JonBenet Ramsey murder to be examined by cold case team in hopes of breakthrough

JonBenet Ramsey was found in the basement of her parent’s Boulder home on December 26 1996.

A new cold case investigation has been opened into the long unsolved murder of child beauty pageant star JonBenet Ramsey.

Police in Colorado hope that new forensic techniques could finally solve the murder of the six-year-old girl found dead in the basement of her family home in Boulder almost three decades ago.

Her body was found beaten and strangled on Boxing Day in 1996, hours after her parents, John and Patsy, reported her missing and a ransom note was found in the house.

Her death has been ruled as a homicide, though nobody has ever been charged over her murder.

Boulder Police Department says it will being consulting with the Colorado Cold Case Review Team - comprised of forensic experts across the state - to look into the 26-year-old case next year.

Patsy Ramsey and her husband, John, parents of JonBenet, appear at a news conference in 2000. Credit: AP

Police say that additional analysis will be carried out whenever there is technology that can reliably test forensic samples consistent with evidence related to the case.

"In collaboration with the CBI and the FBI, there have been several discussions with private DNA labs about the viability of continued testing of DNA recovered from the crime scene and genetic genealogy analysis," Boulder Police said in a statement.

Investigators have already analysed nearly 1,000 DNA samples during their enquiries, combing through over 21,000 tips, letters, and emails and travelling across 19 states to interview or speak with more than 1,000 people.

In recent years, investigators have identified suspects in unsolved cases by comparing DNA profiles from crime scenes and to DNA testing results shared online by people researching their family trees.

In this 1997 photo, a police officer sits in her cruiser outside the home in which JonBenet Ramsey was found murdered. Credit: AP

Police Chief Maris Herold said the case continues to be a priority for the Boulder Police Department.

“This crime has left a hole in the hearts of many, and we will never stop investigating until we find JonBenet’s killer,” he said.

“That includes following up on every lead and working with our policing partners and DNA experts around the country to solve this tragic case."

District Attorney Michael Dougherty added: “The murder of JonBenet Ramsey is a terrible tragedy and sparked years of unanswered questions and theories.

"Our office has successfully prosecuted other cold case homicides and many murder cases.

"In every one of those cases, it was the evidence that proved the defendant(s) guilty. Whether it is DNA or other evidence, more is needed to solve this murder."

John Ramsey hugs his son, Burke, facing camera, at the graves of his wife, Patsy, and daughter JonBenet in 2006. Credit: AP

Tests in 2008 on newly discovered DNA on JonBenet’s clothing suggested the involvement of an “unexplained third party” in her killing, and not her parents or their son, Burke.

That led former district attorney Mary Lacy to clear the Ramseys of any involvement, two years after Patsy Ramsey died of cancer, calling the couple “victims of this crime.”

The details of the crime and video footage of JonBenet from the pageants propelled the case into one of the highest-profile mysteries in the US, unleashing a series of true-crime books and TV specials.

Burke Ramsey said his reputation was ruined after a TV series suggested he killed his six-year-old sister in 1996, which he denies.

A $750 million defamation lawsuit filed against CBS was subsequently settled for an undisclosed amount.

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