BOULDER, COLORADO - A man labeled by John and Patsy Ramsey as a possible suspect in their daughter's slaying has died. <br>
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Bill McReynolds, who had been hired to play Santa Claus at the Ramsey home, was found dead of a heart attack Monday at his home in Mashpee, Mass., his wife said. He was 72. <br>
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Police sources said they never considered the former University of Colorado journalism professor as a serious suspect. <br>
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McReynolds was investigated because he played Santa Claus at the Ramsey home for three years in a row. His last appearance came two days before JonBenet was found slain in 1996. <br>
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JonBenet's death also resembled the plot of a play his wife had written before the slaying. Authorities collected hair and handwriting samples from the couple in the first few months following the killing. <br>
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The Ramseys called McReynolds a suspect in their book, ``Death of Innocence.'' <br>
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Janet McReynolds said Wednesday that her husband's involvement in the infamous case scarred him and forced the couple to move to the small town in Cape Cod after more than 30 years Colorado. <br>
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``He was just so devastated by the mere idea anyone would suspect him of a crime,'' she said. <br>
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McReynolds' big heart made him a popular instructor at CU, said fellow professor Doug Cosper. <br>
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``Some of his students kept relationships with him their entire lives,'' he said. <br>
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McReynolds' fascination with Santa Claus began after his retirement from the university in 1992, according to his wife. <br>
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``He loved being Santa, he loved little children, and then the Ramsey case destroyed that career and just devastated him,'' Janet McReynolds said. ``He loved that little girl. It was a very sad thing in his life because he genuinely loved children, and it was the happiest part of his life.'' <br>
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When the couple moved to Massachusetts in 1998, the grandfather of six filled his time helping the elderly at the local senior center. <br>
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A memorial service was scheduled for Friday in Massachusetts. A service in Boulder will take place later this month, and his ashes will be scattered in one of his favorite Colorado mountain getaways, his wife said.
