ON December 26, 1996, the body of six-year-old JonBenét Ramsey was found in her parent's basement of their Boulder, Colorado home. The murder of JonBenét , who would've celebrated her 34th birthday on August 6, remains a mystery as her killer was never brought to justice. On the day after Christmas , JonBenét's mother, Patsy Ramsey , reported her daughter missing just before 6 am.
Patsy explained to the police that she found a handwritten ransom note requesting $118,000 upon realizing her daughter's disappearance. While authorities searched the house, JonBenét's father, John Ramsey , discovered his daughter's body just after 1 pm in their basement. JonBenét's parents were treated as main suspects for years before they were exonerated in 2008 due to newly developed DNA sampling.
Read More on JonBenét Ramsey Patsy also passed away two years before their exoneration from ovarian cancer. While Patsy and John were acquitted of speculation, JonBenét's murder still remains a mystery. The six-year-old would've been 34 today, and there are still many unanswered questions about the case.
RANSOM NOTE When Patsy initially called the police, she believed her daughter was missing after finding a two-and-a-half-page ransom note . Most read in The US Sun The letter demanded $118,000 from John's account. Ironically, the requested amount matched the same as John's Christmas bonus the year prior.
As the ransom was identical to John's bonus, experts believe someone who had access to that information might have been involved in the crime. The note stated that if the Ramseys were to contact authorities, they would murder the six-year-old. Following an investigation, it was noted that the ransom letter was written on stationary found in the Ramsey's home.
However, the family was cleared of suspicion after a handwriting test was conducted, except for Patsy. In 2003, a federal court ruled that it was unlikely Patsy wrote the note , begging the question of who actually penned the letter. WAS THERE AN INTRUDER? While many have begged the question of who wrote the ransom letter, others wonder if an intruder killed JonBenét .
Upon investigation, a window in the basement was shattered, and an unidentified footprint was discovered at the crime scene. During the initial analysis, physical evidence suggested the footprint was part of a set-up; however, when the case was reopened in 2009, the idea of an intruder was brought up. A.
James Kolar led the investigation for the Boulder DA's office for nine months and believed it was unlikely an intruder murdered JonBenét, as per Today . "We need to look back at the family, the people who were in the home that night, to determine the motive, what opportunity, what could have caused the situation to occur and eventually be reported to police on the morning of December 26," Kolar said at the time. Even with improved DNA technology, advancements in JonBenét's case remain unanswered .
PLANNED OR ACCIDENTAL? For years, experts and true crime connoisseurs alike pondered the idea of whether JonBenét's death was planned or accidental. When the former beauty pageant was discovered, it was revealed she was strangled, beaten, and sexually assaulted. We know the ransom letter demanded $118,000 and silence from the family, or JonBenét would be murdered.
However, the letter was written on stationary found in the home, so many wonder if the plan was to always murder JonBenét or if it was planned in advance. One theory predicted by author John Wesley Anderson, who wrote a book about her death, is that it was planned. "The killer went into that house with a kidnap kit," he told The Independent .
"He brought duct tape, he brought parachute cords, he brought a stun gun to immobilize the victim. "So this was very calculated. It was a very methodically executed kidnap that went wrong and ended up in murder.
" INEPT INVESTIGATION When Patsy called the cops to report her daughter's disappearance the day after Christmas, the Boulder Police Department was hit was criticism on how they handled the initial investigation. It was believed that the department was short-staffed and not prepared for the crime scene when they arrived at the Ramsey's home. I wish we would have done a better job of securing and controlling the crime scene on day one They also initially believed that the Ramseys had a hand in JonBenét's murder and neglected other leads at the time.
Former police chief Mark Beckner confessed that he wished they did a "better job" at the crime scene. "I wish we would have done a better job of securing and controlling the crime scene on day one," Beckner shared via Reddit . "We also should have separated John and Patsy and gotten full statements from them that day.
"Letting them go was a big mistake, as soon as they lawyered up and did not get to formally interview them again until May of 1997, five months after their daughter was murdered." FALSE CONFESSION In 2006, then known as John Mark Karr, confessed to murdering JonBenét. Karr was in Thailand at the time.
Karr was extradited back to the United States and arrested. However, he was released due to a lack of evidence. However, in an interview with The Messenger , Karr suggested there might have been another person with him.
"Everyone was so quick to say that I was a liar or delusional," Karr told the outlet. "Did it ever occur to someone that I might have been trying to protect someone else?" Following his statement, Karr refused to elaborate on what he meant. Despite his confession, DNA evidence found on JonBenét didn't match Karr.
In addition to Wolf, Gary Oliva also confessed to being JonBenét's killer numerous times. Oliva, a convicted pedophile, served an eight-year prison term on child pornography offenses. When he was arrested, Oliva was found to be in possession of 335 photos of and relating to JonBenét.
While serving time, Oliva wrote letters to his former classmate, Michael Vail, confessing to having murdered the child pageant queen. In copies of his letters obtained by The U.S.
Sun, Oliva composed hand-drawn sketches of JonBenét. For years, Vail claimed he received a call from Oliva on the morning of JonBenét's murder, claiming he allegedly told him, "I hurt a little girl." Vail allegedly reported the call to the authorities the next day but said Boulder police failed to act on the tip for over four years.
Oliva was meant to remain in prison until 2025 but was released on early parole in February of this year. SUSPECT LIST Journalist Chris Wolf was named a prime suspect in the murder of JonBenét by her parents. Wolf's girlfriend at the time called the cops after he stormed out of the house Christmas night and returned the following morning in muddy clothing.
Wolf was briefly detained after he refused to submit a handwriting sample to authorities. Despite his momentary arrest, Wolf was never officially charged with the murder of the six-year-old. In addition to Wolf, JonBenét's parents, and many others, a specific lead has yet to be singled out.
INSUFFICIENT DNA Because the crime happened in 1996, there may not have been enough DNA evidence to fully analyze the murder. In November 2022, the Boulder Police Department said they would work closely with the Colorado Cold Case Review team to use advanced DNA testing. However, the amount of DNA is very limited.
"The amount of DNA evidence available for analysis is extremely small and complex," the statement read. Read More on The US Sun "The sample could, in whole or in part, be consumed by DNA testing. "In collaboration with the CBI and the FBI, there have been several discussions with private DNA labs about the viability of continued testing of DNA recovered from the crime scene and genetic geneaology analysis .
.. Whenever there is a proven technology that can reliably test forensic samples consistent with the samples available in this case, additional analysis will be conducted.
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