When protectors turn predators?

The Aarushi saga has us looking back at two similar tales of horror, where the very people who nurtured their child's life came under the radar for brutally cutting it short.

Six-year-old JonBenet Ramsey's battered, strangled body was found in her house's basement on December 26, 1996

The JonBenet Ramsey Story: Trial by media?
The JonBenet Ramsey story played out in a small town in Colorado, US in the winter of 1996. It was strongly believed that the parents were responsible for their six-year old daughter's murder but there was absolutely no proof to back that charge. Fifteen years later, the trail is now icy cold.
Case history: Early December 26, 1996, Patsy Ramsey called 911 to report JonBenet, her daughter six year-old daughter, missing from her bed. The Ramseys claimed there was a three-page ransom note downstairs demanding $118,000. Hours later, with the investigators in the home, JonBenet's father, John B. Ramsey, found his little girl's battered, strangled body in the their basement. John and Patsy insist an intruder killed their daughter.
Ramseys vs Talwars: Just as how the first trimester of the Aarushi case panned out, the investigators in the Ramsey case bungled-up numerous times. There was no move to protect forensic evidence. They did not search the premises thoroughly enough, they did not even seal off the area- letting friends and associates walk in and out at their leisure.

The Ramseys at the press conference they held to clear their names in their daughter's death

Unlike the Talwars, it took a good while before the Ramseys were aware of the mounting suspicion against them. By that time, the media was going full throttle on their direct involement in their child's death, sans proof.
When news stories appeared reporting that the police believed that JonBenet had been sexually assaulted prior to the time of her murder, John and Patsy Ramsey finally realized that the police, to use John's words -- "Weren't there to help us, they were there to hang us."
In May, the Ramseys held a press conference, part of which showed John Ramsey staring into the camera and declaring dramatically, "I did not kill my daughter."
Mirroring the Talwar story, this was a desperate attempt by the Ramseys to declare their innocence, but there were no takers. During the time, a major American talk show even held a live 'trial' on the case where they were found liable for the death.

The residents of Boulder, Colorado hold a candle-light vigil in memory of JonBenet

Current Status: America has long since forgotten little JonBenet. With no concrete evidence or any suspect, the case gathered dust. A few years later, Pat Ramsey also succumbed to cancer.
Where the case stands fifteen years later can be summarised perfectly by the words of CNN reporter Tom Forman, who tracked the case from the little town of Boulder in Colorado in 1996:
"All we really know is what I said many times at the end of my reports back in that sad winter: A little girl was killed in her own home on Christmas. And no one has ever spent a day in jail for her death."

Four-year-old Madeleine Mccann went missing from her room in Portugal in 2007 while her parents dined at nearby restaurant

The Madeleine McCann story: Gone without a trace
Case History: On May 3, 2007, Kate McCann discovered that her 4-year-old daughter Madeleine was missing from their room while on holiday in Portugal. The McCanns, who hailed rom England, were entertaining friends at a nearby restaurant and Kate had stopped by to check on her children who were asleep in their apartment. Portuguese investigators initally followed the abduction angle. Madeleine was suspected to have been kidnapped by a paedophile or a child trafficking ring. A local with a paedophilic record first confessed his role in her abduction but later, in a dramatic u-turn from his deathbed, denied the allegations.
Since the initial weeks of speculation, little in the way of hard and fast fact emerged, forcing the Portuguese police to close the case.
McCanns vs Talwars: After a year's search, the Portuguese investigators found it difficult to carry on with the abduction angle and turned the heat on the McCanns- further questioning their role in the child's disappearance. In fact, the McCanns continue to fight a legal battle against a former Portuguese detective over his allegations that Madeleine died in the rented apartment while her parents were out. He accused the McCanns of negligence.

Image released by the McCanns projecting how Madeleine would look today

The Portuguese police closed the investigation into Madeleine's disappearance after exactly 18 months, citing lack of evidence. In contrast, the CBI have managed to hold the Talwars accountable, naming them the main accused in the case, despite weak evidence.
Current Status: The Portuguese police may have shut the investigation but the search for Madeleine continues on a different level. People the world have reported citings of the child, the most recent in Dubai in January 2011. The McCanns have even released images projecting the appearance of an older Madeleine.
In 2010, the McCanns signed a book deal to make some extra cash to fund their global campaign. They hope to shed light on their innocence through the book which is expected to hit the stands this April.
Like the Ramseys, the McCanns have so far not been chargesheeted by the investigators- a liberty the Talwars currently do not enjoy. They go to trial on February 28.
Source: India Syndicate