JonBenét Ramsey: 28 Years of Mystery
How a Christmas morning tragedy became America's most haunting unsolved case
On December 26, 1996, six-year-old JonBenét Ramsey was reported missing from her family home in Boulder, Colorado. Seven hours later, her body was discovered in a small basement room. What began as a Christmas morning tragedy would evolve into one of America's most perplexing cold cases—one that still captivates investigators and the public alike nearly three decades later.
JonBenét, a child beauty pageant competitor, died from strangulation and a skull fracture. An autopsy also revealed she had been sexually assaulted. The circumstances of her death were immediately unusual: a lengthy handwritten ransom note was found demanding $118,000—the exact amount of her father John Ramsey's annual bonus that year. Such specificity suggested someone with intimate knowledge of the family's finances.
The investigation that followed was exhaustive by any measure. Boulder detectives and investigators across multiple states conducted interviews with over 1,000 individuals, spanning 19 states. The case generated more than 21,000 tips, letters, and emails. Despite this unprecedented investigative effort, no suspect has ever been charged.
DNA evidence emerged as both a tantalizing clue and a persistent mystery. Unknown was found beneath JonBenét's fingernails and in her underwear— that theoretically could identify her killer. Yet for decades, this profile remained unmatched to any known offender in available databases.
