Nearly three decades after the tragic death of JonBenét Ramsey, her father, John Ramsey, has reiterated his belief that a key detail from the ransom note could hold the answer to her unsolved murder. In a newly resurfaced interview with the late Barbara Walters, John suggested that the ransom demand of $118,000 might be linked to his own Christmas bonus-a detail that he believes could point to the identity of his daughter's killer.
The interview, filmed in 2000 but never aired until now, resurfaced following the release of Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey?, a Netflix documentary examining the infamous case. Speaking to Walters at the time, John speculated, "One-eighteen means something to the killer. We know that. Whether it's tied to my bonus or something only the killer knows, we don't know." His late wife, Patsy Ramsey, added during the interview that she had not been aware of her husband's bonus until after discovering the ransom note.
The 6-year-old beauty pageant contestant was found dead in the basement of her family's Boulder, Colorado, home on December 26, 1996, hours after her parents reported her missing. Her death was ruled a homicide, with the cause identified as strangulation and blunt force trauma. Despite intense media scrutiny and years of investigations, the case remains unsolved.
John Ramsey, now 80, has been vocal about his frustrations with the Boulder Police Department's handling of the case. In a recent interview with Fox News Digital, he criticized the initial investigation and expressed hope that new leadership under Police Chief Stephen Redfearn might bring fresh momentum. "We have an unidentified male DNA result from the testing they did in 1997," John explained. "We have an unidentified male DNA result from the testing they did in 1997, which ... by today's standards, it was primitive. But we have an unidentified male DNA sample, which was reported to the police in January 1997. They kept that a secret because it conflicted with their conclusion that we were guilty."
The ransom note, found on the kitchen stairs, is one of several pieces of evidence that have yet to be retested using advanced DNA technology. Other items include the garrote found around JonBenét's neck, a suitcase believed to have been used by the perpetrator, a flashlight on the kitchen counter, and an unknown rope discovered in her brother Burke Ramsey's room. John Ramsey has called for these items to be retested or handed over to federal agencies like the FBI for further analysis.
The resurfaced Walters interview has reignited discussions around the case. It follows decades of public fascination with the mystery and the theories surrounding JonBenét's death. While her parents were initially under suspicion-culminating in a grand jury indictment for child abuse resulting in death in 1999-prosecutors declined to bring charges, citing insufficient evidence. In 2008, DNA evidence formally cleared John, Patsy, and their son Burke, who was 9 years old at the time of the murder.
The recent Netflix documentary highlights John Ramsey's ongoing efforts to pressure authorities for answers. "We're not going away," he declared in the series. "I'm going to be hammering on you 'til I die if you don't find this creature that did this to our daughter."
The resurfacing of the Walters interview comes amid renewed public interest in the case, with John Ramsey leading a campaign for advanced DNA testing and transparency from law enforcement. Advocates for justice in JonBenét's case argue that technological advancements in forensic science could finally bring answers.
However, critics of the initial investigation remain skeptical about whether the Boulder Police Department will relinquish control over the evidence. In a statement, the department reiterated that Chief Redfearn continues to communicate with the Ramsey family, but stopped short of committing to federal involvement in the case.
