Nearly three decades after the murder of 6-year-old JonBenét Ramsey captivated the nation, her father, John Ramsey, is urging authorities to use advanced DNA technology to solve the case. JonBenét, a child beauty queen, was found dead in the basement of her family's Boulder, Colorado, home on December 26, 1996. Her death remains one of the most infamous unsolved crimes in American history.
JonBenét's mother, Patsy Ramsey, discovered a handwritten ransom note on the staircase that morning, demanding $118,000 for her safe return-an amount nearly matching John Ramsey's annual bonus. Hours later, John found his daughter's lifeless body in a basement storage room. An autopsy revealed she had been sexually assaulted, strangled with a garrote, and struck on the head, fracturing her skull.
DNA evidence found under JonBenét's fingernails and on her clothing has yet to match any known suspects. Despite the lack of physical evidence linking them to the crime, the Ramseys were placed under what police described as an "umbrella of suspicion" for years, a shadow they feel still hangs over their family.
"There'd still be 5 to 10% of the population that think, 'Yeah, yeah, it was the father or yeah it was the mother,'" John Ramsey said recently.
Now 80 years old and remarried, John remains convinced the case can be solved through modern DNA testing. "There's been a number of old, old cold cases solved using this genealogy research," he said. "Let's do a reverse family tree and see if [the killer] had a relative living in Boulder in 1996. That's what we're asking the police to do."
John's renewed calls for action are spotlighted in a Netflix docuseries, Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey?, which examines missteps in the initial investigation and the potential for DNA technology to crack the case. "We think the crime can be solved," said the series' director, Joe Berlinger. "We want to pressure the Boulder police to test DNA."
The Boulder Police Department maintains the case remains a priority. "We are dedicated to following up on every lead," the department told ABC's Nightline. "We continue to collaborate with DNA experts and our law enforcement partners across the country until this tragic case is resolved."
Critics of the initial investigation argue that early police missteps hindered progress. Officers allowed friends of the Ramseys into the home on the morning of JonBenét's disappearance, potentially contaminating the crime scene. John Ramsey was also permitted to search the basement alone, where he found his daughter's body and carried her upstairs, further complicating the preservation of evidence.
"They get tunnel vision, so they're not looking to investigate all possibilities," said Berlinger, adding that the early focus on the Ramseys may have detracted from pursuing other leads.
Despite being exonerated by DNA evidence in 2008, the Ramseys have struggled to escape public suspicion. Patsy Ramsey, who died of ovarian cancer in 2006, was accused by some investigators of killing JonBenét during an argument over bedwetting. A 2016 CBS docuseries theorized that JonBenét's brother, Burke, then 9 years old, was responsible. Burke sued CBS for defamation, and the lawsuit was settled in 2019.
Over the years, several suspects have been considered, but none have been definitively linked to the crime. In 2006, John Mark Karr confessed to JonBenét's murder, claiming her death was accidental. However, his DNA did not match evidence from the scene, and he was never charged.
Another potential suspect, Michael Helgoth, owned boots that appeared to match a footprint found at the crime scene, but he died by suicide in 1997, and no further evidence connected him to the murder. Gary Oliva, a convicted pedophile, was also considered a person of interest but has never confessed or been charged.
John Ramsey has pointed to a masked intruder who raped a 12-year-old girl in Boulder nine months after JonBenét's murder as a possible suspect. "The police blew it off as, 'No, it's not the same,'" John said. "I think the method of operation was exactly the same. I believe the killer was in the house when we came home, waited 'til we went to sleep."
Advancements in genetic genealogy have sparked hope for resolution in JonBenét's case. John believes several key items, including the garrote used to strangle his daughter, remain untested with the latest DNA technology. "We're not asking them to do anything weird. Just do your job. Test the DNA," he said.
However, questions remain about the viability of the evidence, given potential contamination and degradation over the years. Despite this, experts believe that breakthroughs in genetic testing offer the best chance for identifying JonBenét's killer.
"If it stays in the hands of the Boulder Police, it will not be solved, period," John told PEOPLE. "If they accept help, all the help that's out there, that's available and offered, it will be solved. Yes, I believe it will be solved."
As the case approaches its 30th anniversary, the Ramseys continue to push for justice, hopeful that advancements in technology will finally bring answers to a mystery that has haunted them-and the nation-for decades.
