JonBenet’s father challenges the governor of Colorado to meet: « the time for answers is running out »

FIRST ON FOX – For nearly 26 years, John Ramsey has been trying to find out who killed his 6-year-old daughter, JonBenet Ramsey, at their home in Boulder, Colorado, the day after Christmas in 1996.

More recently, the 78-year-old father of five pushed the Boulder Police Department (BPD) to turn over the evidence in the case, which has been in their possession since the JonBenet murder, to an independent agency with more advanced DNA testing capabilities. than that of the Colorado government. Ramsey also sent a letter to Colorado Governor Jared Polis asking to meet in person.

“I am 78 now and realize that the time for answers is running out,” Ramsey said in his Oct. 3 letter to the governor. « The murder of my daughter can never be undone. There will never be peace or closure. But there can and must be justice. As a community, state and nation, we should demand this of ourselves and our leaders. responsible for this has lived the past 25 years in fear of being discovered; in fear that technology will one day evolve to the point that this homicide can be solved. That day, and that technology, is here now .

He continued: « Solving my daughter’s murder won’t close the void in my heart, but it will identify and eliminate a demented and dangerous person among us and, in doing so, potentially protect the lives of other children. There is no better responsibility of a governor than this. As an elected leader, but more importantly as a father, I respectfully ask you to do the right thing.

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Ramsey sent the lengthy letter along with a Change.org petition titled « Justice for JonBenet » that garnered nearly 29,000 signatures from across the country asking the BPD to turn over evidence. There were 26,000 signatures on the petition at the time Ramsey shared it with Polis.

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The petition asks Polis to direct the BPD « to move all DNA samples and crime scene evidence that may contain samples to an independent outside agency of your choosing », who would « then work with a forensic laboratory private, such as Othram or Parabon Nanolabs, which uses proven state-of-the-art technology to analyze and sequence these samples,” Rasmey wrote in his letter.

Read the full letter here:

Ramsey told Fox News Digital that the governor did not respond to him directly on Tuesday.

JonBenet’s mother reported the 6-year-old child missing to police on the morning of December 26, 1996, after finding a lengthy ransom note demanding $118,000 in exchange for JonBenet. John Ramsey found his body later that same day. She died of homicide by asphyxiation due to strangulation and blunt force trauma to the head. His killer has not yet been identified.

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Ramsey specifically asks Polis to « insert » himself into the case and « do a few things »: « One is to test the crime scene samples that we know have not been tested for DNA evidence and … use an outside, cutting-edge lab to do it,” he said.

The JonBenet Ramsey murder case has gone unsolved for almost 26 years.
(Ramsey Family Document)

« [T]he FBI told us six or eight months ago, « We don’t have the latest technology that’s only available in these outside labs, » and that’s where we need to go. And so we want that done,” Ramsey explained. « And then hopefully…take that to the public genealogy database and work that database to get information that’s been very effective on very old cold cases. »

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The governor’s press secretary, Conor Cahill, told Fox News Digital that Polis’ office had received Ramsey’s letter, but he did not say whether the governor intended to meet with Ramsey.

The Colorado Bureau pf Investigation (CBI) « continues to work with the Boulder Police Department and the district attorney’s office on this case, » Cahill said.

JonBenet Ramsey was murdered at the family home in Boulder, Colorado on December 26, 1996.
(Ramsey Family Document)

Cahill continued, « In addition to speaking with private DNA labs, [BPD] will consult with the Colorado Cold Case Review Team in 2023. The Cold Case Review Team is comprised of professional investigative, analytical, and forensic experts from across the state. The Review Team is another tool to help pursue uncleared homicide investigations, including making recommendations based on investigative best practices. »

Ramsey previously told Fox News Digital that BPD’s Nov. 9 announcement about its decision to consult with Colorado’s cold case review team « sounds like the same thing, and that’s not what we have. need ».

The Murder That Shocked America: On December 24, 1996, JonBenet Ramsey, a child beauty queen, was brutally murdered in her home in Boulder, Colorado.
(Polaris/Discovery+)

Ramsey thinks his recent efforts to shed new light on the case over the past few years may have helped inspire BPD’s decision to consult with the cold case team, but he expects something more and is prepared to pursue potential legal action if significant developments in the case are not made soon.

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Even after 26 years have passed without a suspect or any significant leads in his daughter’s case, Ramsey is also more optimistic than ever for answers and « overwhelmed with the interest and support of the people who were behind us and that we can exploit,” as seen on the petition he sent to Polis, Ramsey said.

JonBenet Ramsey
(John Ramsey)

He hopes to learn more about another father from Boulder, Colorado, who recently spoke to the US Sun about his daughter’s sexual assault case which bears similarities to the JonBenet murder case.

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The father identified only as « Amy’s father » in the US Sun and a 2004 CBS article. The victim, Amy, was sexually assaulted by an unknown suspect who broke into her family’s home – and her room – on the night of September 14, 1997. The girl is said to have attended the same Boulder dance school as JonBenet, the late private investigator Pete. Peterson told CBS 18 years ago.

JonBenet Ramsey would have turned 32 on Saturday, August 6, 2022.
(Ramsey family)

« The first thing that came to mind was that it was the parallel with the Ramsey case because it was the exact same situation, » Amy’s father told CBS. « I think someone somewhere drew a pearl on her. Obviously we were under surveillance that we weren’t aware of. »

The BPD said it became aware of the 1997 case after the US Sun report. Amy and Ramsey’s father share similar frustrations with BPD’s investigations into their daughters’ respective cases.

« They were completely indifferent, » Amy’s father told the outlet. « They didn’t care about that at all…they just lied, telling us they were going to look into this or that – but they didn’t. »

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Ramsey doesn’t know who « Amy’s father » is but read about him online. He told Fox News Digital that BPD « dropped the ball » in both of their cases, and he thinks Amy’s story « should stand out » because of the similarities she shares with the case. of her daughter’s murder, despite the fact that Amy was not killed.

Authorities are asking anyone with information related to the JonBenet investigation to contact 303-441-1974, BouldersMostWanted@bouldercolorado.gov or Northern Colorado Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).