JonBenet Dad Regrets Child Beauty Shows

Pageants may have made girl target of murderer, says father
By Mary Papenfuss,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 14, 2012 12:24 AM CDT
JonBenet Dad Regrets Child Beauty Shows
One of the headlines about the JonBenet murder.   (biebercena916)

The father of 6-year-old murdered pageant princess JonBenet Ramsay said he now regrets allowing his daughter to compete in child beauty contests. John Ramsay said he remembers his little girl as a tom boy. "I see her in shorts and T-shirt, and hair kind of scruffy, and just kind of a kid," he recalled on ABC News, 15 years after his daughter was found strangled in the basement of the family's Colorado home. News of the murder, which was never solved, splashed disturbing photos of the little girl looking far older than her years in makeup and flashy pageant outfits. Ramsay said JonBenet's participation in the pageants may have made her a target for crime.

"That possibly might have drawn attention to us," he said. "We were so naïve. I now believe with all my heart that it's not a good idea to put your child on public display," he added. My "advice to a parent is just recognize that, regardless of where you live, there could be evil around you. Keep your kids protected." Ramsay also said he finds the Toddlers and Tiaras reality program about children beauty pageants "bizarre." Ramsay spoke about his daughter to promote his book about the family's ordeal, The Other Side of Suffering. He and his late wife were under suspicion in the murder until they were officially cleared in 2008. For new photos of JonBenet, check here. (More John Ramsay stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X