Jon Benet Ramsey By Claudia Williams

       Here is a murder that puzzled the world.  The murder of a little diva in the making, Little Miss Jon Benet Ramsey.  Her murder captured the hearts of the world.  Jon Benet Ramsey was born 1990 in Atlanta, Georgia.  She and her family moved to Boulder, Colorado. There are several different theories about who murdered Jon Benet Ramsey, but we are going to look into three of them:

1.      The town drifter Gary Oliva

2.      The family’s very own housekeeper Linda Hoffman-Pugh (Lovitt).

3.      Her mother Patsy Ramsey

Based on the information we find, we will get a step closer to who strangled and murdered this little angel.

Jon Benet was a generous and giving person. Breanne Griego said “that Jon Benet would bring other Barbie dolls for the other girls to play with” (Poppen 1). Thumper Gosney also said that “they would disappear for 30 minutes at a time and play with Barbie dolls” (Dailymail.com 1). Bill McReynolds, a Santa in Boulder, remembered her as a giving person who had an “angel spirit” (Poppen 1). He thought of her this way because of the “star dust“she gave him (1).  I see her being a generous and giving person by the way she shared her toys and gave them gifts.

            Jon Benet was also a compassionate person and had great concern for others. One of Patsy’s friends said of Jon Benet that, “she was compassionate. The other kids at school always wanted her to go with them to the school doctor. Kids really liked her” (Poppen 1). Jon Benet showed compassion and concern for others by the way she took pride in taking them to the doctor’s or nurse’s office.

Jon Benet was a caring and loving child. Griego said, that “she was always everyone’s best friend” (Poppen 1). Griego also said, “she was just a really nice fun-loving kid” (Dailymail 1). People seen her as a loving little girl because of the care and love she showed to them or others.

 

Jon Benet was a playful young lady.  Phillips said that Jon Benet and her daughter made mile-high ice cream cones (Poppen 1). This showed her playfulness as she navigated back to her parents with the mile-high ice cream cones. Phillips also said, that “at the family Christmas party, she seen little Jon Benet playing with her big brother Burke” (1). The playfulness is what you see during the family Christmas party.

Jon Benet was a talented little girl. Griego said “she was a strong competitor and she really likes being up on stage” (Poppen 1). She had loads and loads of talents; “she loved to sing and dance with her friends”, said Phillips (1). She showed her skills in the pageant competitions. She won so many titles: Little Miss Colorado, National Tiny Miss, and America’s Royale Miss (Biography 1). If you look at the pageant pictures, some of them are taken from the talent section of the pageant.  In these pictures you see her posing with her hula hoop.

 

This little girl was smart. Phillips, described Jon Benet as a “real watcher, observant and curious” (Poppen 1). Jon Benet was observant of everything around her, from how she walked the runway to showing her curious side of how to perfect her craft. This is why she was one of the favorites of the judges.  

Jon Benet was a spoiled little girl.  Dee Dee Nelson-Schneider said, that “one day Jon Benet said to her mother that she didn’t have enough dresses, so Patsy took her shopping and let her get some dresses” (Boulder Daily 1). This is just how spoiled she really was. Always getting her way.

 In the cold case files of Jon Benet Ramsey, there have been many theories and suspects. Right now we are going to continue to look into the three people from earlier:

                        1. The town drifter and child sex offender Gary Howard Oliva.

                        2. The family’s very own housekeeper Linda Hoffman-Pugh (Lovitt 1).

3. Her very own brother Burke Ramsey (1).

Based on our information we will be a step closer to who strangled and murdered Miss Little Jon Benet Ramsey. The brother is the one we will be looking at in more detail.

            The first conspiracy theory suggests that “Oliva was among suspects who rose to police attention after the murder of child beauty queen Jon Benet in 1996” (McGhee 1). Gary Howard Oliva had a bad reputation in town— convicted child sex offender and town drifter. “The convicted pedophile had been living in the area on and off when police allegedly found a magazine cutout of Jon Benet Ramsey in his backpack after he was apprehended on drug charges in 2000” (Lovitt 1). “Soon after, Oliva's high-school friend Michael Vail stepped forward with an allegation supporting Gray’s suspicion. Vail claimed that not long after the murder, a distraught Oliva had called him on the phone and confessed to his longtime pal that to have ‘hurt a little girl. I have hurt a little girl’ ”(1). Oliva was also rumored to have possible connections to a theory that links the marks found on Jon Benet's body to an encounter with a stun gun” (1). This is all circumstantial evidence; more concrete evidence is need to convict Mr. Oliva.

            The second conspiracy proposes that Linda Huffman-Pugh the family housekeeper committed the murder. “A knife that Linda Huffman-Pugh kept hidden in a cupboard on the second level of the home was found by police in the basement, where Jon Benet’s body was discovered” (“Ramsey Housekeeper Doubts Intruder Theory 1”). “He (Burke) didn’t (clean up his act) and about a month before the Jon Benet’s slaying, she took away the knife and put it in a cupboard over a sink near Jon Benet’s room” (1). “The Huffman-Pugh theory asserted that the housekeeper led a trusting Jon Benet down into the basement that night in attempting to trick employers into leaving money for her ransom (It’s possible that she could have seen John Ramsey’s pay stub for $180,000 as a holiday bonus and chosen that as her demand)” (Lovitt 1). “So far, all evidence implicating her in the case is circumstantial at best, and she has never been formally accused of this crime” (1).   The story sounds a little fishy, it looks as if they were trying to make a case and couldn’t. It’s because there was none. Huffman-Pugh is incident.

            Our last conspiracy theory points to Burke Ramsey, Jon Benet’s big brother. At the tender age of 9, he was showing signs of “Antisocial Personality Disorder a ‘pervasive pattern of disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others that begins in childhood or early adolescence’” (“Who Killed Jon Benet 1”). “These antisocial behaviors commonly include ‘aggressive conduct that cause or threatens physical harm to others people or animals’ ” (1). “They may display bullying, threatening or intimidating behaviors, start fights, exhibit physical cruelty, and use potentially deadly weapons” (1). Burke Ramsey has been showing these signs and the family has just been overlooking it.  “Judith Phillips, 64, a Ramsey family friend for more than ten years, told ‘The Sun’ how she had often seen flashes of Burke’s temper and believes the theory he is the culprit” (“Murder Finally Solved 1”). “Judith said,’When Burke was born he was the absolute apple of Patsy’s eye. Then along came this little girl who stole all the attention. He could well have been very jealous” (1). “Photographer Judith also claimed, ‘Burke had hit his sister with a golf club a year before her murder, leaving her with a scar on her cheek” (1). “Now, in a CBS documentary ‘The Case of Jon Benet Ramsey’, a former investigator for Boulder’s District Attorney gave his theory that the little girl and her brother clashed over a snack of fresh pineapples” (1). “Crime scene footage showed a bowl of pineapples and a glass of iced tea bearing Burke’s fingerprints” (1). The autopsy report says, that “The proximal portion of the small intestine contains fragmented pieces of yellow to light green-tan apparent vegetable or fruit material which may represent fragments of pineapple” (Autopsy Report 4). “The TV documentary also pointed out two red marks on Jon Benet’s lower back could have been made by a piece of Burke’s toy train track” (Murder Finally Solved 1). “The new probe suggested Burke may have poked his sister with the track when he realized she wasn’t moving” (1). “These measure up to one inch in length by one-sixteenth to one-eighth of an inch in with. On the left lateral aspect of the lower back, approximately sixteen and one-half inches below the level of the top of the head are two dried rust colored to slightly purple abrasions” (Autopsy Report 2). “Judith admitted: “I agree with the theory Burke killed Jon Benet but I don’t think he meant to do it” (Murder Finally Solved 1). “To date no one has ever been charged for her murder, and the investigation remains open over two decades after her death” (Jon Benet Ramsey). I a survey I done at the College of the Mainland, out of the 20 people I asked who do you think killed Jon Benet Ramsey 75% of the people think Burke, Jon Benet’s big brother did it out of a fit of rage over her eating some of his nighttime snack of fresh pineapples.

In conclusion, we looked into the town drifter and child sex offender Gary Howard Oliva with no real evidences. We also looked at the family’s housekeeper Linda Hoffman-Pugh who had no real motive to do this to this little girl. Lastly, Jon Benet’s very own big brother Burke Ramsey, who had the most likely reasons:

1.      He was the apple of their parent’s eye and she stole the spot light from under him, and it just grew from there.

2.      Burke signs of aggressive behavior like hitting Jon Benet in the face with the golf club.

3.      The final straw was when Jon Benet ate some of his fresh pineapple, and he did not feel like sharing. This made him so angry, that he pushed her against the counter. Was Burke trying to kill her? No, but he pushed her so hard that it killed her, and in his disbelief, he poked her with his train track to wake her up. That is why she has those to bruises on her. Burke had the means to do it, and the motive was his jealous, and hatred. And he had the opportunity.

The reasons why this case is not solved is because of all the mistakes that were made; the mother planting stuff, the police letting people walk all though the house and the father moving her body from where it was found. In addition, Burke’s lying played a part in why the police couldn’t come to a conclusion.

 A survey was done at the College of the Mainland.  People were asked “Who do you think killed Miss Jon Benet Ramsey, child beauty queen: Burke her big brother, Linda the family’s housekeeper or Gary Howard Oliva, the town drifter and child sex offender?  Out of the 20 people that was asked “Who do you think killed Jon Benet Ramsey 75% of the people think Burke, Jon Benet’s big brother did it out of a t of rage over her eating some of his nighttime snack of fresh pineapples.

 

	Burke	Linda	Gary
1	X
2	X
3	X
4	X
5			X
6	X
7	X
8	X
9	X
10	X
11		X
12	X
13		X
14		X
15	X
16			X
17	X
18	X
19	X
20	X

 

                                                                                Work Cited

“Autopsy Report” United States.Office of the Boulder County Coronor. Forensic Outreach. August.2016. Web. 1 November 2017

Article from BoulderNews Ramsey Archive, web.dailycamera.com/extra/ramsey/1997/12/26-2.html.

Biography.comEditors JonBenetRamsey Biography.comwebsite May22,2017www.biography.com/people/jonbenet-ramsey-12986606.October2,2017

Diamond, Stephen. “Who Killed JonBenet?” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 18 Jan. 2017, www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evil-deeds/201701/who-killed-jonbenet.

Lovitt, Bryn. “Who Killed JonBenet Ramsey? 8 Possible Suspects.” Rolling Stone, Rollingstone, 12 Oct. 2016, www.rollingstone.com/culture/lists/who-killed-jonbenet-ramsey-8-possible-suspects-w443881 

McGhee, Tom. “One-Time Person of Interest in JonBenet Ramsey Case Held in Boulder on Child Porn Charges.” The Denver Post, The Denver Post, 21 July 2016,www.denverpost.com/2016/06/22/jonbenet-ramsey-child-porn-boulder-gary-oliva/.

Ramsey Housekeeper Doubts Intruder Theory, web.dailycamera.com/extra/ramsey/1999/0803crams.html.

Reporter, Dailymail.com. “JonBenet Ramsey's Pageant Friends Remember the Slain Beauty Queen 20 Years on as a 'Fun-Loving' Girl Who Had a Bright Future and Would Have Thrived at College.” Daily Mail Online, Associated Newspapers, 13 Sept. 2016, www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3787893/JonBenet-Ramsey-s-pageant-friends-remember-slain-beauty-queen-20-years-fun-loving-girl-bright-future-thrived-college.html.

“UK Justice Forum.” Friend of Beauty Queen JonBenet’s Family Backs Theory Brother Killed Her., miscarriageofjustice.co/index.php?topic=7653.0.www.rollingstone.com/culture/lists/who-killed-jonbenet-ramsey-8-possible-suspects-w443881

Worthen, Meredith. “JonBenét Ramsey.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 22 May 2017, www.biography.com/people/jonbenet-ramsey-12986606.

Zaret Alli Krupski Staff Writers, Elliot. “Daily Camera's First JonBenet Ramsey Story: 'Missing Girl Found Dead'.” Boulder Daily Camera, 2017 Digital First Media, 25 Oct. 2016,www.dailycamera.com/news/jonbenet-ramsey/ci_30505165/jonbenet-ramsey-first-story-boulder-newspaper.

Death of Rock Legend Kurt Cobain By Kendal Feigle

   

Have you ever stopped to consider if Kurt Cobain's death was actually suicide? He was a music artist that was quickly becoming well-known across the world; he sold over 75 million albums worldwide. There are theories behind his death concluding he was actually murdered by his wife at the time, Courtney Love, who he also had a daughter with. His death has been something people have been talking about since 1994. Numerous people believed it was premediated murder, but let's take a look into the conspiracies surrounding the suicide or possible homicide that ended this well-known young man's life. 

Kurt Cobain was a very talented but, also, a problematic rock legend in the 1990's.  He was a truly manic person who struggled extremely with drug addiction. Cobain showed interest in music and art starting at a remarkably young age ("Kurt Cobain"). Kurt was excelling at art from a really young age. In kindergarten, it became apparent his skills were rather higher than the kids around him (1). Music and art were always his best ways of finding an escape from reality. At the age of nine, Cobain received a guitar from his uncle Chuck (1). When Kurt started playing, it offered him this peace in his life that he had been searching for. In high school, he amazed all the teachers and students with his unique artistic skills (1).

Cobain's life had changed dramatically when he discovered punk rock ("Kurt Cobain"). It helped him release the anger that had been stirring up inside of him. He met Buzz Osbourne, a member in the Melvins, who he befriended shortly after seeing his band preform (1). He started attending his shows and hanging around their gigs more frequently. Eventually, "Cobain started playing music with bassist Krist Novoselic who was two years older than him" (1).  Kurt's aspirations were ultimately about to become a reality.

 Cobain had finally founded a band of his own called Nirvana, the fifth name they finally settled on for their group in 1998 ("Too Young to Die-Kurt Cobain").  "Love Buzz" was Nirvana's first single that was released by Sub Pop Records (1).  Around this time the popularity of Kurt's band was drastically increasing. "When About a Girl" was released, Kurt's emerging abilities as a song writer began to revile (1). It was becoming clear that the signature sound of the band had a heavy metal or punk tone to it. With hard work and dedication, "Nirvana made the leap to a major label in 1991, signing with Geffen Records" (1).  Within the same year, "Nevermind", was the song that made a huge movement towards a music revolution (Kurt Cobain). Cobain's talent began to inspire people from all around the world.

 Kurt's talent started to emerge as he produced more and more music as they became more successful. The single "Smells Like Teen Spirt" was a mix between heavy metal and alternative, like many of Nirvana's music ("Kurt Cobain"). It actually proved to be the bands best-selling single that put them high over the charts, including to be the most recognition they'd ever had (1). In September of 1993, Kurt began expressing his depression and anger towards the world within his lyrics (1). Everyone was starting to realize he wasn’t this joyful person society had made him out to be. Kurt was actually struggling really hard to get a grasp with every event going on in his life and his new reality of being a rock star.

 Kurt Cobain had been struggling with manic depression his whole life; "He sometimes spent time with his little sister Kim who was born in 1971, but both Cobain kids had to deal with their parents yelling and fighting as their marriage became increasingly stormy" ("Kurt Cobain"). It had a huge impact on his life that neither of his parents seemed to realize the severity of his mental health. When Kurt turned nine his parents divorced, causing him to become withdrawn from everyone (1). The divorce further damaged Cobain's mental health, making it harder for him to feel stability within his emotions. He went to live with his dad, and only got to see his mother and sister on the weekends (1). Moving back and forth was slowly causing him to grow more spiteful in his life.

Another problematic event Cobain endured was when his dad remarried a girl named Jenny, who Kurt resented including her two children as well ("Kurt Cobain"). This was when Kurt turned to music and art for replacing this gap that had formed in his life due to his parent's divorce and his father's sudden remarriage. He started to feel alienated and vexed towards his family, he believed his father always took his wife's side; His father favored her children and his half-brother Chad was born in 1979 (1). Kurt recognized his father's love towards his new family, and grew to feel unloved by his farther. Kurt began to experiment with drugs in his teenage years and then pushed his father out of his life (1). The influence of drugs had a negative impact on Kurt's mental health causing him to avoid feeling important emotions. "In 1982, Cobain left his father's place and bounced around from relative to relative for several months" (1). He never could seem to find that place where he felt complete or loved.

As Cobain progressed in high school, drinking and drugs became a more of a frequent habit. Kurt decided to move back in with his mother and her boyfriend at the time, Pat O'Conner ("Kurt Cobain"). Cobain began fighting with his mother who often also drank a lot, and he could not stand being around his stepfather (1). Kurt began to resent his family, feeling like he just didn't belong with them. In the years 1984 and 1985 Cobain spent numerous nights sleeping in various places (1). He would often stay a few nights with friends, but the majority of his nights he spent sleeping in places like apartment buildings and hospital waiting rooms (1). He began getting into trouble with the law around this time. One-time Cobain was spray painting buildings with his friends around town, when the police suddenly arrived, his friends managed to get away but he got arrested and taken to the station (1). The following year he got arrested for being drunk wandering around an abandoned building (1). The trouble with law-enforcement caused him to feel more rebellious.

Another troubled occurrence in Kurt's life was in 1990 when Kurt met Courtney Love, his ideal match for his rocker role style ("Kurt Cobain"). They started to become exclusive with each other. Around this time Cobain was becoming known as the one of the best song-writers of his generation (1). He was becoming really successful and selling music commercially, and was well-known all over the world. Kurt started feeling concerned with how his music was being received to the public, and he didn’t know how to regain control of his future (1).  Heroine was also becoming Kurt's life, he claimed is was relief for his chronic stomach pain (1). Courtney definitely had a negative impact on Cobain's life, causing him to get more wrapped up in drugs.

Kurt and Courtney weren't the best for each other considering both Cobain and Love were drug addicts who often used together ("Kurt Cobain"). February 1992, Kurt and Courtney got married, and welcomed their daughter in August of the same year. The couple was investigated by social services, when Courtney claimed she took heroine while she was pregnant (1). After the custody battle they were able to keep their daughter. The couple had become increasingly dangerous, in one altercation the Seattle police arrived to their house after an accusation about Cobain owning guns (1). At this point Kurt's band was becoming highly successful, but Kurt began to grow very distant from the band. Although, Kurt's mental health was clearly deteriorating, he was still pushing performances and played in New York 1993 for MTV (1). 

On March 4, 1994, in Rome Italy, Kurt attempted suicide for the first time from an over dose on drugs ("Kurt Corbin"). Love woke up in a surprise and rushed Cobain to the hospital while he was in a coma (1). The official reports claim it was an accidental overdose, but Cobain had written a suicide letter, clearly trying to take his life (1). After the first attempted suicide Kurt had become more depressed. Then after returning to the United States Kurt spent time alone and intoxicated (1). On March 18, 1994, Courtney called the police to report Kurt was suicidal, he locked himself in the closet with medication and some guns (1). "After interviewing Love and Cobain, it was determined that he had not threatened to kill himself, but Love called authorities because he had locked himself in and would not open the door" (1). Courtney attempted to get Kurt to quit using, going as far as traveling to Los Angeles then checking him into rehab.

On April 5, 1994, 27-year-old Kurt Cobain had been found shot, he had committed suicide. Before dying, "He left a lengthy suicide note in which he addressed his many fans as well as his wife and young daughter" ("Kurt Cobain"). Although an extensive time passed since 1994, Kurt still continued to inspire his fans. In the year 2014, Nirvana joined the Rock Hall of Fame. Despite Kurt's talent, his troubled past led him to tragic suicide.

Kurt Cobain's death has been lurking in the darkness for many decades, holding many conspiracies behind how this talented young man died. We are going to take a look into the numerous assumptions behind Kurt Cobain's death.

One thing that caught the majority of citizens attention was the eeriness of Kurt's own suicide letter. The beginning of the note was clearly written in a different font than the ending of Cobain's letter. It seemed as though Kurt had written about half a page, and someone picked it up and finished the rest. When an investigator from Kurt's case enlarged the suicide letter the more sinister possibility of murder seemed to become more transparent (Shelton 1). "The ink printed line of that one critical comment, ("which will be so much happier without me"), are thinner than all of the ink printed lines in the rest of the note." (1). The little details weren't adding up throughout Kurt's suicide note, suspicion began to raise drastically.

One observation, "During the investigation, a piece of paper was found in Courtney Love’s bag, and the paper appeared to be filled with handwriting practice" ("Kurt Cobain’s Suicide Note"). Investigators noticed it was the same letters repetitively, partially resembling Kurt's handwriting. The investigators concluded the writing was an identical match to the strange writing found on Kurt's letter. However, other than this investigator's statements, there is no official evidence concluding that Kurt Cobain didn’t write the entire letter.

The most favored conspiracy concluded his wife, Courtney Love, murdering Kurt. In Cobain's suicide investigation multiple items just didn’t seem to fit together; "In Nick Broomfield's documentary "Kurt & Courtney", Eldon Hoke, also known as "El Duce," singer of Seattle band The Mentors, claims Courtney Love approached him at a record store in Hollywood and offered to pay him $50,000 to kill Kurt Cobain" (Conaboy 1). Two days after El Duce was interviewed he was hit by a train and killed, with no witnesses to his death. Could Courtney have killed him to hide the evidence behind her being in evolved in Kurt's case. After El Duce's interview, public eye was drawn to the possibility of Courtney Love staging Kurt's suicide. Considering this, Love could have taken matters into her own hands and had El Duce silenced forever.

Courtney could have been painting this picture of a manic depressed, suicidal husband for all of the media to see and judge. Courtney had also contacted the police numerous times claiming Kurt was extremely suicidal. After one official report, the police noted Kurt never threatened to commit suicide, he had just locked himself inside of a closet. Courtney accomplished her goal of making Kurt's sudden suicide appear believable and bound to happen. However, the suicide was flawed with many details that didn't add up to Kurt killing himself.  When Cobain was found, he had over three times the lethal amount of heroin in his body. Also, "The forensic pathologist we spoke to said that there's no way this guy could have injected a triple lethal dose of heroin into his system, then rolled down his sleeve, put away the drug kit, picked up the shotgun and shot himself. He would have been incapacitated within seconds,” (Conaboy 1). Also, when the police brought in his gun for forensic testing, they could not find any finger prints on Kurt's shotgun or on the pen that was used to write this oddly enough suicide letter. Thus, concluding there is no way Kurt could have physically shot himself. The poll that was tested for this theory only 25% of people believed Kurt's death was murder, and 75% believed he had actually committed suicide, due to how well Courtney made Kurt appear suicidal. Considering all of the strange evidence found within Kurt Cobain's mysterious death, could he have really committed suicide, or was Kurt Cobain murdered in cold blood?

Work Cited

Conaboy, Kelly. “How Did Kurt Cobain Really Die? The Murder Conspiracy Theory, Explained.” Gawker, blackbag.gawker.com/how-did-kurt-cobain-really-die-the-murder-conspiracy-t-1690091851

“Kurt Cobain.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 28 Apr. 2017, www.biography.com/people/kurt-cobain-9542179

"Kurt Cobain." Newsmakers, Gale 1994. Biography in context ezproxy.com.edu/login? url=http://link.galegroup.com/apps/docs/k1618001413/BIC1? U=txshracd2496&xid=a42c33fb. Accessed 16 Oct. 2017

  “Kurt Cobain's Suicide Note.” Those Conspiracy Guys, 28 Aug. 2016, thoseconspiracyguys.com/kurt-cobains-suicide-note/.

  Shelton, Jacob “Was Kurt Cobain's Death Really A Suicide Or Was It Something More?” Ranker, www.ranker.com/list/kurt-cobain-murder-conspiracies/jacob-shelton. 

 “Too Young to Die - Kurt Cobain.” FilmRiseDocumentary. YouTube, YouTube, 20 Oct. 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rb89jWy2H8Y.

Amelia Earhart’s Disappearance - Amira Alhalaby

            “I have a feeling that there is just about one more good flight left in my system, and I hope this trip is it”, the words Amelia said in Miami before her trip as the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic (“Biography”). Since her disappearance, several theories have conjured: she ran out of fuel and crashed into the Pacific Ocean, she landed on Nikumaroro Island when they couldn’t find their original destination and died there, and that Amelia and her navigator, Fred Noonan, were held hostage by the Japanese on the Marshall Islands (Greshko). There are many theories surrounding this mystery surfacing the internet constantly. So, what really happened to Amelia Earhart?

Character Analysis

            Amelia Earhart was a 39 year-old independent and determined woman when she disappeared flying over the Pacific Ocean (“Biography”). Even as a child, she was above the normal maturity level compared to her peers (“Biography”). She was one of the only children in her time to ignore the traditional female conduct and look and she expressed this with her short hair and her lack of feminine clothing. As a former tomboy, Amelia was raised with inspiring photos of women working predominately male positions scattered all around her childhood room (“Biography”). Young Amelia was stubborn and knew what she wanted from the very beginning (“Biography”). Because of that, she became someone who fought for gender equality and did what her heart allowed her to do, which led her to the opportunity to be the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean (“Biography”).

            A 32 year-old Amelia was never one to settle down and commit to a lifelong promise because of her love of freedom and independence (Burnikow). Staying true to her roots, Amelia was sure to never take her significant other’s last name due to her want of a partnership and not a marriage (Burnikow). Her husband, publisher, manager, and public relations coach, George Putnam, only got the chance to marry Amelia because he went along with a letter she wrote, comprising of “things which should be writ before we are married” (Burnikow). The list went on and talked about how Amelia needed a “place where I can go to be myself now and then” for privacy and to be free of the boundaries marriage may give (Burnikow). She also requested divorce if they were unhappy after a year of being husband and wife, but fortunately, their marriage thrived due to their dynamic (Burnikow). Putnam was more of an equal partner to Amelia and supported, managed, and organized her career as a public figure as she didn’t enjoy the fame her career gave her (Burnikow).

            The first female aviator was a significant character in her time because of her passion for tearing down gender barriers and participating in activities regarding women’s equality (Watson). She strongly believed “women should do everything men do” (Putnam’s memories of Amelia). Though, Amelia didn’t consider herself to be a feminist exactly, she states her views as not “’modern thinking’ or ‘feminism’ or anything of that kind, but just good common sense” (Watson).

            Some of Amelia’s hobbies included traveling around the country, informing women about the “opportunities for women in aviation” and also forming her own fashion line of women’s flying apparel called Amelia Fashions, ranging from wrinkle-free dresses to pants (Most).  She used her fashion line as a way to inspire women to pursue flying as a career because female flying apparel did not exist prior to her brand (Most). Amelia wanted to increase the number of female aviators by encouraging the women she lectured that they need to use their voice and stand up for themselves (Watson). She would go on to explain how they are just as capable as men when it comes to male dominating jobs in all departments (Watson). The dreams Amelia had of becoming one of the women that were once plastered in her childhood bedroom were coming true. She accomplished her goal by visiting colleges and talking to the students about her career and inspiring the women in the various classes that they can do whatever they set their mind to (Watson). Although she didn’t consider herself to be a feminist, Amelia contributed a great deal to post-suffrage women’s equality and she was determined to use her platform in the public eye to broadcast her positions on such (Watson).

            The female aviating pioneer was fearless and determined, which is a factor that led her to her disappearance. Amelia flew with damaged planes many flights before her last and learned to go along with it, despite the risks (“NewsPlayer - Amelia Earhart”). If only Amelia was more careful about her activities surrounding aviation, the possibility of her not going missing would be extremely likely. In an interview after her flight across the Atlantic, Amelia spoke about flying planes with a list of problems concerning it; she didn’t mind the very possible result of death if it meant she had the opportunity to fly (“NewsPlayer - Amelia Earhart”). George Palmer Putnam Jr., George Putnam’s son from a previous marriage, labeled Amelia as “a can-do woman, well-qualified mechanically and aeronautically”, which shows how confident Amelia was in her abilities while flying those dangerous planes (Putnam’s memories of Amelia). 

            Her disappearance was a shock to everyone who cared to know about her. Amelia was smart when it came to her aircrafts and its mechanics, which is why the fact that she went  missing out of no where with the public watching her journey is concerning (Putnam’s memories of Amelia). Her image as the famous first female aviator was solely for breaking gender normalities and doing what she loved in the air. Although she was spontaneous and loved to be free, no one expected her to become nonexistent in a profession she excelled at (Watson).

Conspiracy Descriptions (Main Idea and Details with Survey Results)

            Amelia Earhart’s disappearance led to the surfacing of several theories. The first conspiracy theory is that she and her navigator, Fred Noonan, simply crashed into the Pacific Ocean after running out of fuel, the second conspiracy is explaining how they were castaways on Nikumaroro Island, and lastly, the third is they were taken hostage by the Japanese on Marshall Islands.

            The first and most popular conspiracy suggests Earhart and Noonan ran out of fuel and crashed in the Pacific Ocean on their way to Howland Island (Greshko). Amelia’s radio logs show that she attempted to say she couldn’t find the tiny island they were supposed to land on to refuel (Hanes). Shortly after the radio logs were sent, the plane tragically ran out of gas and Amelia and her navigator crashed into the Pacific Ocean, killing both of them (Hanes). To try and solve the mystery of her disappearance based on this theory, a company that specializes in deep-ocean searches, Nauticos, led an intensive hunt for Amelia’s plane in the area they believe they crashed (Greshko). In the three expeditions held, not one organization dedicated to Amelia found a clue as to where Earhart and her plane sank (Greshko). If Amelia, Fred, and her plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean, the groups would have found them by now due to the amount of rigorous searches they held. This theory doesn’t make sense because of the radio transmissions Amelia sent for nearly a week after the supposed crash (Wootson). To fill the void of confusion and uncertainty, the public wants to believe this as it is the only theory without much thought. But, if Earhart’s plane did crash in the ocean, the radio would not work because it would be submerged in water. So, if Earhart and Noonan did crash into the Pacific Ocean, they would not be able to send the radio transmissions that Amelia sent days after her disappearance. Although this theory is the most accepted out of the three, the timeline of the story does not piece together correctly and can be debunked easily.

            The second theory proposes Amelia and Fred landed on Nikumaroro Island, which is about 400 miles southwest of Howland Island, after realizing they were low on fuel (Greshhko). Earhart missed her original refueling station on the way to Howland Island and spotted Nikumaroro shortly after, so decided to land there instead (Hanes). Survey results from 20 participants show that 45% believe Amelia Earhart did die as a castaway on this island while the other 55% are most likely lacking the information that makes this theory so convincing. The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR) investigates this conspiracy by going on sporadic expeditions to the island (Hanes). Evidence shows Earhart and Noonan safely landed the plane on the reef of the island and got out only to have the plane, the Lockheed Electra, sink and break apart after the tide swept it away (Hanes). TIGHAR reports Amelia’s bones may have been discovered on their expedition 3 years after their landing (Wootson). The ratio of the castaway’s bones were identical to Amelia’s based on the ones they found (Wootson). Some artifacts TIGHAR discovered included a jar of freckle cream Amelia once said she preferred and a piece of plexiglass from the plane she flew on the trip (Hanes). After the landing, the plane still had enough gas in it to keep it powered and stay in contact using the radio transmissions (Wootson). On the other end of the radio, the multiple navigators listening recognized her voice calling for help before the plane died and cut off communication with Earhart and Noonan permanently (Wootson). With all of the evidence given, this theory best solves the disappearance of Amelia, despite the lack of believers.

            The third and last conspiracy involving Earhart points to her and Noonan being captured by the Japanese military after crashing their plane on Marshall Island (Hanes). According to this theory, the foreign military believed Earhart and Noonan were United States spies and took them as hostages after seeing the plane crash (Greshko). After being captured, few believe they were both eventually killed, but others believe they returned to the United States with a new identity for national security reasons (Greshko). Apparently, Amelia’s new identity had a name, Irene Craigmile, and a husband, Guy Bolam. These “new” identities were actual people who resembled the female aviator. According to Rollin C. Reineck, a firm believer of this theory, Amelia sent a radio transmission saying she was heading north right before the Japanese captured her and Noonan and kept them hostage (Greshko). But, this theory does not make sense and has many obvious holes in it. It has too many false observations without any facts. For example, there is no actual evidence that Craigmile has any association with Earhart, only an observation, which has the possibility of being untrue. The only evidence given is a blurry picture that supposedly shows people that resemble Amelia and Fred by the ocean on Marshall Island surrounded by the Japanese military. If this theory is the solution to Amelia’s famous disappearance, there would be more clues as to where she is now, along with her plane.

            The conspiracy theory of Amelia dying as a castaway on Nikumaroro Island is the most plausible because she had a great amount of experience surrounding the aviation world. She would not let her plane run out of gas before landing and there is no proof of her being a U.S spy or being captured by the Japanese military. Currently, expeditions to the island of Nikumaroro, now called Gardner Island, are still being held in hopes of finding at least one more footstep to figure out the mystery that is still shaking the public.

            To this day, Amelia Earhart’s disappearance remains one of world’s greatest mysteries. A few theories have since accumulated: she ran out of fuel and fell in the Pacific Ocean, she landed safely on Nikumaroro Island and died a castaway, and lastly, she wrecked on Marshall Islands and was taken hostage by the Japanese military. While significant evidence points to Amelia dying as a castaway on Nikumaroro Island, the answer to her disappearance remains unsolved.

Works Cited

“Biography - The Official Licensing Website of Amelia Earhart.” Amelia Earhart, www.ameliaearhart.com/biography/.

Burnikow, Louise. “Amelia Earhart Marries George Palmer Putnam.” Women's ENews, 25 June 2003, womensenews.org/2003/06/amelia-earhart-marries-george-palmer-putnam/https://www.ameliaearhart.com/biography/.

Greshko, Michael. “Top 3 Theories for Amelia Earhart's Disappearance.” National

            Geographic, National Geographic Society, 11 July 2017, news.nationalgeographic.com/

            2017/07/amelia-earhart-disappearance-theories-spd/.

Hanes, Elizabeth. “Tantalizing Theories About the Earhart Disappearance.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 2 July 2012, www.history.com/news/what-happened-to-amelia-9-tantalizing-theories-about-the-earhart-disappearance.

Jr., Cleve R. Wootson. “Amelia Earhart Didn’t Die in a Plane Crash, Investigators Say. This Is Their Theory.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 2 Nov. 2016, www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/09/15/amelia-earhart-didnt-die-in-a-plane-crash-this-search-group-says-here-is-its-theory/?utm_term=.770e24f553eb.

Most, MaryCate. “Amelia Earhart: Using Fashion to Inspire Flight.” National Air and Space Museum, 22 Mar. 2017, airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/amelia-earhart-using-fashion-inspire-flight.

“NewsPlayer - Amelia Earhart.” Youtube, 11 Apr. 2008, www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=111&v=lJg_-IwsmBE.

“Putnam’s memories of Amelia” Youtube, 10 May 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAlZmXrQlpM.

Watson, Emilie. “Amelia Earhart: The Flying Feminist.” Flight Paths: Purdue University's Aerospace Pioneers, 10 Mar. 2017, flightpaths.lib.purdue.edu/blog/2016/09/13/amelia-earhart-the-flying-feminist/.