John Bennett Ramsey - Case Files

Case Files

JonBenét's was the only murder in Boulder, Colorado, in 1996. The Boulder police had little experience in that type of investigation. Regardless, the majority of them immediately thought that the Ramseys were guilty due to the lack of evidence found indicating that an intruder had broken inside the house, and that the Ramseys had been avoiding the police since the death of their daughter.

Boulder police dismissed the possibility that an intruder had somehow slipped inside the house and committed the murder because they could not find any evidence of anyone breaking in. Instead, District Attorney Alex Hunter leaked information to the media. Meanwhile, the Ramseys had themselves retained a public relations firm and repeatedly appeared on national television to plead their case.

Statements were given to the media by John Ramsey's ex-wife, brother, and sister-in-law. They categorically deny that John Ramsey is, or has ever been, a child abuser. To further defend the claims, John Ramsey's son, John Andrew, and elder daughter, Melinda, told interviewers that their father had always been a loving and gentle person who "cherished" his children and had never abused them in any way. Both children were interviewed as possible suspects in the murder but were later cleared.

Stephen Singular investigative journalist and author of the book Presumed Guilty — An Investigation into the JonBenet Ramsey Case, The Media and the Culture of Pornography, suggests the existence of a connection of the murder to the industry of child pornography. He refers to consultations with cyber-crime specialists who believe that JonBenet, due to her beauty pageant experience, was the perfect kind of child who could be dragged into the world of child pornography and was a natural candidate to attract attention and pedophiles.

In 2004, investigators began to emphasize an intruder theory. Throughout the investigation, the Ramseys maintained their innocence.

Even after the false confession, extradition, and later release of John Mark Karr, JonBenét's murder remains unsolved. Charges have not been filed against anyone.

However, in July 2008 John and Patsy Ramsey were officially cleared of the death by the Boulder District Attorney's office, based on new DNA evidence collected from JonBenet's clothing; this particular DNA analysis did not exist at the time of the killing.