Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey? The chilling true story behind the new Netflix show

On December 26, 1996, the body of six-year-old JonBenét Ramsey, a child beauty pageant contestant, was discovered, having been killed.

The tragic death quickly turned into a sensational story for tabloids, not only due to JonBenét's young age but also because of the shocking details surrounding her murder. The captivating pageant photos that accompanied news articles worldwide added to the story's prominence, and the mystery of her killer never being discovered contributed to the public's fascination.

The story has been thoroughly examined before, notably in the 2017 Netflix movie, Casting JonBenét. Now, a fresh Netflix series called Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey has premiered, delving into the details of the murder once again.

Who Were The Ramseys? A Brief Overview

The Ramsey family was well-off. John's father, John Ramsey, worked as a software executive and earned his wealth by selling his company to Lockheed Martin. His mother, Patsy, was his second wife.

Patsy was a stunning woman who earned the title of Miss West Virginia in 1977. JonBenét was born on August 6, 1990, making her the youngest of two siblings, with her brother Burke being three years her senior. Her distinctive name was created by merging her father’s first and middle names, and her middle name, Patricia, was given in honor of her mother.

Patsy quickly directed her passion for beauty pageants towards her daughter. A few years later, they relocated from Atlanta to Boulder, Colorado, where JonBenét joined the local beauty pageant circuit. Before long, she was capturing titles such as America's Royale Miss, Little Miss Colorado, and National Tiny Miss Beauty. Proud of her daughter's achievements, Patsy took charge of everything, from her outfits to competitions and practice sessions.

On December 26, at 5:52 AM, Patsy contacted 911 to report her daughter as missing. She informed the authorities that she had discovered a ransom note written by hand on the stairs, which asked for $118,000—a sum that John later mentioned was exactly equal to his bonus.

The police conducted a search of the house. Since the case was first considered a kidnapping instead of a murder, there were instances where they compromised potential evidence, which became a recurring issue throughout the investigation.

At 1 PM, John discovered his daughter during a second search. She was located in the basement with duct tape over her mouth, a fractured skull, and nylon cords binding her wrists and neck. In his grief, John lifted her body and took it upstairs, which only muddied the crime scene further.

The police promptly determined that her death was a murder, and the subsequent autopsy indicated that JonBenét may have been sexually assaulted prior to her death.

In the months following her death, Patsy and John faced a lot of intense examination from both law enforcement and the media. The press labeled Patsy a "stage mom" because of her strong focus on JonBenét’s beauty pageant pursuits, which only increased media attention on the case.

The Ramsey family had a disagreement with the police as well. On January 1, 1997, they participated in their first interview with CNN, explaining to the authorities that they were too upset to talk to detectives at that time.

In her statement, Patsy asserted that there was a "murderer on the run."

"If I lived in Boulder, I would advise my friends to always keep their little ones nearby because there's someone out there," she said.

In a determined effort, the Boulder police dispatched five detectives to Atlanta after JonBenét’s tragic death, as the family had traveled there soon after the incident. On April 19, 1997, the Boulder district attorney announced that they were focusing their investigation primarily on Patsy and John.

As the investigation progressed, public curiosity increased. In 1998, a retired detective from Colorado Springs was called back to work on the case but ended up resigning in frustration over the way it was being managed. Meanwhile, a grand jury was convened to attempt to charge a suspect.

The investigation was filled with errors. Much focus was directed at the alleged ransom note that the family claimed to have received. In March, the police carried out handwriting analysis tests, which determined that John wasn't the author of the note, but they did not eliminate Patsy as a possibility.

DNA tests were conducted following the incident. Soon after the attack, the Ramseys provided samples to the police, but these did not match the unknown DNA found on JonBenét’s body at the time she was killed. Law enforcement collected hundreds of samples from individuals in the community and pursued numerous leads, which included the family’s housekeeper, a local journalist, and even a mall Santa. It wasn’t until 2008 that the Ramseys were formally cleared as suspects in the case.

John shared with People as the release of the show approached, “We thought the police would be reasonable and recognize that it was absurd to believe we could have harmed our child. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. From the very first day, they chose to see it that way and worked hard to support their theory.”

Detectives also spoke with JonBenét’s brother Burke, who was only nine years old at the time (he was cleared as a suspect in 1999). The discussions with him depicted the Ramseys as caring parents. However, in 1999, the grand jury decided to charge John and Patsy with two counts of child abuse leading to death.

This indictment never took place because the then-District Attorney, Alex Hunter, chose not to approve it due to insufficient evidence. Soon after, the jury was disbanded, and in 2000, the Ramseys released a book called The Death of Innocence.

In both the book and their promotional interviews, they insisted that they were not responsible for the murder.

The Ramseys: Where Are They Now?

The Ramseys have found it challenging to escape the intense attention of the media.

In 2004, John Ramsey tried to secure a position in Michigan's House of Representatives but did not succeed. Two years later, Patsy passed away after a long fight against ovarian cancer. Their son, Burke, who is currently a software engineer, has largely remained away from public attention, with the exception of a 2016 interview on the Dr. Phil Show.

"I'm astonished by the situation," he commented regarding the case. "What further proof could you possibly require to show that we weren't involved?"

This came about as a reaction to CBS's recent documentary, The Case of: JonBenét Ramsey, which suggested that Burke was responsible for his sister's death. Burke subsequently initiated a defamation lawsuit against CBS, which was resolved in 2019.

"Is Burke feeling good? He's doing as well as possible, considering what he's been through," a relative shared with US Weekly not long ago. "He's staying active and working through the challenges. He's trying to live his life as fully as he can. That’s all you can ask for."

Now 80 years old, John remains vocal about the loss of his daughter. In a recent interview with NBC's Today show, he expressed, "We want to ensure the case stays relevant and in the public eye. I truly believe it can be resolved if the police are open to assistance from external sources. That's been the issue for the past 25 years."

"It's a bittersweet situation," he continued. "We're thankful that people, both here and around the globe, are concerned about the loss of our child. We’re hopeful that someone with information will step up and share what they know."

The documentary "Cold Case: Who Murdered JonBenét Ramsey?" is currently available for streaming on Netflix.