JonBenét Ramsey's Dad Reveals 'Important Meeting' Plans With Police and DNA Lab Representative As 'Progress' is Made in Cold Case 28 Years After Child Beauty Queen's Murder
December 26 marks the 28th anniversary of Ramsey's death.
Dec. 26 2024, Published 3:47 p.m. ET
There is renewed hope in the still-unsolved death of six-year-old beauty queen JonBenét Ramsey, RadarOnline.com has learned.
It's been 28 years since the child's body was found in the basement of her family’s Boulder, Colo. home, but the little girl's father has never stopped searching for her killer.
JonBenet Ramsey's father, John, will meet with Boulder cops and a DNA expert.
JonBenét's father, John Ramsey, said he plans to meet with the Boulder Police Department chief in Colorado next month as he continues to pursue leads in the case, thanks to new advances in detective skills like DNA sampling.
The 80-year-old explained how he wants an independent genetic genealogy research lab to test crime-scene evidence from the home.
JonBenét was found dead in the basement of her family's Colorado home in December 1996.
Officials are said to have already sorted through 2,500 pieces of evidence and approximately 40,000 reports with more than a million pages documenting the investigation.
But it's not enough for Ramsey, who revealed: "We have requested a meeting with (Boulder Police Department) Chief (Stephen) Redfearn in January. He said, 'Yup, absolutely, let's get together.'"
Ramsey called it an important meeting and is hopeful it will happen soon.
He added: "We haven't scheduled the day yet, but we’ll get that figured out."
A sensational new documentary on JonBenét's 1996 murder sparked new theories involving an alleged hitman and missed DNA.
She was discovered to have been strangled with a homemade garrote, which was still tied around her neck when John discovered her body.
The garrote had been tightened with a paintbrush from Patsy's art supplies. Microscopic fibers from the wooden paintbrush were also found on her body, indicating she had been sexually assaulted with the handle.
Ramsey later claimed unidentified male DNA found on the garrote was never sent for testing by authorities.
Ramsey said he is hopeful that new techniques can provide new information.
He told Fox News Digital: "DNA is pretty complicated stuff. I have learned that. But that's the reason that needs to be retested. That's the one step that we're asking the police to do is engage one of these one or two cutting-edge labs in the world and see what we come up with.
"And if we come up empty-handed, then I'll say, 'Thank you. You tried. That's the best we can do right now with today's technology. Thank you.'
"But until we do that, we haven't done everything that could be done."
John and Patsy Ramsey have never stopped searching for the real killer.
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With interest in the case soaring after the Netflix documentary, Boulder police said their annual update, posted to X, could be more helpful than ever.
Boulder Police Chief Steve Redfearn said in the tweet: "The killing of JonBenét was an unspeakable crime, and this tragedy has never left our hearts. We are committed to following up on every lead, and we are continuing to work with DNA experts and our law enforcement partners around the country until this tragic case is solved.
"This investigation will always be a priority for the Boulder Police Department."
However, Redfearn took a definitive stance when it came to faulty lab work.
He explained: "The assertion that there is viable evidence and leads we are not pursuing—to include DNA testing—is completely false."
Still, Ramsey said he wants outside experts to have their say.
Ramsey declared: "The reason I've done these media interviews — Netflix, that documentary — is to keep pressure on the police.
"We're not going to go away, folks."
