On this day in conspiracies

The Hesperus finally reaches Eilean Mòr. No keepers appear on the landing, no flag flies, and a signal rocket goes unanswered. Joseph Moore climbs the steps alone and finds the lighthouse deserted: gate and doors closed, beds unmade, the clock stopped, the fire out, and the lamp cleaned and ready to light.

BBC Radio 4 broadcasts a documentary on the case by reporter Rosalind Morris, who had visited the family repeatedly. The activity tapers off through 1979. Peggy Hodgson remained in the house until her death in 2003, and the case has been revisited in books, a 2016 film, and a 2023 documentary series.

In the early hours, security patrolmen near the east gate of RAF Woodbridge see lights descending into Rendlesham Forest and go to investigate on foot, reporting a strange glowing object among the trees.

In the early morning, Patsy Ramsey calls 911 to report her daughter missing, having found a long handwritten ransom note in the home. Hours later, after police had allowed friends and family to gather in the house, John Ramsey and a friend find JonBenét's body in a basement room. The scene had not been secured as a homicide scene.