Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey? Netflix series looks at cold case suspects

Berlinger says the series focuses on those who have “played armchair detective for three decades, often callously pointing the finger at the very people who suffered such unthinkable loss.”

“Through unprecedented access and an extensive multi-year investigation, we reveal the deep flaws in the way the case was originally handled, which resulted in a sea of ​​conspiracy theories that nearly destroyed the Ramsey family for a second time,” he said before the show. edition.

Before the docuseries hits the streaming service, we take a look at what we know for sure about JonBenét Ramsey and those involved in the case.

Who was JonBenet Ramsey?

JonBenét Ramsey was born on August 6, 1990. She went on to win numerous children’s beauty pageants, including America’s Royal Miss and Little Miss Colorado. She was entered by her mother, Patsy, who had competed regularly in pageants growing up.

In the early morning of 26 December 1996, JonBenét was reported missing by her parents, who had found a ransom note demanding $118,000 (approximately £93,000) to guarantee their daughter’s safe return.

JonBenét’s father, businessman John Ramsey, claimed the amount demanded was about the same as his Christmas bonus, leading him to believe the kidnapper was someone who knew him.

While an initial search of the Ramsey family home proved fruitless, John discovered his daughter’s body in the basement during a second search of the property. JonBenét’s mouth was covered with duct tape, the cord was tied around her wrists and neck, and her body was covered with a blanket. An autopsy revealed that she had died of asphyxiation and suffered a skull fracture. Her death was ruled a homicide by detectives.

Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey? Suspects and evidence

The Ramsey family

Suspicion in the aftermath of the murder immediately fell on the Ramseys themselves. Police investigating the murder expressed concern about the ransom note left as it was unusually long and written with a notebook and pen already in the family home. The strange ransom also aroused suspicion.

Police also alleged that John and Patsy were reluctant to cooperate with police investigations. However, the family has reprimanded this, saying they did not want to become a scapegoat and that police should conduct a full investigation.

Both John and Patsy, as well as their son Burke, who was nine at the time of the murder, were questioned by police. They also had to submit handwriting samples to prove they did not write the note. Although John and Burke were acquitted, Patsy’s handwriting sample was inconclusive – however, there was no evidence to support the theory that she wrote the note.

No member of the Ramsey family was ever officially named as a suspect by authorities, and in 2000 John and Patsy were released. The death of innocence about the murder of their daughter, in which they adamantly denied their involvement.

In 2008, new tests on JonBenét’s clothing found DNA pointing to an “unexplained third party” in her death. This led to Boulder District Attorney Mary Lacy clearing the Ramsey family of any involvement, claiming that the family “was also a victim of this crime.” The Ramseys’ release came two years after Patsy died of ovarian cancer.

Burke Ramsey is comforted by his father after Patsy’s death

Burke has also maintained his innocence; In 2008 he spoke with American talk show host Dr. Phil and described growing up as part of a loving family.

There was physical evidence indicating that it was an intruder who killed JonBenét; In addition to the new DNA evidence, a shoe print was found next to her body, and a broken window in the basement, indicating a burglary.

Johannes Mark Karr

In 2006, the teacher John Mark Karrwho lived in Thailand, confessed to the murder of JonBenét. Karr, who was too related to child pornography charges in the US claimed at the time that he had drugged the child before sexually abusing her. Karr claimed he accidentally killed her.

However, many of Karr’s claims were quickly refuted under scrutiny; JonBenét’s autopsy revealed that she had not been drugged, and Karr’s DNA did not match what was found on the body. The only details Karr gave about the case were those that were already public, and his confession was quickly discredited.

Gary Oliva

In recent years, convicted sex offender Gary Oliva has emerged as a suspect. In 2016, he was arrested after he was found to be using public Wi-Fi to upload images of children being sexually abused. He also had several images of JonBenét – including 19 photos of her autopsy that had previously been leaked to the press.

While serving a ten-year prison sentence (he was paroled earlier this year),

Oliva wrote to a school friend, Michael Vail, claiming that he had killed JonBenét.

In 2019, he wrote: “I have never loved anyone like JonBenét and yet I let her slip and cut her head in half and watched her die. It was an accident. Please believe me. She wasn’t like the other kids.”

Oliva lived in Boulder at the time of the murder, just thirteen houses away from the Ramsey family.

Vail also claims that Oliva called him the night JonBenét was killed before her death was made public, claiming he had “hurt a little girl.” Although Vail reported the call to Boulder authorities twice, he claims they never responded.

Oliva’s DNA did not match that on JonBenét’s body, but his handwriting is believed to be similar to that on the ransom notes. Despite the developments, Oliva has never been charged in connection with the case.

Boulder police reopened the case in 2010, and have since claimed to have reviewed more than “21,000 tips, more than 1,000 interviews in 17 states and two foreign countries, and samples from more than 200 different individuals, including handwriting, DNA, fingerprints, and shoe prints.”

The dossier consists of nearly 2,500 pieces of evidence and approximately 40,000 reports, with more than a million pages documenting the investigation.

‘Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenet Ramsey?’ is now available to watch on Netflix