A “good chance” that her murder can be solved

JonBenét Ramsey’s father, who for a time in the 1990s was a prime suspect in the high-profile murder of the child beauty queen that captivated the nation, still believes the case can be solved with new technology, he said Tuesday .

John Ramsey spoke about the case on News Nation, telling host Cecilia Vega that groundbreaking technology that allows detectives to analyze DNA evidence – which was unavailable after JonBenét’s murder on Dec. 25, 1996 – will be key catch the murderer.

“I think they can,” he said, agreeing with Vega that the case, still in the hands of Boulder police, is solvable. “If you’re going to do what we think is important, using the latest DNA technology, then work with the labs that have that capability and then leverage family genealogy research – which is so successful when it’s done “It’s about finding solutions to old cold cases.” – I think if they do, there’s a really good chance we’ll solve the problem.”

Interest in the unsolved case has been revived following the release of a new three-part Netflix documentary. Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey?which takes a critical look at the Boulder Police Department’s investigation into the Christmas murder of the six-year-old. Seven hours after the little blonde girl was reported missing, her body was discovered in the basement of the Ramseys’ home; A garrote was tied around her neck and her skull was fractured. According to her autopsy report, JonBenét’s official cause of death was “asphyxia due to strangulation associated with traumatic brain injury.”

While speaking with News Nation, John recounted his experience when suspicion was focused on him and his wife Patsy Ramsey, who died in 2006 after battling ovarian cancer twice. The story became a media sensation when Boulder police labeled the dead girl’s parents as potential culprits, even though DNA found at the crime scene did not match the girl’s parents or anyone in the family.

“It got out of control very quickly,” he said. “And then of course the police concluded, ‘Well, it’s a family.’ It’s always a family. It has to be the mother, the father. We’ll just turn it on, right? So let’s put pressure on both of them using the media as a tool and one of the innocent people will confess and hand over the guilty one.’”

Early in the interview, John pointed out that the detective who conducted the murder investigation was a car theft investigator, calling his qualifications “questionable.” He and Vega also discussed former Boulder police detective Linda Arndt, who was on trial and fired from the department for failing to contain the crime scene. She was the first authority on the scene and spent five hours there alone. Arndt famously told it Good morning America She knew who killed JonBenét but kept it to herself as it was an ongoing investigation. In the 1999 interview she then spoke negatively about John.

“She said she saw my eyes, which was a remarkable talent,” John said. “They decided on the first day. Well, Linda, of course, thought it was me because she saw it in my eyes, and then they focused on Patsy and we said, “Okay, we understand why you’re looking at us.” We’re in the house. That’s logical. We think it’s terrible, but we accept it. But don’t stop there.’ Well, of course they did. That was their conclusion. They just had to prove it. And that was difficult because then the evidence came in.”

On Monday, Boulder police responded to allegations that they failed to properly investigate the 1996 murder The Hollywood Reporter that it is “obliged to investigate every tip-off.”

“We continue to work with DNA experts and our law enforcement partners across the country until this tragic case is solved. “This investigation will always be a priority for the Boulder Police Department,” public information officer Dionne Waugh said on behalf of Police Chief Steve Redfearn. “The claim that there is viable evidence and leads that we are not pursuing – including DNA testing – is completely false.”

In response to renewed public interest in JonBenét’s murder, police released their latest investigative update ahead of schedule. It includes a nearly six-minute video statement from Chief Redfearn acknowledging the department’s initial mishandling of the case.

“Over the last 30 years, the way law enforcement works has changed significantly. There are a number of things that people have pointed out over the years that could have been done better and we recognize that as true,” Redfearn explained. “However, it is important to emphasize that while we cannot return to that terrible day in 1996, our goal is to find JonBenét Ramsey’s murderer.”

In response to the Boulder Police Department’s comments: Who killed JonBenét Ramsey? Director and executive producer Joe Berlinger exclusively released a statement THR He called on the department to communicate directly with the Ramsey family, who he said were left in the dark about the progress of the case.

“While the Boulder Police Department’s 28-year track record does not inspire confidence, we welcome any concrete efforts they make to solve this terrible crime,” he concluded at the start of a lengthy statement on the matter. “Neither we nor the Ramsey family have said that BPD is currently ignoring viable evidence and leads. We said that because they haven’t given the family any concrete information, we just don’t know if the Boulder Police Department is pursuing any viable evidence or leads.”