The day after Christmas will mark 28 years since 6-year-old JonBenét Ramsey was found dead in the basement of her home in Boulder, Colorado, a case still haunting law enforcement and captivating the public.
"The killing of JonBenét was an unspeakable crime and this tragedy has never left our hearts," Boulder Police Department Chief Steve Redfearn said in a statement. "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."
Redfearn continued, "JonBenet would have been 34-years-old this year. She deserved to grow up and live her life to the fullest, instead it was brutally taken from her."
The police department is clarifying its efforts in investigating the child pageant queen's death.
As we approach the 28th anniversary of the murder of JonBenet Ramsey, the Boulder Police Department is providing its annual update about the ongoing homicide investigation.
“The killing of JonBenet was an unspeakable crime and this tragedy has never left our hearts,” Boulder… pic.twitter.com/0qmZuwU6kO
"The assertion that there is viable evidence and leads we are not pursuing—to include DNA testing—is completely false," the statement read. "Additionally, it was the Boulder Police Department—not the Colorado Bureau of Investigation—who convened the Cold Case Review Panel in December 2023 as part of its investigation efforts."
The department said while it typically provides an update on the case every December, this year's update comes earlier due to increased media attention. Netflix on Tuesday released its three-part docuseries Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey.
Directed by Academy Award-nominated Joe Berlinger, the series reexamines the mysterious death.
What Did JonBenét Ramsey's Dad Say About His Daughter's DNA?
On November 21, JonBenét's father, John Ramsey, appeared on Today to discuss the Netflix series, expressing hope for answers in his daughter's death.
"So we want to keep the case alive and in front of people," he said. "I believe it can be solved if the police accept help from outside their system. That's been the flaw for 25 years."
He added that advancements in DNA technology could help identify his daughter's killer.
"There's been a number of old, old cold cases solved using this genealogy research," he told ABC News. "Let's do a reverse family tree and see if he (the killer) had a relative living in Boulder in 1996. That's what we're asking the police to do."
What Happened to JonBenét Ramsey?
The day after Christmas in 1996, John Ramsey found his daughter dead in the basement of the family's home. JonBenét's mother, Patsy Ramsey, early that morning found a lengthy ransom note. The autopsy report determined JonBenét's death was a homicide caused by "asphyxia by strangulation associated with craniocerebral trauma."
Police at first focused their investigation on the pageant queen's parents, but found insufficient evidence and fully cleared them in 2008.
Police also theorized an intruder broke into the family home and committed the killing. In 2003, forensic investigators used a blood sample to create a DNA profile. The DNA did not match samples drawn from her parents or others close to her family. The DNA was submitted to the FBI's Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), which contains more than 1.6 million DNA profiles, but no matches were found.
In 2006, John Mark Karr confessed in an email to killing JonBenét, but investigators found no evidence linking him to the crime and never charged him. The same year, Patsy died from ovarian cancer at 49.
In 2016, new forensic analysts found that the sample contained genetic markers from two people.
How Old Was JonBenét Ramsey's Brother When She Died?
JonBenét's brother, Burke Ramsey, born in 1987, is three years older than JonBenét. Patsy, John and Burke were the only people known to be in the house the day JonBenét died.
In 1999, the police and district attorney confirmed that Burke, who was 9 years old at the time of the killing, was not a suspect.
In 2016, Burke filed a $750 million defamation lawsuit against CBS over broadcasting a docuseries theorizing that he killed his sister.
The suit said the "accusation that Burke Ramsey killed his sister was based on a compilation of lies, half-truths, manufactured information, and the intentional omission and avoidance of truthful information about the murder of JonBenét Ramsey."
A settlement in the case was reached in January 2019.
Was JonBenét Ramsey's Case Ever Solved?
Investigators have never identified JonBenét's killer, and her death has inspired numerous podcasts, documentaries, movies and TV dramas.
Boulder police still consider the killing a cold case and continue their investigation.
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