BOULDER, Colo. – The Colorado Cold Case Review Team has completed its analysis of the JonBenét Ramsey case, the Boulder Police Department announced Thursday. The partnership to review the case was announced in November 2022 through a joint press release with the City of Boulder, Boulder County District Attorney’s Office and 20th Judicial District. Dec. 26 marked 27 years since the day the body of JonBenét Patricia Ramsey, just 6 years old, was found in the basement of her family’s home in Boulder. The young beauty pageant contestant had been bludgeoned and strangled. To date, nobody has been convicted of the crime, but theories have circulated for decades.
The Colorado Cold Case Review Team digitized all evidence in the case during its year-long analysis and created a searchable database that includes 21,000 tips, more than 1,000 interviews and samples from more than 200 people, including handwriting, DNA, fingerprints and shoeprints. In all, the case file contains nearly 2,500 pieces of evidence and nearly 40,000 reports, according to Boulder police.
Boulder police have worked with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office, Colorado’s Department of Public Safety, Colorado’s Bureau of Investigation, and several private DNA laboratories in this case. Authorities said that although the amount of DNA evidence collected at the crime scene is still available for analysis, it is small and could be completely consumed by testing. However, in its update, the police department said Thursday that detectives are actively preparing the evidence for testing when possible.
Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold expressed gratitude for the Cold Case Review Team’s independent assessment and the recommendations provided regarding this tragic case. She committed to pursuing all leads and exploring technology advancements to identify JonBenét’s killer. District Attorney Michael Dougherty also thanked the multi-agency group that reviewed the entire case file and presented the case to the Cold Case Review Team. He emphasized the importance of looking at the facts and evidence with fresh eyes and an open mind, armed with the latest developments in forensic science.
The Boulder Police Department and the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office are in the process of reviewing and prioritizing the review team’s recommendations. The recommendations will not be made public “to preserve the integrity of the investigation,” according to the police department. Anybody with information on this case is asked to call the tip line at 303-441-1974, email BouldersMostWanted@bouldercolorado.gov, or, to remain anonymous, call Northern Colorado Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.