Why Is JonBenét Ramsey's Murder Still Unsolved? Reexamining the Child Pageant Queen’s Death Almost 30 Years Later

Mar. 15, 2025

JonBenet Ramsey.Photo: Zuma Press

It’s been almost 30 years sinceJonBenét Ramseywas found murdered in the basement of her family’s Colorado home.

On the morning of Dec. 26, 1996, Patsy Ramsey found a ransom note demanding $118,000 in exchange for the return of her 6-year-old daughter, JonBenét. Hours later — after reporting her missing to the police and having detectives search the house —John Bennett Ramseyfound his daughter dead in their basement with a garrote (a type of handheld ligature) tied around her neck.

An autopsy report revealed that she had been sexually assaulted, and her cause of death was strangulation and a blow to the skull.

Whether or not the focus on John and Patsy, who died in 2006, detracted from solving the case is the subject of Netflix’sCold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey?. The three-part docuseries premiered on Nov. 25 and analyzes the alleged missteps police took when the toddler was first reported missing. It also highlights other potential suspects investigators have questioned and DNA evidence thatJohn claims has yet to be tested.

“We’re begging the police to engage,” he told PEOPLE in November. “There are cutting-edge DNA labs that want to help and who believe they can move the case forward.”

So, what happened to JonBenét Ramsey? Here’s everything to know about the toddler’s unsolved murder and why police have yet to find her killer.

What happened to JonBenét Ramsey?

JonBenet Ramsey.Courtesy of Netflix

Courtesy of Netflix

Two officers were immediately dispatched to the scene. They didn’t find the toddler during the initial search of the Ramsey house and only sealed off JonBenét’s room. Police also allowed Patsy and John to invite friends over — a decision thatCold Casealleges may have contaminated the crime scene.

When no one called at 10 a.m. to collect the ransom, former detective Linda Arndt told John to search the house and see if he noticed anything “unusual.”

Who found JonBenét Ramsey’s body?

JonBenet Ramsey and John Ramsey in ‘Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenet Ramsey’.Courtesy of Netflix

InCold Case, John claimed that when he and a friend searched the basement, they noticed an open and broken window, along with a suitcase placed underneath it. He maintained that the item “shouldn’t have been there.”

Soon after, John discovered JonBenét’s body in a room where the kids kept their train sets. She was tied up and had duct tape across her mouth. John hurriedly took off the tape and carried her upstairs, where officers confirmed that she was dead.

Allowing the father of the missing child to search the house on his own — which led to him potentially tampering with would-be evidence when he found her body — is another alleged errorCold Caseclaims the Boulder Police Department made.

Who were the suspects in JonBenét Ramsey’s murder?

Thai police officials escort away US teacher John Mark Karr (C) at the Thai Immigration Department in Bangkok, 17 August 2006. Police said 17 August that Karr, arrested in Thailand 16 August, confessed to killing six-year-old “beauty queen” JonBenet Ramsey a decade ago in the United States but said her death was unintentional.SAEED KHAN/AFP via Getty

SAEED KHAN/AFP via Getty

The existence of a ransom note seemed to lend credence to the theory that an intruder was responsible for JonBenét’s murder (even though some investigators believed the note was fake). Over the years, several names have been considered.

Another potential intruder was a man who had worked asSanta Claus, Bill McReynolds, and recently visited the Ramsey home. The man’s daughter had also been abducted decades before, however, he was never formally considered a suspect.

Cold Casealso highlights another former suspect, Gary Howard Oliva, who was named as a person of interest on48 Hours Investigates. He never confessed to the crime, but he did spend eight years in prison on child pornography charges and had a photo of JonBenét with him when he was arrested in 2000.

John told PEOPLE in November 2024 that he thinkspolice should look intoa masked intruder who raped a 12-year-old girl in Boulder nine months after JonBenét was killed. The girl’s mother scared off the attacker, and he was never found — but John believes he could “easily have been the same person” who murdered his daughter. The girl also attended the same dance studio as JonBenét.

“The police blew it off as, ‘No, it’s not the same,’ " John said. “I think the method of operation was exactly the same. I believe the killer was in the house when we came home, waited til we went to sleep.”

DNA evidence found on JonBenét’s clothes has yet to match with anyone the police have questioned.

Were JonBenét Ramsey’s parents suspects in her murder?

John and Patsy Ramsey, the parents of JonBenet Ramsey.Helen H. Richardson/ The Denver Post

Helen H. Richardson/ The Denver Post

NPRreported in 2019 that the defamation suit had been settled.

Why is JonBenét Ramsey’s murder still unsolved?

The grave of JonBenet Ramsey.Chris Rank/Sygma via Getty

Chris Rank/Sygma via Getty

JonBenét’s murder has yet to be solved — but her father thinks it can be.

John told PEOPLE that there are “six or seven” evidence items that have yet to be tested for DNA, including the garrote that was used to strangle the toddler. He wants the Boulder Police Department to send the evidence to labs that use genetic genealogy and other advanced DNA technology, which he believes will lead to answers.

“If it stays in the hands of the Boulder Police, it will not be solved, period,” John claimed. “If they accept help, all the help that’s out there, that’s available and offered, it will be solved. Yes, I believe it will be solved.”

He continued, “We’re not asking them to do anything weird. Just do your job. Test the DNA.”

source: people.com