The father of JonBenét Ramsey, the six-year-old beauty queen whose murder in 1996 captivated and horrified the nation, has disclosed that he received a bombshell letter from a woman claiming her ex-husband is responsible for the crime. John Ramsey, now 81, shared this revelation in the wake of a new Netflix documentary that has reignited public interest in the decades-old case.
"Based on all this publicity, recently I got a letter from a lady saying, 'My ex-husband's the killer, and I've kept this inside for as long as I can - please, please call me,'" Ramsey told reporters. He confirmed that he immediately attempted to contact the sender but has yet to receive a response. The letter's contents have since been forwarded to a private investigator.
JonBenét was found beaten and sexually assaulted in the basement of her family's Boulder, Colorado, home on December 26, 1996. The discovery came hours after her mother, Patsy Ramsey, called 911 to report finding a ransom note and her daughter missing. Despite the Ramsey family's assertions of innocence, they faced intense public and police scrutiny, with suspicion falling on them for years until the Boulder District Attorney officially cleared them in 2008.
The Netflix series Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey has refocused attention on the case, leading to renewed tips and heightened pressure on investigators. For Ramsey, any new lead offers hope after nearly 30 years of frustration and attempts to clear his family's name. It's "not going to change my life at this point - I just turned 81 - but it'll change my children's lives, my grandchildren's lives," he said. "They need to have this cloud removed, clarified, and an answer."
This latest tip, however, comes amid a history of dashed hopes and false confessions in the case. John Mark Karr, for instance, once appeared to be a significant suspect after confessing to the crime, but DNA evidence ultimately exonerated him. Other self-proclaimed culprits have similarly failed to provide credible evidence, including a man who claimed he was hired to kill JonBenét but later asked Ramsey for $3,000 in travel expenses to "surrender."
Ramsey expressed skepticism about the new letter but remains determined to pursue any lead. He has also been an outspoken advocate for using advanced DNA testing techniques and genealogical databases to identify JonBenét's killer. These methods have solved other high-profile cold cases, such as the Golden State Killer, but progress in JonBenét's case has been slow.
Ramsey has consistently criticized the Boulder Police Department for what he describes as mishandling the investigation. "Bureaucrats, politicians, are impacted by public pressure bigtime, and we sense that that's happening," he said, referring to the renewed interest sparked by the Netflix documentary. He added that significant turnover in the police department's leadership and advancements in DNA testing have injected fresh momentum into the case.
Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn, who took over in September 2024, recently issued a statement reaffirming the department's commitment to solving the case. "The killing of JonBenét was an unspeakable crime, and this tragedy has never left our hearts," Redfearn stated. "We are committed to following up on every lead and working with DNA experts and law enforcement partners around the country until this tragic case is solved."
Despite these assurances, Ramsey and his supporters continue to push for greater transparency and urgency. The Netflix documentary, which remained in the platform's top 10 most-viewed programs for weeks, has amplified these calls. For Ramsey, public pressure remains a vital tool in keeping the case alive.
