The JonBenét Ramsey Case

On December 26, 1996, six-year-old beauty pageant contestant JonBenét Ramsey was found dead in the basement of her family’s Boulder, Colorado home. The case remains unsolved nearly 30 years later.

BuzzFeed Unsolved: The Tragic Murder of JonBenét Ramsey (clear, widely viewed overview)

What Happened

Patsy Ramsey called 911 just before 6 a.m. after finding a long ransom note demanding $118,000. Later that day, John Ramsey discovered his daughter’s body in a basement room. She had been strangled with a homemade garrote and suffered a severe skull fracture. There was also evidence of sexual assault. The ransom note was written on paper from the house and was unusually long and detailed for a real kidnapping demand.

CNN: The murder mystery of JonBenét Ramsey (2016 special)

Investigation and DNA

Early suspicion fell heavily on the parents. A 1999 grand jury voted to indict John and Patsy, but charges were never filed. An unidentified male DNA profile was later found on JonBenét’s clothing. In 2008, the Boulder district attorney formally cleared the Ramsey family based on this DNA evidence. The case remains open. John Mark Karr falsely confessed in 2006; his DNA did not match. John Ramsey continues to call for advanced genetic genealogy testing on remaining evidence.

48 Hours: The Search for JonBenét’s Killer

The combination of the ransom note, the DNA, early investigative problems, and intense media coverage has kept this one of the most discussed unsolved cases in modern American true crime.