Boulder police give annual JonBenét Ramsey case update a month early

Posted at 12:43 PM, November 29, 2024

BOULDER, Colo. (Scripps News Denver) — JonBenét Ramsey was six years old when she was found dead inside her Boulder home the day after Christmas in 1996. Nearly 28 years later, her case remains unsolved.

A new documentary on Netflix is titled with the question that has never been answered — “Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey?”

Smiling girl with blonde curly hair, JonBenet Ramsey

JonBenét Ramsey was 6 years old on December 26, 1996, when she was brutally murdered in her home. (File Photo)

Amid the increased attention on the case, the Boulder Police Department released its annual update on the ongoing homicide investigation a month earlier than normal.

RELATED: Colorado cold case review finishes analysis of JonBenét Ramsey murder

In the video update, Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said, “While I was not at Boulder police 28 years ago, I have worked in policing for more than 20 years, and I want to assure you that our agency is committed to doing everything we can to bring justice to JonBenét and hold her killer responsible.”

A lot has changed in law enforcement since 1996, the chief said, acknowledging that there are a “number of things” police could have done better when initially investigating what happened to JonBenét.

“However, it is important to emphasize that while we cannot go back to that horrible day in 1996, our goal is to find JonBenét Ramsey’s killer. Our commitment to that has never wavered,” Chief Redfearn said.

READ MORE: Timeline: Investigation into murder of JonBenét Ramsey

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Boulder PD said, “The assertion that there is viable evidence and leads we are not pursuing — to include DNA testing — is completely false.”

In Nov. 2022, Boulder PD announced a partnership with the Colorado Cold Case Review Team through a joint press release with the City of Boulder, Boulder County District Attorney’s Office and 20th Judicial District.

Chief Redfearn said their collaboration with the Colorado Cold Case Review Team resulted in a lengthy list of recommendations that Boulder police continue to work through. The review included an intensive effort to digitize all of the evidence in the case and create a searchable database.

home of John and Patricia Ramsey in Boulder,

** FILE ** A Boulder Police detective walks to the home of John and Patricia Ramsey in Boulder, Colo., on Friday, Jan. 3, 1997, as investigators sifted through evidence in the home in which the couple’s 6-year-old daughter was found murdered on Dec. 26, 1996. A decade after the Christmastime slaying of JonBenet Ramsey, two aspects of the case endure: the public’s endless fascination with the murder of the 6-year-old beauty contestant, and a sense the notorious crime may never be solved. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

“Those files include more than 21,000 tips, over 1,000 interviews which were conducted across 17 states and two foreign countries, samples from more than 200 different individuals — including handwriting, DNA, fingerprints and shoe prints — nearly 2,500 pieces of evidence and roughly 40,000 reports with more than one million pages documenting the investigation,” the chief said in his update. “A fresh inventory of all collected evidence was made available for investigative review, which would not have been possible without the assistance of the FBI.”

A Boulder police spokesperson said because this is an open and ongoing investigation, they cannot provide interviews or answer specific questions at this time.

“What I can tell you, though, is that we have thoroughly investigated multiple people identified as suspects throughout the years, and we continue to be open-minded about what occurred as we investigate the tips that come into detectives,” Chief Redfearn said. “I can also tell you that detectives are regularly investigating some aspects of this terrible crime, and I receive updates frequently.”

Michael Tracey is a professor emeritus at the University of Colorado at Boulder and was featured in the Netflix documentary.

“I became involved in the case very early on, early 1997,” Tracey told Denver7. “The reason I became involved was actually not to do with the murder itself. I looked at the way in which the media were covering the case, the way in which the culture was reacting to the case and, actually, the global culture, because this was a global story. And I was appalled by what I saw. It was unfair. It was full of lies, full of misinformation, in an attempt to basically frame the family.”

While Tracey has not watched the documentary yet, he has already experienced the influence of the streaming giant.

“I’ve discovered the power of Netflix. I discovered that today. Oh my god. I mean, I’ve co-produced four documentaries. Netflix got more attention in 24 hours than we did in 25 years,” Tracey said, laughing. “I, along with a number of people, want to keep the case alive.”

Tracey is one of many who have criticized the way this case has been handled.

“The crime scene was compromised from the get-go. [Police] weren’t open-minded,” Tracey said.

One of the suspects in the case was John Mark Karr, who confessed to the killing in 2006. However, his DNA did not match the DNA that was found on JonBenét. Karr communicated with Tracey prior to the confession.

“The emails were very intense. I’ll be honest, it was not fun. And then we had the phone conversations. It was a very, very dark experience,” Tracey said. “He confessed. He confessed in emails, he confessed in phone calls, he confessed in a book manuscript.”

RELATED: Court TV Exclusive: Gary Oliva’s newest letter and ongoing JonBenét Ramsey obsession

family photo

FILE – Ramsey family (KMGH)

Tracey is convinced the person who has evaded law enforcement all these years is not a member of the Ramsey family.

“You don’t know until you know, but I would be extremely surprised, to say the least, if it was a Ramsey. It wasn’t,” Tracey said. “It was a sexually violent predator who liked to hurt little girls, basically, and in the process, destroyed the Ramsey family.”

A spokesperson for the 20th Judicial District Attorney’s Office issued a statement to Denver7 on Tuesday, saying they are “continuing to work with federal, state, and local agencies to make progress on this tragic case.”

Full statement below:

“The murder of JonBenet Ramsey was a tragedy. Our office has successfully prosecuted cold case homicides and many other murder cases. Our office appreciates the continued collaboration with CDPS, CBI, the FBI, and the Boulder Police Department. As with any cold case homicide, the overarching goal is to look at the facts and evidence with fresh eyes and an open mind, armed with the latest developments in forensic science. The presentation to the Cold Case Review Team generated helpful recommendations. Our office is continuing to work with federal, state, and local agencies to make progress on this tragic case.”

Anyone with information about this case is encouraged to email [email protected] or call the Boulder PD tipline at 303-441-1974.

 

This story was originally published by Scripps News Denver, an E.W. Scripps Company.