In a renewed effort to solve the 1996 murder of JonBenét Ramsey, her father, John Ramsey, is pointing to a possible suspect he believes was overlooked by investigators. In the upcoming Netflix docuseries Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey?, streaming November 25, Ramsey criticizes law enforcement's handling of the case, which he claims allowed key leads to go uninvestigated.
JonBenét, a 6-year-old beauty pageant contestant, was found dead in the basement of her family's Boulder, Colorado, home on Christmas morning. The case, shrouded in mystery and media frenzy, remains unsolved nearly 28 years later. In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, John Ramsey highlighted similarities between his daughter's murder and a 1997 attack on a 12-year-old girl just two miles away.
"To me, it could easily have been the same person," Ramsey told PEOPLE, explaining that the masked intruder in the second case broke into the girl's home, assaulted her, and fled when her mother intervened. The two girls attended the same dance studio, and the modus operandi, Ramsey said, mirrored what he believed happened to JonBenét. "I think the killer was in the house when we came home, waited until we went to sleep," he said.
Despite the similarities, Ramsey said law enforcement dismissed the connection outright. "The police blew it off as, 'No, it's not the same,'" he recalled, adding that the father of the 12-year-old victim also expressed frustration with the investigation. "On a scale of one to 10, I rate the police minus five," Ramsey quoted the father as saying.
The Boulder Police Department responded to Ramsey's remarks, issuing a statement to TMZ. "The killing of JonBenét was an unspeakable crime and this tragedy has never left our hearts," the department said. "This investigation will always be a priority... We are continuing to work with DNA experts and law enforcement partners around the country until this tragic case is solved."
John Ramsey expressed cautious optimism about recent changes in the Boulder Police Department, including the appointment of Chief Stephen Redfearn, who comes from outside the department. Speaking on TODAY, Ramsey said, "We finally have new leadership, and I'm hopeful they'll embrace outside help and modern technology."
Ramsey is pushing for advances in genetic genealogy to be used to reexamine DNA evidence from the case. Such technology has solved other cold cases, and Ramsey believes it could be the key to finding JonBenét's killer. "It's time to use every tool available," he said.
The Netflix docuseries examines the case's most glaring investigative missteps, from the botched handling of the crime scene to the premature focus on the Ramsey family as suspects. JonBenét's parents, John and Patsy, as well as her brother, Burke, were intensely scrutinized in the investigation but were never charged. Patsy Ramsey passed away in 2006 from ovarian cancer.
The series also revisits the ransom note found in the Ramsey home, the cause of JonBenét's death-strangulation and a blow to the head-and the police's failure to pursue alternative suspects. Director Joe Berlinger, who helmed the docuseries, joined Ramsey on TODAY, highlighting the importance of keeping the case in the public eye.
"We want this case to remain in the spotlight," Berlinger said. "Someone out there knows something, and it's crucial they come forward."
Over the years, numerous suspects have been named, from convicted pedophile Gary Oliva to John Mark Karr, who falsely confessed to the crime. Still, no arrests have been made, and the mystery endures.
For John Ramsey, the renewed attention and technological advances bring a glimmer of hope. "After all these years, we just want answers," he said. "We want justice for JonBenét and to close this long, dark chapter in our lives."
