Police deny sitting on evidence as Netflix focuses on JonBenet Ramsey killing

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DENVER (AP) — Amid renewed interest in the killing of JonBenet Ramsey triggered in part by a new Netflix documentary, police in Boulder, Colorado, refuted assertions this week that there is viable evidence and leads about the 1996 killing of the 6-year-old girl that they are not pursuing.

JonBenet Ramsey was found dead in the basement of her home in Boulder the day after Christmas in 1996. Her body was found several hours after her mother called 911 to say her daughter was missing and a ransom note had been left behind.

The police comments came as part of their annual update on the investigation. But this year they are a month before the 28th anniversary of the child’s killing. Police said they released it a little earlier due to the increased attention on the case, apparently referring to the three-part Netflix series “Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenet Ramsey.”

In a video statement, Boulder Police Chief Steve Redfearn said the department welcomes news coverage and documentaries about the killing of JonBenet, who would have been 34 this year, as a way to generate possible new leads. 

The Netflix documentary on JonBenet Ramsey

The Netflix documentary focuses on the mistakes made by police and the “media circus” surrounding the case.

Somebody bludgeoned and strangled JonBenet. Officials ruled her death a homicide, but they didn’t prosecute anybody. 

Police were widely criticized for mishandling the early investigation into her death amid speculation that her family was responsible. However, a prosecutor cleared her parents, John and Patsy Ramsey, and brother Burke in 2008. That decision was based on new DNA evidence from JonBenet’s clothing. The new evidence allegedly pointed to the involvement of an “unexplained third party” in her slaying.

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