JonBenét Ramsey's Chilling Crime Scene Photos Exposed as Murdered Toddler's Father John Remains 'Optimistic' About Solving Cold Case
JonBenét Ramsey crime scene photos have been revealed as her father, John Ramsey, continues search for her killer.
Dec. 23 2025, Published 5:30 p.m. ET
Nearly three decades have passed since John Ramsey and his late wife, Patsy, woke up to a living nightmare and discovered their 6-year-old daughter, JonBenét, missing from her bed in their Boulder, Colorado home on December 26, 1996. Her body was discovered hours later in the home's basement.
While John continues to push for advanced technology and DNA testing to be used in the cold case, he recently confessed he's "optimistic" about the case being solved within his lifetime after authorities announced they recovered "new evidence."
RadarOnline.com can reveal the chilling crime scene photos ahead of the 29th anniversary of the beauty pageant queen's shocking murder.
Warning: Graphic content below.
JonBenét Ramsey Reported Missing
JonBenét Ramsey's parents discovered her missing from her bed on the morning of December 26, 1996.
In crime scene photos, JonBenét's room looked relatively untouched except for bedding pulled back on her bed.
Patsy called 911 to report her daughter missing. Police arrived at the home within minutes and searched the property, but did not find any signs of forced entry. Only immediate family, including JonBenét's older brother Burke, were said to be at the home the night before.
Disturbing audio from Patsy's 911 call revealed the frantic mother claiming she found a ransom note at the bottom of the stairs inside her home.
Ransom Note Discovered in Ramsey Home
Patsy Ramsey claimed in the 911 call she found a randsom note at the bottom of the stairs inside her home.
The note's length raised eyebrows for how long it would take to write, and the $118,000 ransom demanded by the apparent kidnappers was coincidentally the same amount as John's bonus that year.
While police were still searching for the missing girl, John made arrangements to pay the ransom, and a detective arrived in anticipation of the kidnapper's instructions, which never came.
A so-called practice note was also found inside the home. The Colorado Bureau of Investigations later cleared John of writing the letter, but handwriting analysis was unable to rule out Patsy.
Discovery of JonBenét Ramsey
John Ramsey found his daughter's body in the basement hours after she was reported missing.
Hours after Patsy placed the 911 call, during which multiple individuals, including investigators, police, family, and friends walked inside the house, a detective, JonBenét's father, and a family friend conducted another search of the home, this time starting in the basement.
John discovered his daughter's body in a room that had been overlooked by police in a previous search.
She was found lying on the floor near her mother's paint supplies. Her mouth had been duct-taped, and a garrote was tied around her neck. JonBenét had been assaulted and bludgeoned during the attack.
A broken window and a suitcase placed underneath were noted in crime scene photos.
She had been bludgeoned during the attack.
Strange Marks Found Outside of Ramsey Home
Markings were observed outside the basement window.
John claimed the window was broken because he had lost his keys earlier that year and needed to get inside. While he raised an alarm about the broken window, authorities were said not take his concerns seriously.
"The suitcase shouldn't have been there," John said in a recent Netflix documentary. "It was set there like it was a step because the window was fairly high ... you needed a ladder or a step-stool or something to get up through it."
Investigators did note strange marks outside the basement window, and photographed what appeared to be a shoe print in the dirt.
Disturbances in the dirt on the windowsill and an apparent footprint were recorded.
Grim Discovery
The 6-year-old also had a garrote tied around her neck.
Shortly before JonBenét's body was discovered, pathologist John E. Meyer, M.D., arrived at the Ramsey home.
When John made the heartbreaking discovery moments later – and carried her body upstairs – Meyer examined her body and determined her cause of death was "asphyxia by strangulation associated with craniocerebral trauma."
JonBenét was still bound by the homemade garrote when her father, John, found her.
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Her cause of death was determined to be 'asphyxia by strangulation associated with craniocerebral trauma.'
"A brief examination of the body disclosed a ligature around the neck and a ligature around the right wrist," Meyer wrote in his report. "Also noted was a small area of abrasion or contusion below the right ear on the lateral aspect of the right cheek. A prominent dried abrasion was present on the lower left neck."
Many internet sleuths obsessed with cracking the cold case have pushed the theory that a stun gun was used on JonBenét due to the unusual markings observed on her body.
The garrote had been tightened with a brush from Patsy's paint supplies.
The garrote was fastened using a brush from Patsy's paint supplies. Microscopic fibers from the wooden paintbrush were also found on her body, suggesting she had been sexually assaulted with the handle.
Much of John's years-long fight for justice for his daughter has centered on unidentified male DNA collected from the crime scene, which he has pushed for being tested at an outside lab.
