Nearly three decades after his murder, JonBenét’s surviving family members continue to search for his killer.
Thanks to Netflix
Patsy Ramsey, JonBenet Ramsey, John Andrew Ramsey and John Ramsey in ‘Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenet Ramsey’
The murder of JonBenét Ramsey in December 1996 still haunts his surviving family members nearly 30 years later.
The pageant queen was only six years old when she was found dead in her Boulder, Colo., home the day after Christmas in 1996. While the end of 1995 Little Miss Colorado was used for the attention of the audience, after her murder, her family was raised in the spotlight.
JonBenét’s mother, Patsy, and father, John Ramsey, as well as his brother John Andrew and brother Burke Ramsey, have all been put under the microscope by investigators and the public in the search for answers about his death.
In 1999, a grand jury indicted John and Patsy Ramsey on charges of child abuse resulting in death and being accessories to a crime, but they were later acquitted. JonBenét’s killer has not yet been found, although investigators and his family are hopeful that DNA evidence may eventually identify a suspect.
Now, the unsolved story is being thrown into the spotlight again through Netflix’s three-part documentary, Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramseywhich will begin on November 25. Before the release of the docuseries, John told PEOPLE in an exclusive interview that he hopes that his daughter’s case “will be solved.”
Since then, members of JonBenét’s family have tried individually to move on while still trying to get justice for the example of a child they lost too soon. Find out where JonBenét Ramsey’s parents and siblings are now.
What happened to JonBenét Ramsey?
ABL Studio/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock
JonBenet Patricia Ramsey is setting up a beauty page portfolio for the upcoming Beauty Page.
At 5 o’clock in the morning on December 26, 1996, Patsy found a ransom note on the steps of the family’s Boulder home that was said to be “from a small outside group,” stating that JonBenét had been kidnapped. The letter, written with a Sharpie pad from Ramsey’s home, demanded $118,000, the exact amount that John had just been paid in a bonus from his job as a computer executive, and said to expect a call from the abductor. Patsy called 911 and reported that JonBenét had been kidnapped.
Local authorities and FBI agents from Denver arrived shortly after, but no call came through. There were no signs of forced entry into the Ramseys’ property or their home.
After the police went to get a search warrant, around 2pm, John and an unidentified family friend found JonBenét’s body in the windowless room of their basement. He had tape over his mouth and a cloth around his neck. She had been hit on the head and strangled and was showing signs of possible rape.
What happened to JonBenét’s parents and siblings following his death?
Mark Fix/ZUMA Press
JonBenet Patricia Ramsey won the beauty pageant at America’s Royale Little Miss National Beauty pageant.
JonBenét’s murder remains unsolved, but several characters and people of interest have emerged over the years, starting with his parents and brother Burke.
After a year of secret testimony, a grand jury found Patsy and John guilty of child abuse resulting in death and being instrumental in a crime. The grand jury ruled at the time that the queen’s parents “unlawfully, knowingly, recklessly and cruelly. [permitted] a child to be unreasonably placed in a situation that would pose a risk of injury to the child’s life or health.” The Boulder County prosecutor declined to charge the couple and Burke, however, saying the evidence was insufficient to exist. them.
In 2008, then-DA Mary Lacy cleared Patsy, John and Burke of any involvement in the murder.
“A male DNA match on two different items of clothing worn by the victim at the time of the murder indicates to us that an unknown man handled these items,” Lacy said in a statement to Ramseys. “To the extent that we may have helped in any way for the public to realize that you may have been involved in this crime, I am very sorry.”
In 2016, prosecutor Stan Garrett told PEOPLE that he does not believe the Ramseys should be presumed innocent, but that they still have the presumption of innocence.
In December 2021, police told PEOPLE that they “received, reviewed or investigated more than 27 tips, letters and emails and detectives traveled to 19 states to interview or speak with more than 1,000 people in connection with this crime.”
When did Patsy Ramsey die?
Erik S. Lesser
John and Patsy Ramsey attend a press conference following a police interview in Boulder, Colorado on August 28, 2000.
In the years following JonBenét’s assassination, the Ramseys moved to Atlanta and Patsy underwent treatment for ovarian cancer, which she had endured years earlier. She died of ovarian cancer in 2006, two years before she and John were acquitted of their daughter’s death.
Where is Burke Ramsey now?
Peteski Productions/CBS Television Distribution
Dr. Phil and Burke Ramsey in 2016
In 2012, John told PEOPLE that Burke, who was 25, worked as a software engineer, had a girlfriend and lived a quiet life. Describing her son as “very quiet,” she said, “He’s really grown up. He has a 401(k) plan and an IRA, and he did it all by himself.”
In September 2016, Burke spoke publicly about the assassination of JonBenét on Dr. Philtelling Dr. Phil McGraw that he knows that some people think that he or his parents killed his brother. He and his parents have always maintained their chastity.
Burke also said that when the police arrived at her family’s home after Patsy called 911, she did not come out of her bedroom and at first did not believe that JonBenét was dead when John told her the news, thinking that her sister was “just hiding somewhere.” ” He said that he thinks that “a pedophile from the district of the pages” killed JonBenét and that they may have entered the family’s house outside of Christmas.
Later that month, CBS aired a special with the title Story By: JonBenét Ramsey which floated the theory that Burke hit JonBenét with a flashlight, accidentally killing him, and that his parents helped cover up his crime. The investigative team in the show pointed out Burke’s behavior during the interview Dr. Phil as a sign of his guilt, an idea that some scholars have taken issue with.
Legal analyst Scott Robinson told PEOPLE, “I’m amazed at the conclusions people can make about someone’s guilt or innocence based on an interview they see on television. He wasn’t nice and he didn’t show a lot of emotion, but that doesn’t mean anything.”
That December, Burke sued Dr. Werner Spitz and other experts were shown in a special 150 million dollars, citing pollution, as well as CBS for 750 million dollars. In January 2019, the Associated Press reported that Burke and CBS had settled the matter, although details were not released.
Where is John Andrew Ramsey now?
ABC news
JonBenet Ramsey’s brother John Andrew Ramsey gives an interview with ABC’s 20/20.
JonBenét’s older brother, John Andrew Ramsey, has been talking about his sister’s case for years and expressed criticism of the Boulder Police Department’s handling of Page’s murder. However, he is hopeful that the DNA evidence will help in finding the killer.
Describing himself as a “numbers man,” he said Westword in July 2023, “The easiest way to improve the odds [of catching JonBenét’s killer] is to find and investigate any child sex offenders living in Boulder in 1996. To narrow it down, we are looking for a rare breed of child sex offender. He is cruel and sleeps with children. A creature who wishes to find happiness by torturing and often killing young children. “
Where is John Ramsey now?
Thanks to Netflix
John Ramsey in “Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenet Ramsey”
After Patsy’s death, John briefly dated Natalee Holloway’s mother, Beth Twitty. In 2011, he married his third wife, fashion designer Jan Rousseaux.
As of 2016, John and Jan split their time between Michigan (where the Ramseys moved when Burke was in high school) and Las Vegas.
Speaking to MANU in 2024, John said the answer to his daughter’s murder may already be in the hands of the police. However, Boulder police have not yet authorized DNA testing of items left on the garrote used to strangle JonBenét and other items at the crime scene.
“We’re asking the police to get involved,” Ramsey said. “There are cutting-edge DNA labs that want to help and believe they can move the story forward.”
He added about his daughter’s case: “If it remains in the hands of the Boulder Police, it will not be solved, period. If they accept help, all the help that is available, available and given, will be solved. Yes, I believe it will be solved.”