Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, September 10, 1994 TAG: 9409120081
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RICHARD FOSTER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Roanoke police found the partially clothed body of Pamela Gail Ramey wrapped in a sleeping bag inside her car at a parking lot at Fifth Street and Marshall Avenue Southwest. A preliminary autopsy revealed she died of asphyxiation.
Ramey was reported missing early Tuesday after she failed to show up at her job in Lynchburg. Later that night, John William Jackson, her ex-boyfriend and the chief suspect in her disappearance, committed suicide after fleeing from Lynchburg police into Bedford County.
Ramey's family and friends held out hope for her safe return until Friday, when a state employee in Roanoke notified police that Ramey's red Mitsubishi Mirage was parked in his space.
The car had been there since Tuesday and the state worker had left a note on the windshield, hoping the owner would move it. It was not until he picked up a newspaper Friday and read a description of the missing woman's car that he recognized it as the one parked in his space.
In the back seat of Ramey's car were a child-safety seat and a colorful toy electronic keyboard that belonged to her 4-year-old daughter, Brittany.
Dr. William Massello, assistant deputy chief medical examiner for Western Virginia, said Ramey had been dead for more than a day when she was found.
He said that her death could have been caused by smothering, lack of oxygen from being confined in her car trunk or a "gentle strangulation." She had no injuries to her neck or throat.
Roanoke and Lynchburg police are conducting a joint investigation into Ramey's death.
Ramey's best friend, Laura Cofer, said Ramey's parents and friends are questioning why Lynchburg police waited until Thursday to publicize Ramey's name, photo or a description of her car.
"Why didn't they release this information? Why didn't they do this earlier to find her?
"I pray that if [Jackson] did kill her, it was before [she was locked in the trunk], because otherwise who's to say she wasn't left there to die?"
Ross Kirtley, Ramey's boss at Prime Time Rentals in Lynchburg, said she was in line for a promotion from sales clerk to assistant manager.
"She was a good employee, a nice lady, she cared about her child and her work," he said. "I hate this."
In his store, flowers that were sent to Ramey by an admirer more than a week ago sat wilting in a vase. Kirtley said he knew Jackson and described him as a quiet, nice person who did automotive repair jobs for friends and paged and called Ramey frequently.
D.D. Rose worked with Jackson at Kerr Tire in Lynchburg. "I thought a lot of him," Rose said of Jackson. "He had money problems and we would do repair jobs together and I would let him collect the money because he had bills to pay and then [later] he returned the favor for me.
"I don't think he's the kind of person [to commit murder]. He showed some signs of a high temper but nothing like that."
Although Ramey was reported missing Tuesday, she was last seen alive Sunday morning when she left a friend's house in Lynchburg to attend a football party at Jackson's house.
When Jackson was questioned by Lynchburg police Tuesday night, officers found some of Ramey's jewelry and her pager in his possession. He reportedly asked officers, "How much time are y'all going to give me for this?" and told them that Ramey was not close by.
Jackson then struck an officer and fled, leading police on a chase into Bedford County before abandoning his car and running into heavy woods. Wednesday morning, a Bedford farmer found Jackson dead, strangled by a shoelace that was tied to a fence.
Staff writer Diane Struzzi contributed information to this story.
Keywords:
FATALITY
by CNB