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John Ramsey, the father of the late JonBenét Ramsey, has asked for further DNA analysis to be completed in the still-open cold case murder of his six-year-old daughter.
In what has become one of the most infamous true crime cases in North America, JonBenét Ramsey was found brutally murdered in the basement of her home the day after Christmas in 1996. John Ramsey found JonBenét’s body with duct tape over her mouth and a cord wrapped around her neck. Boulder, Colo., police reported the little girl had been sexually assaulted.
A mysterious ransom note was also left in the house, demanding the seemingly random amount of US$118,000.
In the more than 25 years since her murder, JonBenét’s killer has never been found. At the time of her body’s discovery, only her parents and her then-nine-year-old brother Burke were home.
John and Patsy Ramsey, the parents of JonBenet Ramsey, meet with a small selected group of the local Colorado media after four months of silence in Boulder, Colo., on May 1, 1997. Their six-year-old daughter was found dead on Christmas night 1996.
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In a speaking appearance at CrimeCon, a convention for true crime fanatics, in Las Vegas on Sunday, Ramsey was asked about his own involvement in finding his daughter’s killer. He told the convention he has offered to pay for his own private DNA testing in the case, though he claims this was declined by police.
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After the event, the Boulder Police Department — the authorities responsible for investigating the case since 1996 — responded to Ramsey’s claims in a statement.
“The Boulder Police Department is aware of the recent request involving the homicide investigation of JonBenet Ramsey and wants the community to know that it has never wavered in its pursuit to bring justice to everyone affected by the murder of this little girl,” the police department wrote.
Police say they have investigated more than 21,016 tips and interviewed more than 1,000 individuals related to the case since 1996.
They added that JonBenét’s murder has been under “constant review” by federal, state and local partners.
“Multiple suspects have been run through the system to check for matches due the huge advances in DNA technology,” Boulder police wrote.
They say that as of December 2021, Colorado’s Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has added 750 reference samples with the latest DNA technology.
“Additionally, Boulder Police have worked with CBI to ensure the DNA in the system can be compared correctly to new DNA samples that have been uploaded to ensure accuracy,” the statement reads. “That DNA is checked regularly for any new matches.”
Police Chief Maris Herold said in the statement that “We have a shared goal to bring justice — and hopefully some peace — to JonBenet’s family and everyone who was impacted by her loss.”
“This investigation has always been and will continue to be a priority for the Boulder Police Department,” he said.
Patsy Ramsey, JonBenét’s mother, died of complications from cancer in 2006. She was 49 years old.
Burke Ramsey reached a settlement with TV network CBS in 2019 after it aired a special suggesting he killed his sister.
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Anyone with information related to this investigation is asked to contact the Boulder Police Department tip line at 303-441-1974 or Northern Colorado Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
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