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JonBenet Ramsey's father reveals huge breakthrough in hunt for daughter's killer

JonBenet Ramsey's father, John, has revealed how he remains hopeful that his daughter's killer will one day be brought to justice following a breakthrough in the cold case

JonBenet Ramsey's father, John, has revealed how he remains hopeful that his daughter's killer will one day be brought to justice
JonBenet Ramsey's father, John, has revealed how he remains hopeful that his daughter's killer will one day be brought to justice(Image: Daily Record)

The unsolved brutal murder of child beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey, which has baffled detectives for nearly three decades, might be on the verge of a breakthrough.

For years, suspicion has haunted JonBenet's family despite a 2008 police exoneration backed by an apology after DNA evidence pointed to an "unknown male" at the scene. The breakthrough comes as a cold case in Amsterdam could be solved after cops installed a hologram of a sex worker in a shop window. And a man who passed a lie detector test 45 years ago was finally found guilty, but will not face justice.


JonBenet was just six-year-old when she suffered torture, sexual assault and was killed on Boxing Day in 1996.

Her mother, Patsy Ramsey, stumbled upon a ransom note demanded £94,000 ($118,000) for the little girl's safe return on the staircase of their Boulder, Colorado mansion on the morning of December 26.

JonBenet Ramsey and her father, John
JonBenet Ramsey and her father, John(Image: Courtesy of Netflix)

However, later that day, JonBenet's lifeless body was found by her father in an unused boiler room in the basement.

For decades the case remained cold, with the investigation hitting a dead end, but now a Netflix documentary series delving into the mystery has reignited public interest.

John Ramsey, now 81, JonBenet's father, believes the renewed attention from the series, Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenet Ramsey? edges them closer to finding justice for his daughter, even if it means dealing with the oddball theories that come with the spotlight.


John and Patsy Ramsey talking to the media in 1997
John and Patsy Ramsey talking to the media in 1997(Image: Denver Post via Getty Images)
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John, whose wife Patsy passed away from cancer in 2006, recently received a mysterious letter from a woman alleging that her ex-husband was the killer of their daughter.

The letter read "I've kept this inside for as long as I can - please, please call me," and included a phone number.


Although John immediately called the number, it rang unanswered.

However, in an interview with the Daily Mail, John revealed that he didn't view the incident as negative or feel anger towards the person who sent the letter, likely a prankster. Instead, he saw it as a positive development, as it shifted the focus away from the suspicion that one of his family members was the perpetrator.

JonBenet's lifeless body was found by her father in an unused boiler room in the basement
JonBenet's lifeless body was found by her father in an unused boiler room in the basement

He said: "You know, the police were doing nothing and had done nothing for 28 years, quite frankly, other than trying to explain away the evidence so they could prosecute Patsy or me.

"And they couldn’t do it so they thought “oh well, we know who did it, but we can’t prove it so we’ll just forget about it”.’

"I think the documentary has brought a lot of renewed interest and it has kept pressure on the police to do their job."


JonBenet was found with duct tape covering her mouth, her hands bound, and a garotte made from cord and a broken paintbrush from Patsy's art supplies deeply embedded in her neck.

JonBenet
Police believed a member of JonBenet's family was responsible for her death(Image: foxnews)

Initially, local police refused to believe that an intruder was responsible, instead convincing themselves that JonBenet's parents were to blame.


Their theory was that Patsy may have accidentally killed her daughter over a bed-wetting incident, or that Burke (then nine) could have been responsible due to some sibling dispute, and the couple then staged it as a murder scene.

The nation was captivated, especially when videos of JonBenet participating in beauty pageants she regularly competed in surfaced, where she won titles such as Little Miss Colorado and National Miss Tiny Beauty.

The residence where JonBenet Ramsey was murdered in December 1996
The residence where JonBenet Ramsey was murdered in December 1996(Image: Getty Images)

Misinformation given to both local and international media, who descended on the affluent suburb in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, only fuelled the suspicion surrounding the Ramseys.

However, there have now been two significant developments: one of the original detectives on the case, seen by the Ramseys as a "roadblock" in the investigation, has been disciplined and is now retired.

A new chief of police was then brought in, with whom John claims to have a good relationship, and he is pleading with him to use the latest technology to conduct more testing on the unidentified male DNA.


The grave of JonBenet Ramsey
The grave of JonBenet Ramsey(Image: Getty Images)

John says this method has been successful in cracking many cold cases.

Secondly, the FBI is now involved, and they have a profile of the killer, which John says was someone in their 20s or 30s, who was obsessed with movies.

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He also says the agents believe that the murder wasn't about JonBenet, but possibly someone with a grievance against him.

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