Murder of JonBenét Ramsey: Father John Ramsey pleads for answers
JonBenét Ramsey’s father, John, sat down with True Crime News pleading for answers, years of the murder of his daughter.
Fox – 32 Chicago
Nearly 30 years after 6-year-old JonBenét Ramsey was found dead in Boulder, Colorado, an annual report from police says “new evidence” is being considered in the case.
Ramsey, a child beauty queen born in Atlanta, was reported missing from her Boulder home on Dec. 26, 1996 and was later found strangled to death. No one has been charged with her death.
Her murder has been the subject of intense speculation and decades of documentaries, true crime podcasts and conspiracy theories, leading investigators to provide annual updates on her case.
‘New interviews’ part of case update
“This past year, our detectives have conducted several new interviews as well as re-interviewed individuals based on tips we’ve received. We have also collected new evidence and tested and re-tested other pieces of evidence to generate new leads,” Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said in a Dec. 12 video.
The chief said the case has renewed hope for a resolution as technology continues to advance, particularly as it relates to DNA testing.
Police did not outline what the new evidence includes, or who had been interviewed or re-interviewed for the case.
“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,” Redfearn said.
Boulder police say anyone with information should contact BouldersMostWanted@bouldercolorado.gov or the police tip line at 303-441-1974.
JonBenét Ramsey case timeline
Police responded to the Ramsey’s home the day after Christmas in 1996 when JonBenét’s mother, Patsy, told officers they found a note saying her daughter had been kidnapped.
The letter asked for $118,000 and told the Ramsey’s not to call the police.
Later that day, a larger search led to the discovery of JonBenét’s body in the basement spare room of the Ramsey home. She had duct tape on her mouth and neck. Her cause of death was determined as asphyxiation from strangulation. JonBenét’s death was ruled a homicide, according to police records.
Three days later, the girl’s body was flown to Atlanta and was then buried at St. James Episcopal Cemetery in Marietta, Georgia, with her older half-sister who died in a car accident in 1992.
Investigators said later that the believed the ransom note had been written inside the house. A handwriting test eliminated father John Ramsey as the writer, but did not clear Patsy. JonBenét’s parents remained suspects.
The family moved back to Atlanta, and JonBenét’s older brother Burke, who was 9 at the time of her death, was questioned by authorities.
The following decades were rattled by detectives quitting the case, grand jury investigations and indictments, DNA evidence going nowhere and a teacher confessing to murder that was later proven false.
Conspiracies surround the case
In the days after the murder, police regularly spoke to rumors about the Ramsey family, saying they were cooperating with investigators. The department assured residents that her death appeared to be an isolated incident, and other children were not in danger.
“There have been many stories and much speculation about who killed JonBenet. This is an area that I know will be explored in greater detail in the questions to follow. Let me offer a perspective on this issue. Prejudging and media hype have never solved a crime. Crime solving requires diligent and careful police work and that is exactly what the Boulder Police Department is committed to doing,” Boulder Police Chief Thomas G. Koby said during a televised news conference on Jan. 9, 1997.
The Ramsey’s have filed numerous lawsuits against TV networks and documentary crews for their coverage of JonBenét’s case, many of them painting the Ramseys as liars and responsible for her death, whether by actually killing their daughter or helping to protect her murderer.
Irene Wright is the Atlanta Connect reporter with USA Today’s Deep South Connect team. Find her on X @IreneEWright or email her at ismith@usatodayco.com.
