Investigators have returned to the Colorado home once occupied by the family of JonBenét Ramsey and collected new evidence for testing, authorities revealed.
Each year as the anniversary of the 6-year-old’s 1996 death approaches, the Boulder Police Department provides an update on the case, which they claim is active and ongoing.
“Last year we gave you an update about a lot of the work that has been done to solve this crime, and those efforts have continued,” Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said in his update. “This case remains a top priority for our department.”
Redfearn said detectives within the last year have “conducted several new interviews as well as re-interviewed individuals based on tips we’ve received.”
New evidence has also been collected and tested while older evidence has been retested in an effort “to generate new leads,” said Redfearn. “Techniques and technology constantly evolve. This is especially true with technology related to DNA testing.”
“It is never too late for people with knowledge of this terrible crime to come forward, and I urge those responsible for this murder to contact us,” he added.
The Boulder Police Department urges anyone with any information to contact detectives at [email protected] or by calling the Boulder Police tipline at (303) 441-1974.
JonBenét’s murder on the night of December 25, 1996, could be one of America’s most intriguing cold cases.
JonBenét’s small body was found in the basement of the family’s Boulder about seven hours after she had been reported missing by her parents, Patsy and John Ramsey. She sustained a skull fracture, and a garrote was found still tied around her neck.
Her death was ruled a homicide, and the cause of death was determined to be “asphyxia by strangulation associated with craniocerebral trauma.” Investigators said she was also sexually assaulted by the perpetrator.
The Ramseys received a ransom note while JonBenét was still missing.
An unknown person’s DNA was recovered from under her fingernails and in her underwear.
Suspicion initially swirled around Patsy and John Ramsey, 62, who authorities inferred hindered their investigation. JonBenét’s older brother Burke Ramsey was also accused of being involved in her death. Burke, 38, was never officially a suspect and police have ruled Patsy and John out as suspects, too.
JonBenét was entered into pageants as a child by Patsy, who died in 2006 at the age of 49.
In 2003, trace DNA taken from JonBenét’s clothing was found to belong to an unknown male. Sex offender John Mark Karr claimed in 2006 to have been with JonBenét when she died.
The 61-year-old schoolteacher was arrested in Bangkok, Thailand, on August 15, 2006, after he claimed to have drugged, sexually assaulted, and accidentally killed JonBenét. But none of the evidence linked him to the murder, and police believe he gave the false confession for attention.
In September 2016, forensic pathologist Werner Spitz accused Burke Ramsey of killing JonBenét during a CBS interview. Burke sued CBS seeking $250 million in compensatory damages and $500 million in punitive damages. The suit was settled out of court in 2019, but the terms were never disclosed.
JonBenét’s tragic story has been adapted many times for the small screen. Dyanne Iandoli played her in the miniseries Perfect Murder, Perfect Town and Julia Granstrom in the TV movie Getting Away with Murder: The JonBenet Ramsey Story, both airing in 2000. Payton Lepinski played the murdered girl in Lifetime’s 2016 film Who Killed JonBenét, and Emily Mitchell plays JonBenét in the upcoming Paramount+ miniseries Unspeakable: The Murder of JonBenét Ramsey, which will hit the streaming platform in 2026.
