In Update on JonBenét Ramsey Investigation, Police Admit Certain Things 'Could've Been Done Better'

Mar. 15, 2025

JonBenét Ramsey.Photo:ABL Studio/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

ABL Studio/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

Police in Boulder, Colo., shared an update last week on the cold case murder of 6-year-oldJonBenét Ramseyas the 28th anniversary of her killing approaches.

On Tuesday, Nov. 26, the Boulder Police Department provided its annual update on the ongoing homicide investigation.

“The killing of JonBenét was an unspeakable crime and this tragedy has never left our hearts,” Boulder Police Chief Steve Redfearn said in thepost on X, formerly Twitter.

“We are committed to following up on every lead and we are continuing to work with DNA experts and our law enforcement partners around the country until this tragic case is solved. This investigation will always be a priority for the Boulder Police Department.”

The beauty pageant queen’s Dec. 26, 1996, killing has made its way back into the spotlight following the November release of the Netflix three-part docuseriesCold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey?.

He recently told PEOPLE he is speaking out in part to encourage someone to come forward with new information and to “put pressure” on police to use advances in DNA technology and genetic genealogy to finally catch JonBenét’s killer.

The evidence also includes aransom notefound in the home and a suitcase found under an open basement window where some believe the killer entered and exited the residence.

“We’re begging the police to engage,” he recentlytold PEOPLE. “There are cutting-edge DNA labs that want to help and who believe they can move the case forward.”

JonBenét Ramsey and John Ramsey; PEOPLE’s Dec. 9, 2024 cover story.

However, in the department’s statement, police said “the assertion that there is viable evidence and leads we are not pursuing — to include DNA testing — is completely false.”

“Additionally, it was the Boulder Police Department — not the Colorado Bureau of Investigation — who convened the Cold Case Review Panel in December 2023 as part of its investigation efforts,” the statement added.

JonBenét Ramsey.Zuma Press Inc/Alamy

Zuma Press Inc/Alamy

In anearly six-minutevideo published to the department’s page on X, Chief Redfearn admitted “there were a number of things that people have pointed to throughout the years that could’ve been done better and we acknowledge that is true,” adding that investigators are committed to finding JonBenét’s killer.

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The chief also said in the video that investigators have had “ongoing conversations” with JonBenét’s family as recently as mid-2024 and are committed to continuing to communicate.

“We believe Chief Redfearn’s video statement that we released last week speaks for itself,” Boulder Police Public Information Officer Dionne Waugh said in a statement shared with PEOPLE on Monday, Dec. 2.

“It’s obvious that the Boulder Police Department wants to solve this case and the only reason is to bring justice to the victim JonBenét Ramsey.”

source: people.com