Editing Killing of JonBenét Ramsey (section)

===911 call and initial search for the child===
The only people known to be in the house on the night of JonBenét's death were her immediate family: Patsy and John Ramsey and their son Burke.<ref>{{cite magazine |author=Adams |first=Char |date=August 2, 2016 |title=JonBenét Ramsey Case: 5 Things to Know About the 19-Year-Old Mystery |url=http://www.people.com/article/jonbenet-ramsey-case-5-things-to-know |url-status=live |magazine=People |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161004094535/http://www.people.com/article/jonbenet-ramsey-case-5-things-to-know |archive-date=October 4, 2016 |access-date=September 30, 2016}}</ref> The ransom note contained specific instructions against contacting police and friends, but Patsy telephoned the police at 5:52&nbsp;a.m. [[Mountain Time Zone|MST]].<ref name="DC Tragic case">{{cite news |author=Brennan |first=Charlie |date=January 27, 2013 |title=JonBenet Ramsey's death a tragic, bizarre case from the start |newspaper=Daily Camera |url=http://www.dailycamera.com/ci_22446420/jonbenet-ramsey-case-history-grand-jury |url-status=live |access-date=September 29, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190404225017/http://www.dailycamera.com/ci_22446420/jonbenet-ramsey-case-history-grand-jury |archive-date=April 4, 2019}}</ref> She also called family and friends.<ref name="Maloney">{{cite web |url=http://www.crimemagazine.com/murder-jonben%C3%A9t-ramsey |title=The Murder of JonBenét Ramsey |last1=Maloney |first1=J. J. |last2=O'Connor |first2=J. Patrick |date=May 7, 1999 |website=Crimemagazine.com| access-date= November 19, 2014| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20141129041656/http://www.crimemagazine.com/murder-jonben%C3%A9t-ramsey| archive-date= November 29, 2014 |df=mdy-all}}</ref> Two police officers responded to the [[9-1-1]] call and arrived at the Ramsey home within three minutes. They conducted a cursory search of the house but did not find any sign of forced entry.<ref name="Maloney" />{{efn|name=window|It was later determined that some windows and a door had been left unlocked that night. In addition, a basement window was previously broken by John Ramsey when he was locked out of the house.<ref name="Newsweek 2016" /> [[Lou Smit]], a retired homicide detective, was brought in to investigate the case. He quickly became a proponent of the theory that an intruder had been behind the killing, believing that the intruder entered through a window in the basement of the Ramsey residence. A suitcase was found on the floor almost directly underneath this window. Smit theorized the attacker(s) planned to use this suitcase either to take JonBenét alive as a [[kidnapping|kidnap]] victim or move her body out of the house, but this proved impossible.<ref name="DC Smit theory">{{cite news |url=http://web.dailycamera.com/extra/ramsey/2001/01lrams.html |title=Smit presents intruder theory |first=Christopher |last=Anderson |newspaper=Daily Camera |date=May 1, 2001 | access-date=September 29, 2016 | archive-date=January 22, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122094819/http://web.dailycamera.com/extra/ramsey/2001/01lrams.html | url-status=live}}</ref>}}

Officer Rick French went to the basement and came to a door that was secured by an additional wooden latch at the top of the door frame. He paused for a moment in front of the door, but walked away without opening it. French later explained that he was looking for an exit route used by the kidnapper; since the wooden latch was holding the door closed from inside the house, the kidnapper could not have used this door and then closed the latch from the inside, ruling this out as a possible exit. JonBenét's body was later found behind the door.<ref name="Newsweek 2016">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.newsweek.com/jonbenet-ramsey-door-cops-never-opened-501705 |title=JonBenét: The Door The Cops Never Opened |magazine=Newsweek |date=September 23, 2016 | access-date=September 28, 2016 | archive-date=February 24, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224174135/https://www.newsweek.com/jonbenet-ramsey-door-cops-never-opened-501705 | url-status=live}}</ref>

With JonBenét still missing, John made arrangements to pay the ransom. A [[forensic]]s team was dispatched to the house. The team initially believed that the child had been kidnapped, and JonBenét's bedroom was the only room in the house that was cordoned off to prevent [[Contaminated evidence|contamination of evidence]]. No precautions were taken to prevent contamination of evidence in the rest of the house.<ref name="Newsweek 2016" /> Meanwhile, friends, victim advocates, and the Ramsey family's minister arrived at the home to show support. Visitors picked up and cleaned surfaces in the kitchen, possibly destroying evidence.<ref name="Newsweek 2016" /> Boulder detective Linda Arndt arrived at about 8:00&nbsp;a.m. MST, in anticipation of receiving further instructions by the kidnapper(s), but there was never an attempt by anyone to claim the money.<ref name=Oliva />