Jennifer Ramsaran

The Story of Jennifer Ramsaran
Jennifer Ramsaran, known to her friends and family as Jen, was married to Ganesh Ramsaran, who went by the nickname Remy. The couple met in college and, despite being opposites, quickly became sweethearts. Remy was outgoing and boisterous, while Jen was quiet and sweet. They eventually married and moved to Chenango Lake, about an hour and a half from Gilboa, NY, where they raised three children. Remy worked for IBM, and Jen was a devoted stay-at-home mom who poured her heart into caring for their kids.

However, as time passed, the couple grew apart. Jen developed a passion for online gaming, particularly a game called Kingdoms of Camelot, a multiplayer online build-and-warfare game. Remy claimed that Jen was addicted to the game, often playing for over eight hours a day, which sometimes kept her from doing other things she loved, like cooking.

According to Jen’s best friend, Eileen Sayles, who she met through the local Girl Scout program, Jen had become romantically involved with another player in the game known as "Rob the Britian." Eileen even recounted how Jen once convinced her to visit a mall to find and smell Rob’s cologne. Jen giggled when asked what would happen if Rob moved to be with her, leaving her friends to wonder how deep her involvement with this online acquaintance truly was.

The Affair That Changed Everything
As Jen became more engrossed in her online life, Remy turned his focus to fitness, particularly running. He participated in at least 24 marathons and eventually found a running partner in Eileen Sayles. This partnership soon turned into an affair. Remy admitted to Oxygen that he asked Eileen for permission to kiss her, and despite initial guilt, the relationship blossomed.

Eileen, who was also married, eventually separated from her husband due to the affair with Remy. Remy began telling Eileen that he planned to divorce Jennifer and start a new life with her. However, the stress of the affair eventually became too much for Eileen, and she ended it in November 2012. Despite the breakup, she slept with Remy one last time—the night before Jennifer disappeared.

Jennifer’s Disappearance
The last time anyone saw Jennifer was on December 11, 2012. She was 36 years old. According to Remy, Jen left their home to go to Syracuse, about 60 miles away, to buy a dress for their daughter’s holiday concert (though some sources say she went to buy Christmas gifts). Remy claimed she left the house before 11 a.m., and when she didn’t return, he called 911. He told the police he was worried because it was unusual for Jen not to check in, saying he was “really freaked out.”

However, Remy’s story had inconsistencies. He mentioned that he decided to go for a run just before Jennifer left, raising questions about how he knew the exact time she left. Using the “Find My iPhone” app, Remy tracked Jen’s phone to an area just outside of town and informed the police. Though they initially found nothing, Remy later claimed to have found the phone near a bridge in some overgrowth and brought it to the police. Strangely, the phone was undamaged.

As the search for Jennifer intensified, her own father found her van, a Chrysler Town and Country, abandoned less than 10 miles from her home in a nearby apartment complex.

The Discovery of Jennifer’s Body
Two months after Jennifer disappeared, on February 26, 2013, her naked body was found about 20 miles from her home on a desolate road. The New York snow had begun to melt, revealing her body, which was still partially frozen. The coroner ruled her death a homicide, but due to the advanced state of decomposition, they couldn’t determine the exact cause of death, though many believed it was blunt force trauma to the head. Male DNA was also found under her fingernails.

Eileen Sayles, consumed with guilt, felt she had betrayed her best friend in the worst way possible. She would never have the chance to apologize or seek forgiveness from Jen.

Suspicion Falls on Remy
Naturally, when Jennifer’s body was discovered, Remy was one of the first people interviewed. He immediately told investigators that he believed Jennifer had gone off to meet her lover, a man she had met online through her gaming. However, when police tracked down “Rob the Britian,” they found he was nowhere near the area at the time of Jennifer’s disappearance and murder. With no concrete evidence of Jennifer’s alleged affair, police began to focus on Remy.

Several actions of Remy raised suspicions. First, he was the one to “find” Jen’s phone in suspiciously good condition. Second, his affair with Eileen, Jennifer’s best friend, painted him in a negative light. Lastly, Remy’s frequent interactions with the press, seemingly trying to control the narrative around his wife’s disappearance, also drew police attention.

Remy’s alibi that he had gone for a run was scrutinized. While surveillance footage showed him at the YMCA, which he claimed was his endpoint, police couldn’t find any other footage of him along the route he claimed to have taken, leading them to doubt his alibi.

Further investigation revealed that the sweatshirt Remy wore during his supposed jog had blood on it, as did the mattress in Jen and Remy’s bedroom. Blood was also found on various walls and a rug in the home. While only one of these bloodstains was linked to Jennifer, the rest were linked to the couple’s three children.

Arrest and Conviction
The police theorized that Remy killed Jen in their bedroom after taking the kids to school, then attempted to clean up the evidence, dumped her body, her phone, and finally abandoned her van before heading to the YMCA to establish an alibi. They also discovered that Remy had a life insurance policy on Jennifer worth at least $200,000.

On May 17, 2013, Remy was arrested and charged with second-degree murder. Despite claiming his innocence and arguing that there was no murder weapon, history of violence, or eyewitnesses, the jury didn’t believe him. They found him guilty of second-degree murder after only three hours of deliberation, and Remy was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.

Ironically, after his arrest, Eileen felt drawn back to Remy, believing he couldn’t have been the one to kill Jen. However, after hearing him speak in court, she realized he was lying and that he had indeed killed her best friend.

A New Trial and Guilty Plea
Remy’s initial trial took place in September 2014, but in 2022, the decision was overturned. The judge ruled that Remy had ineffective counsel, stating that his lawyer was so unprepared that he relied on Google and an Australian website called DNA for Defense Lawyers to understand the forensic evidence. The lawyer himself admitted he wasn’t ready for a case like this, and Remy’s family claimed they had paid $120,000 for a lawyer who lied about his experience.

Faced with the possibility of a new trial, Remy pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to 22 years, including time already served. This means he could be out of prison in a decade. Despite his guilty plea, Remy continues to claim his innocence, stating that pleading guilty was the smartest thing to do to avoid a harsher sentence.

Eileen Sayles continues to live with the guilt and remorse of her affair with Remy, regretting ever meeting him and knowing that she betrayed her best friend in the worst way possible.

Conclusion
The tragic case of Jennifer Ramsaran is a story of betrayal, deceit, and ultimately, a cold-blooded murder. It serves as a stark reminder that sometimes, the people we think we know the best can turn out to be strangers harboring dark secrets. As we reflect on this case and savor the ciders from Rockland Cider Works, let’s remember Jennifer and the heartbreaking loss her family continues to endure.