Autopsy shows JonBenet was strangled

July 14, 1997
Web posted at: 7:32 p.m. EDT (2332 GMT)

BOULDER, Colorado (CNN) -- JonBenet Ramsey died a brutal death, according to details from her long-sealed autopsy report. Sections of the autopsy report were released Monday under court order.

The 6-year-old child beauty queen was found dead in the basement of her family's home here last December 26.

The report details a deep ligature around the victim's neck and another around the right wrist -- evidence she was bound and strangled.

The autopsy confirms that blood and abrasions were found in the girl's vaginal area -- and that she was struck on the head violently enough to cause bleeding and an 8.5 inch fracture to her skull.

"Also noted was a small area of abrasion or contusion below the right ear on the lateral aspect of the right cheek," the report said.

Partial autopsy results were reported months ago, but most of the report was kept under seal at the request of the coroner's office to avoid compromising what was seen as a sensitive and difficult police investigation.

But in May, a district court judge rejected a request by County Coroner John Meyer to extend the seal on the rest of the report, ordering all but six portions to be made public.

A state appeals court upheld that ruling and Monday, the Colorado Supreme Court did too. The county attorney's office said the final six sections of the report will be released August 13.

The sections released Monday provided more details of the fatal injuries but did little to clear up questions as to when the killing occurred and where.

"Cause of death of this six year old female is asphyxia by strangulation associated with craniocerebral trauma," Meyer said in a statement released with the autopsy.

Meyer said he spent 10 minutes examining the victim's body at the Ramsey home several hours after it was found.

At a news conference after these latest details were released, deputy County Attorney Madeline Mason said authorities still were concerned that the release of the new autopsy information "is going to make it more difficult to conduct an investigation."

No suspects have been named in the investigation. The parents, John and Patsy Ramsey, have never returned to the home where their daughter was found dead and have put it on the market for a reported $1.2 million. Over the weekend, they moved to a new home in suburban Atlanta.


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