By Jill Maglione
Court TV

BOULDER, Colo. (Court TV) — Despite a hopeful new twist, the murder of JonBenet Ramsey still remains unsolved. Police determined that there is no link between the 1996 murder of the 6-year-old beauty queen and a 1997 sexual assault on a 14-year-old girl.

JonBenet and the 14-year-old, who lives less than two miles from the Ramseys' former residence, had both studied at the same dance studio and both were victims of assaults inside their homes.

The potential link surfaced in a Dallas Morning News article that lambasted Boulder police for failing to investigate the sexual assault, claiming that similarities in that case indicated a link to Ramsey's death.

Investigators, however, said that a palm print found in the 14-year-old's home does not match a print from the Ramsey crime scene. Despite the other parallels, police have concluded that the palm prints prove no connection exists between the two unsolved crimes.

Lin Wood, attorney for JonBenet's parents, John and Patsy Ramsey, has argued that the palm prints alone should not rule out a connection.

John and Patsy Ramsey are still considered suspects in their daughter's December 26, 1996 death. The girl was found dead in the basement of her Colorado home strangled and beaten to death. A grand jury investigated the murder, but never returned an indictment due to lack of evidence.

In August, Jon and Patsy Ramsey agreed to videotaped interviews with Boulder police in their new hometown of Atlanta. The interviews marked the first time the Ramseys had spoken to investigators about their daughter's death in over two years. The majority of the interview content has not been released to the public.

Copyright© 2000 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.