[Cherokee]

LINGUISTIC ANALYSIS – Section V, Part 2

37. Speaking to anyone about your
38. situation, such as Police, F.B.I., etc.,
39. will result in your daughter being
40. beheaded. If we catch you talking
41. to a stray dog, she dies. If you
42. alert bank authorities, she dies.
43. If the money is in any way
44. marked or tampered with, she
45. dies. You will be scanned for
46. electronic devices and if any are
47. found, she dies. You can try to
48. deceive us, but be warned that
49. we are familiar with law enforcement
50. countermeasures and tactics. You
51. stand a 99% chance of killing
52. your daughter if you try to out
53. smart us. Follow our instructions

54. and you stand a 100% chance
55. of getting her back. You and
56. your family are under constant
57. scrutiny as well as the authorities.


The next section of the ransom note is a lengthy and overly dramatic warning about what will happen to JonBenet if the Ramseys speak to anyone about their “situation,” “tamper with” the ransom money, or wear any “electronic devices” during the money drop. The writer also claims they are familiar with “law enforcement countermeasures and tactics,” gives percentages on the Ramseys chances of getting JonBenet back or of “killing” her, and states the Ramseys are “under constant scrutiny as well as the authorities.”

The author takes great pains to stress what will happen to JonBenet if the Ramsey do not cooperate with their instructions. They also stress their omniscience in being able to monitor the Ramseys and “the authorities” which includes bank workers and law enforcement. Because the ransom note writer is working backward from an end result, the excessive threats and claims of omnipotent surveillance are necessary to explain events that have already happened in the Ramsey home.

Let’s look closer at the first half of this section.

In lines 37 through 40, the writer says, “Speaking to anyone about your situation, such as Police, F. B. I., etc., will result in your daughter being beheaded.”

The sentence paints a grisly picture and is psychologically jarring, especially when juxtaposed against the caring admonition of the previous sentence not to “provoke” the kidnappers. The writer is obviously going for the “shock effect” but much more than that is revealed in this very specific threat.

First of all, we notice that the ransom note author capitalized the word “police” as a proper noun, abbreviated FBI with unnecessary periods, and used separating commas after those two words and the abbreviation “etc.” The writer is someone who is very concerned with trying to give words proper capitalization and punctuation.

Secondly, the author writes the sentence using “passive voice.” If the writer had used “active voice,” they would have said something like “We will behead JonBenet if you speak to anyone” or “Speak to anyone about this, and we will behead JonBenet. Instead, they made the threat passive and implied the Ramsey’s action of “speaking to anyone” would trigger the “result” of JonBenet “being beheaded.”

Why does the writer give such an exact and detailed threat in a passive voice? Why not just say, “We will kill her?” The answer is because the author has a specific way JonBenet must die, and it relates to the way she has already died and the staging that surrounds her.

The author is focused on JonBenet’s head, specifically the neck area. As we’ve said before, the writer knows the end of their story, and now, they must make the facts of their ransom note fit the facts of her death as much as possible if it is to explain JonBenet’s dead body in the Ramsey home.

Even though JonBenet was not beheaded, she was found with a strangling cord wrapped around her neck. This association is enough for the ransom note author to suggest “beheading” in their threat. The clumsy, so-called “garrote” was a crude device that was not designed for effective strangulation. The cord was more of a prop than anything else, and it was probably left around JonBenet’s neck to help deflect attention away from her head injury, cover any manual (or clothing) strangulation marks like the bruise on the front left side of her neck, and promote the idea that a vicious intruder had killed her.

Also, in lines 37 through 40, the ransom note writer uses the phrase “your daughter” instead of JonBenet’s name for the fifth time. The author is continuing their conscious effort at psychological distancing from JonBenet.

In lines 40 through 47, the author repeats their threat by using a form of parallel construction that, without its violent topic, would appear almost poetic in form. In four successive sentences, the writer ends with the phrase “she dies.” This type of structure is meant to reinforce an idea and make it “stick” in the reader’s mind. The author is now at the heart of their message.

“If we catch you talking to a stray dog, she dies.
If you alert bank authorities, she dies.
If the money is in any way marked or tampered with, she dies.
You will be scanned for electronic devices and if any are found, she dies.”

Linguistically, each of the four sentences incorporates a subordinate clause beginning with the word “if.” The first three sentences begin with this clause, the last one has it placed at the end. Each of the sentences concludes with the noun-verb construction “she dies.”

The author is emphasizing that the actions of the Ramseys determine the fate of JonBenet. One again, the writer is using passive voice instead of the active “we will kill”. They are absolving themselves of the death of JonBenet and saying it is entirely up to the Ramseys whether JonBenet lives or dies.

The Ramsey have been already been warned not to speak to the “Police, F.B.I., etc.” and now they are told not to talk to “a stray dog,” or by implication, anyone else. They are cautioned not to alert bank authorities or tamper with the ransom money. John is warned he will be scanned for electronic devices. This last sentence is one of many clues that the ransom note is a fake. Kidnappers do not favor face-to-face meetings for many reasons; primarily, to keep their true identity unknown. Ransom money is usually left at a location to be later picked up by the kidnappers.

We know the Ramsey immediately called 911 and then a host of friends. They contacted the bank to arrange the ransom money instead of following the kidnapper’s instruction to merely go to the bank and withdraw the money. By ignoring the ransom note writer’s instructions and warnings, the Ramseys brought about JonBenet’s “immediate execution,” and by extrapolation, the reason her body was found in the basement of their home.

There is another component to this section containing the words “she dies.” As has been discussed in other analyses of the ransom note, there are phrases and ideas within it that seem to have been taken directly from three different action movies, “Dirty Harry,” “Ransom” and “Speed.” The next few sentences continue that association.

Following is a list of the various story lines and phrases from these movies which match the ransom note.

“DIRTY HARRY” –

Story Lines
Specified denomination of bills and type of container for delivery of the ransom
The delivery of the ransom requires extreme physical exertion
The kidnapper employs counter-surveillance

Phrases
"If I even think you're being followed, the girl dies."
"If you talk to anyone, I don't care if it's a Pekinese p i s s ing against a lamppost, the girl dies."
"... that's the end of the game. The girl dies."
"Now listen to me carefully."
"Now listen. Listen very carefully."
"It sounds like you had a good rest. You'll need it."

“RANSOM” –

Story Lines
Specified denomination of bills and type of container for delivery of the ransom
The delivery of the ransom requires extreme physical exertion
The child is bound with his hands placed above his head
Duct tape is used on the child
The child's parent is a wealthy businessman
The kidnapper employs counter-surveillance

Phrases
"Do not involve the police or the FBI. If you do, I will kill him."
"Do not inform the media or I will kill him."
"No tracking devices in the money or the cases or I will kill him."

“SPEED” –

Story Lines
Specified denomination of bills and type of container for delivery of the ransom
The kidnapper employs counter-surveillance

Phrases
"You know that I'm on top of you. Do not attempt to grow a brain."


It is obvious the ransom note writer had seen these three movies at some time in their life. Their amateur attempt at posturing as a kidnapper made them search for ways to appear criminal in thinking. But there is another reason specific dialogue was used from these movies, particularly the phrase about growing “a brain.” We will discuss that reason in the last section of the linguistic analysis that deals with the writer’s personal warnings to John.

Continuing with this section, in lines 47 through 53, the ransom note author writes, “You can try to deceive us, but be warned that we are familiar with law enforcement countermeasures and tactics. You stand a 99% chance of killing your daughter if you try to out smart us.” The writer is still using ideas from the movies to reinforce their warnings, but something has changed in the grammatical structure of their sentences.

The three sentences in lines 40 through 44 begin with the conjunction “if.” The three sentences in lines 45 through 53 begin with the personal pronoun “you.” Psychologically, placing the pronoun at the beginning of the sentence emphasizes personal contact. The ransom note writer has gradually shifted from the formal “Mr. Ramsey” of the opening line to a much more informal tone that continues to the end of the ransom note.

After the personal advice and singular pronoun use of line 35 and 36, the author switches back to a plural identity in lines 40 through 53. The writer uses plural words such as “we,” “us” and “our” to promote the idea of multiple actors, but the personal tone of the writing negates that illusion.

In line 52, they also use the phrase, “your daughter,” as a substitution for JonBenet’s name for the sixth and last time in the ransom note. Psychological distancing aside, the frequency with which the author uses this phrase is another indicator of their motive in writing the ransom note.

Most ransom notes do not concentrate on the kidnapping victim, but rather, on the ransom amount and where (and how) it is to be delivered. JonBenet, minus her name, features prominently in this ransom note. She is referred to six times as “your daughter,” five times as “she,” and twice as “her.” The ransom note writer is focused on JonBenet and what will happen to her if the Ramsey ignore the kidnapper’s warnings, (which we know they did).

No pedophile, no disgruntled employee or friend, no bum off the street, would have a reason to leave a note (long or short) setting up a false kidnapping scenario with the motive of explaining JonBenet’s dead body in the Ramsey home. Furthermore, it is obvious from the linguistic clues in the ransom note that JonBenet was already dead when it was written, so it would have been extremely risky for an intruder to stay in the Ramsey home and use a Ramsey pen and notepad to construct, practice and write the note.

If the killing of JonBenet was an act of revenge, or for any other conceivable motive from someone outside the Ramsey family, NO NOTE WOULD BE NECESSARY. The perpetrator would just kill JonBenet and leave. If they felt an urge to explain their act at all, the note would have been a revenge note, not a ransom note.

In line 51, the author continues with their thought, and placement, of percentages with, “Follow our instructions and you stand a 100% chance of getting her back.” Once again, direct emphasis is put on the Ramseys following the writer’s instructions to ensure JonBenet’s survival. The repeated instructions and warnings are necessary in the author’s mind even though their redundancy (and ridiculous language) is so evident to us. They want there to be no mistake that JonBenet WILL BE DEAD if the Ramsey don’t comply with their demands.

Line 55 through 57 begins with the personal pronoun “you” as the author continues their grammatical structure of the previous sentences. (All five sentences in lines 47 through 57 begin with the word “You” except for the fourth one, which inserts the phrase, “Follow our instructions” before the pronoun “you.”) The writers states, “You and your family are under constant scrutiny as well as the authorities.” This sentence is awkward in its construction. “You and your family are under constant scrutiny” is a complete sentence. The addition of the incomplete phrase “as well as the authorities” is obviously tagged on at the end as the writer struggles with organizing their thoughts.

The words “scrutiny” and “authorities” in this sentence, as well as the previous phrase, “law enforcement countermeasures,” underscores the writer’s high functioning vocabulary and education level. The use of the word “authorities” to describe representatives of local law is selective and implies respect, not criminal disdain. It is interesting to note the Ramseys use the word “authorities” to refer to law enforcement in communications that were attached to their now defunct web site. Two examples follow:

“John and Patsy Ramsey are unaware of any efforts at present by Boulder authorities to stimulate new leads or tips in the case.”

“To those who have cared enough to write or email, the information has been forwarded to the proper authorities.”

The most important element of this section relates to the ransom note writer’s use of the personal pronoun “you” and their linguistic attempt to connect with the reader. This type of writing is indicative of a female author. Female writers favor personal words such as “you,” “her” and “she,” and relationship words such as “for,” “with,” “in,” and “not.” Mr. Shlomo Argamon, a linguist and computer scientist at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, states, “Women have a more interactive style. They want to create a relationship between the writer and the reader. Men, on the other hand, use more numbers, adjectives and determiners - words such as “the,” “this” and “that.”

After much research, Mr. Argamon and a colleague, Mr. Moshe Koppel, designed a computer program that can determine the gender of an anonymous author of fiction writing with 80% accuracy. Their findings were first published in the April 2003 edition of the journal Literary and Linguistic Computing. It has been reprinted in other magazines such as Nature, and referenced in many newspapers such as The New York Times and The (Melbourne) Age.

After performing my own analysis on the ransom note many years ago, I recently came across a web site which used a simplified version of the algorithm developed by Argamon and Koppel. I typed in the Ramsey ransom note text to obtain a gender analysis from the computer program. The result confirmed my earlier analysis, and that of many others. The Argamon and Koppel program said the ransom note author was female. In fact, the score was 1077 (female) to 464 (male).

I did screen captures of the web page results and made a composite .jpg, which I have posted below. The web site is Bookblog, the computer program is called Gender Genie and the URL is http://www.bookblog.net/gender/genie.html. An article regarding the original research may be found at http://www.theage.com.au/articles/20...801370330.html.