On What Would’ve Been JonBenét Ramsey 35th Birthday, We Lay Bare the War Between Little Beauty Queen's Ailing Dad, 81, and the Cops He Claims are Stonewalling the Cold Case Investigation
JonBenét Ramsey would have turned 35 on August 6.
Aug. 6 2025, Published 6:05 p.m. ET
John Ramsey has never given up fighting for justice in his daughter's 28-year-old cold case.
On what would have been JonBenét Ramsey's 35th birthday on August 6, RadarOnline.com can reveal John's recent efforts to solve the murder case and his clash with local authorities over crucial evidence.
Cold Case
JonBenét's body was found tied-up in the basement of her family's Boulder home.
JonBenét's murder has gripped the nation for nearly three decades. Hours after being reported missing by her mother, Patsy, the six-year-old's body was discovered tied up in the basement of her family's upscale home in Boulder, Colorado.
The small town was rocked, and investigators were left puzzled by the tragedy. The Ramseys' home appeared to have no signs of forced entry, yet a bizarre ransom note was left at the scene.
Despite detectives speaking with over 1,000 people across 19 states and receiving more than 21,016 tips, letters, and emails, the case remains unsolved.
New DNA Testing
John has long pushed for advanced DNA testing to be used in his daughter's case.
Still, John, 81, believes his daughter's killer could be brought to justice, and new DNA testing could make it all possible.
Forensic genetic genealogy is an advanced investigative technique that has been used to solve several high-profile cold cases, including nabbing the infamous Golden State Killer, Joseph James DeAngelo.
After pushing for the technology to be used in his daughter's case, John accused local law enforcement of withholding evidence.
Police Stalling Investigation
John previously accused Boulder PD of refusing to release DNA evidence to an independent testing lab.
The Boulder Police Department announced in 2022 they were teaming up with the Colorado Cold Case Review, as well as a privately owned DNA testing lab, to review evidence collected in 1996. However, John claimed the Boulder PD would not turn over the investigation or release the DNA to an outside lab.
John said at the time: "Sadly, it sounded like more of the same… and that's not what we need. It's a good effort by their PR department, but that's not what we need to be done."
He noted the partnership with Colorado Cold Case Review was "encouraging" because Boulder police "don't have the latest technology."
John met with Boulder PD in January and expressed confidence in new leadership overseeing the case.
John also made it clear he would continue to push for the latest DNA testing.
"They would love for this case just to go away and put in a file cabinet that never gets opened. We're not gonna let that happen," he said.
In January, the beauty queen's father reportedly met with law enforcement to discuss the case and new leadership.
The grieving father said: "I’m very satisfied and impressed with the leadership now in place (at the Boulder Police Department) and believe they are committed to do all that can be done using the latest technology and available resources to identify the killer.
"That is all we can ask for."
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As RadarOnline.com reported, there has been a rare breakthrough in JonBenét's case.
Investigators are working through a bombshell secret spreadsheet of potential suspects compiled by Lou Smit, who was hired by John to investigate the case years ago. In the wake of Smit's death, his daughter Cindy Marra has taken over his work.
A source said: "They should restart the investigation from scratch using Lou’s list of suspects.
"They had the name of the person of interest during the first week of the investigation, so that alone says the suspect is on Lou Smit's list because he had access to the police files."
Marra told local news: "We decided the best thing we could do is work off the spreadsheet he developed. We have been able to eliminate from our list probably 25 people based on DNA."
