JonBenét Ramsey’s Father Says There’s a “Really Good Chance” Her Murder Could Be Solved

JonBenét Ramsey’s father, who for some time in the 1990s was a key suspect in the sensational murder of the child beauty queen that captivated the nation, still believes that the case is solvable with new technology, he said on Tuesday.

John Ramsey spoke out about the case on News Nation, telling anchor Cecilia Vega that groundbreaking technology that allows detectives to analyze DNA evidence — which was not available in the aftermath of the Dec. 25, 1996, killing of JonBenét — will be the key to catching the murderer. 

“I think they can,” he said, agreeing with Vega that the case, still in the hands of the Boulder Police Department, is solvable. “If they will do what we think is important and that uses the latest DNA technology, collaborate with these labs that are out there that have that capability, and then use the familial genealogy research — which is so successful in finding solutions to old cold cases — I think, if they do, there’s a really good chance we get it solved.”

Interest in the unsolved case has been revived after the release of a new Netflix three-part documentary, Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey, that takes a critical look at the Boulder Police Department’s investigation into the 6-year-old’s Christmas Day murder. Seven hours after the little blond girl was reported missing, her body was discovered in the basement of the Ramseys’ home; a garrote was tied around her neck and her skull was broken. JonBenét’s official cause of death was “asphyxia by strangulation associated with craniocerebral trauma,” according to her autopsy report.

While speaking with News Nation, John recounted his experience as suspicion turned to him and his wife, Patsy Ramsey, who died in 2006 after twice battling ovarian cancer. The story became a media sensation as the Boulder Police Department cast the dead girl’s parents as potential culprits, even though the DNA found at the scene did not match either of the girl’s parents or anyone in the family. 

“It spiraled out of control very quickly,” he said. “And then, of course, the police concluded, ‘Well, it’s a family. It’s always a family. It’s got to be the mother, the father. We just turn on which one, right? And so let’s bring pressure on both of them, using the media as a tool, and one of the innocent ones will confess and turn in the guilty one.’”

Earlier in the interview, John pointed out that the detective who had handled the murder probe had been an auto theft investigator, calling his qualifications “questionable.” He and Vega also discussed former Boulder police detective Linda Arndt, who faced a lawsuit and was ousted from the department after failing to contain the murder scene. She was the first authority at the scene of the crime and spent five hours there alone. Arndt famously told Good Morning America she knew who killed JonBenét but kept that to herself because it was an ongoing investigation. In the 1999 interview, she then went on to speak negatively of John.

“She said she saw my eyes, which is a remarkable talent,” John said. ”They decided on the first day. Well, Linda, of course, thought it was me because she saw it in my eyes, and then they focused on Patsy, and we said, ‘OK, we understand why you’re looking at us. We’re in the home. That’s logical. We think it’s horrible, but we accept that. But don’t stop there.’ Well, of course, they did. That was their conclusion. They just had to prove it. And that was difficult because the evidence then started coming in.”

On Monday, the Boulder Police Department responded to claims that it failed to properly investigate the 1996 murder, telling The Hollywood Reporter that it is “committed to following up on every lead.” 

“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,” Public Information Officer Dionne Waugh said on behalf of Chief Steve Redfearn. “The assertion that there is viable evidence and leads we are not pursuing — to include DNA testing — is completely false.”

In response to the renewed public interest in the murder of JonBenét, the police department released its latest investigative update early. It includes a nearly six-minute video statement from Chief Redfearn that acknowledges the department’s initial mishandling of the case. 

“So much of how law enforcement works has changed in the last 30 years. There are a number of things that people have pointed to throughout the years that could have been done better, and we acknowledge that as true,” Redfearn stated. “However, it is important to emphasize that while we cannot go back to that horrible day in 1996, our goal is to find JonBenét Ramsey’s killer.”

In response to the Boulder Police Department’s comments, Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey director and executive producer Joe Berlinger released a statement exclusively to THR calling on the department to communicate directly with the Ramsey family, whom he says have been kept in the dark regarding any progress on the case.

“While the Boulder Police Department’s 28-year-track record does not inspire confidence, we applaud any concrete effort they are taking to solve this horrible crime,” he summarized in the opening to a lengthy statement on the matter. “Neither we nor the Ramsey family said BPD is currently ignoring viable evidence and leads… we said that we just don’t know if the Boulder Police Department is pursuing viable evidence or leads because they have not given any concrete information to the family.”