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Does JonBenét Ramsey’s Dad Think the 1996 Cold Case Can Be Solved? "I Believe..."
A newly promoted police chief in Boulder, Colorado may be what it takes to finally learn who killed the 6-year-old beauty queen.
The father of 1996 murder victim JonBenét Ramsey is speaking out, steadfast in his belief that the infamous unsolved homicide may one day be solved.
On Thursday, November 21, 2024, John Ramsey, 80, said on NBC’s TODAY show that new advancements in DNA could help investigators finally learn who killed the 6-year-old beauty queen in her Boulder, Colorado home, according to NBC News. Mr. Ramsey, joined by director Joe Berlinger ahead of the upcoming documentary Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey, called ongoing interest in the case “a double-edged sword.”
“We’re grateful that the public, and frankly, the world, cares about the murder of our child,” said the father. “Hopefully there's someone who knows something that would come forward.”
The 1996 Murder of JonBenét Ramsey
JonBenét Ramsey purportedly vanished from her home sometime between Christmas and the following day in 1996, as previously covered by Oxygen.com. The child was later found murdered in the home’s basement, her skull broken and a garrote tied around her neck.
The cause of death was strangulation, according to Boulder city officials.
JonBenét Ramsey’s parents, John and Patsy, as well as her 9-year-old brother, Burke Ramsey, were all home when the homicide occurred. While the relatives became subjects of the public’s suspicion and ire, no one has ever been convicted of the 28-year-old crime.
A lengthy, handwritten ransom note — once believed to be penned by JonBenét Ramsey’s now-deceased mother Patsy Ramsey — was found at the crime scene, which only added to the mystery. Still, all of the home’s occupants were entirely cleared in connection with the sensationalized homicide.
John Ramsey has long voiced his dissatisfaction with Boulder Police, pleading with them to examine “five or six” never-before-tested pieces of evidence using new DNA technology, he so stated in a December 19, 2022, interview with Oxygen.com. He hoped local authorities would enlist the help of labs that were more capable of conducting tests without consuming the samples.
That hasn’t changed.
John Ramsey still hopes for answers in daughter JonBenet's murder
John Ramsey doubled down on hope in his recent TODAY interview, saying he wanted “to keep the case alive and in front of people,” according to NBC News.
“I believe it can be solved if the police accept help from outside their system,” said the father. “That’s been a flaw for 25 years.”
John Ramsey said confidence was renewed after meeting with Steve Redfearn. who was just promoted to Boulder’s Police Chief on September 6, 2024, according to NBC Denver affiliate KUSA.
“The killing of JonBenet was an unspeakable crime, and this tragedy has never left our hearts,” Redfearn stated after taking the new position. “We are committed to following up on every lead and we are continuing to work with DNA experts and our law enforcement partners around the country until this tragic case is solved. This investigation will always be a priority for the Boulder Police Department.”
Officials said “collaboration continues” with multiple agencies, including the FBI, the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office, Colorado’s Department of Public Safety, Colorado’s Bureau of Investigation, “and several outside forensic labs.”
Social Media Revives Interest in JonBenet Ramsey's Murder
The sprawling case has never failed to garner intrigue from the public. However, Berlinger said his upcoming documentary would help piece together a case rife with conspiracy, conjecture, and scrutiny, according to NBC News. Hopefully, Berlinger said, it would shed light on the theory that an intruder was behind the shocking act.
"There's a whole new generation of true crime fans that have rediscovered the story, going down these rabbit holes on Reddit and message boards, continuing to blame the family, continuing to spin conspiracy theories," according to Berlinger. "So, I really wanted to set the record straight. It's a very clear-eyed examination of how it's so obvious that this was an intruder."
The intruder theory, which posits that the killer entered the home through a broken basement window, has led to several persons of interest over the years, including neighbors, local sex offenders, and even a Santa Claus impersonator. None of the lines of inquiry led to a conviction.
The late Lou Smit, who investigated the case with the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office, also believed in the intruder theory early in the investigation, as previously detailed by Oxygen.com. Fox News reported that in his resignation letter, Smit stated that “a very dangerous killer” was still on the loose and “no one is actively looking for him.”
A push in publicity, John Ramsey told TODAY, would hopefully help solve who killed JonBenét Ramsey once and for all.
"I'm doing this for the sake of my children and my grandchildren,” said the father. “This cloud over our family’s name needs to be lifted. They need to be able to go on and close this chapter and go on with their lives."
