For almost 30 years, the mysterious death of JonBenét Ramsey has fueled widespread speculation. The six-year-old was discovered dead in the basement of her family’s home in Boulder, Colorado, on Christmas morning in 1996.
The high-profile case has captivated the public and generated a long list of possible suspects—ranging from family members to unrelated individuals—yet it remains officially unsolved.
Those suspected over the years have included JonBenét’s parents, John and Patsy Ramsey, along with her then nine-year-old brother, Burke.
Other individuals tied to the case include convicted pedophile Gary Oliva and former schoolteacher John Mark Karr, who made a false confession in 2006 but was ultimately not charged.
John Ramsey believes a different individual may be responsible for JonBenét’s murder — a masked intruder who assaulted a 12-year-old girl in Boulder just nine months after his daughter’s death.
The suspect allegedly raped the girl but fled the scene when her mother stepped in.
“To me, it could easily have been the same person,” John Ramsey shared in an exclusive interview with People magazine.
However, he said his theory was quickly dismissed by investigators. “The police brushed it off, saying, ‘No, it’s not the same,’” he recalled.
John’s remarks surfaced shortly before the premiere of the Netflix docuseries Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey?, which began streaming on November 25.
The three-part docuseries takes a fresh look at the infamous case, emphasizing what John Ramsey views as critical errors made by investigators that stalled efforts to find his daughter’s killer.
Early on, the investigation centered on the Ramsey family, in part because of a ransom note discovered inside their home.
JonBenét had been sexually assaulted and sustained both blunt force trauma and strangulation, making the circumstances of her death even more disturbing.
JonBenét’s parents quickly became the focus of suspicion under the glare of intense media coverage—an atmosphere that John believes only deepened the missteps made during the investigation.
He’s calling on law enforcement to utilize today’s advanced forensic tools and remains hopeful that fresh leads will surface.
“I think the M.O. was exactly the same,” he told People, referring to the attack on the 12-year-old girl.
“I believe the killer was already inside the house when we returned home and waited until we were asleep.”
