t know if it’s from the autopsy or if it’s genuine first-hand knowledge,” she said.

Meyer would not comment on the report because he expects to be a witness at any trial. Other Boulder officials also declined to comment on specifics disclosed in the autopsy.

There have been no arrests, and no suspects in the case have been named.

Thomas Kelley, an attorney representing several media outlets that sought the disclosure of autopsy report, called its release “a victory for the public’s right to know in a case where knowledge has been hard to come by.”