THE director of the new JonBenét Ramsey Netflix docu-series has shot down claims that the murdered child beauty pageant’s father received a bombshell letter naming her killer.
The renewed interest in the 1996 unsolved murder of JonBenét has injected a fresh shot of hope that investigators may finally crack the decades-old cold case.
JonBenét, 6, was found brutally beaten to death and sexually assaulted on the morning of December 26, 1996, in the basement of her family home in Boulder, Colorado.
Patsy Ramsey, the child’s mother, called 911 to report her daughter missing after finding a two-and-a-half-page handwritten ransom note on the staircase of the back portion of the family’s three-story home.
The note, addressed to dad John Ramsey, stated a group of individuals linked to a foreign faction had kidnapped JonBenét and demanded $118,000 in exchange for the girl’s safe return.
After several hours without a word from his daughter’s supposed kidnappers and no sight of the child, John Ramsey eventually uncovered JonBenét’s body in the basement after deciding to search the home for clues.
JonBenét’s body was found with a rope tied tightly around her neck, and at the end of the rope was a broken paintbrush.
An autopsy determined the girl died of suffocation and was sexually assaulted and tortured.
In the decades since the murder, investigators have probed several potential suspects, including JonBenét’s parents and her older brother, Burke, who was 9 years old at the time.
However, the release of the popular three-part Netflix docu-series, Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey, has reinvigorated the interest of online sleuths and private investigators.
Ramsey, 81, recently spoke out to the Daily Mail about having received dozens of tips related to his daughter’s unsolved murder since the release of the Netflix series.
One letter in particular from an unknown woman claiming her ex-husband was behind JonBenét’s killing made headlights.
The message, Ramsey told the outlet, read, “My ex-husband’s the killer, and I’ve kept this inside for as long as I can – please, please call me.”
However, Ramsey said he attempted to contact the woman but has not heard back.
Now, Joe Berlinger, the director of Netflix’s JonBenét docu-series, has poured cold water on the reports, telling The U.S. Sun the supposed lead “is not to get excited about right now.”
“Honestly, this lead has been way overblown,” Berlinger said in an email to The U.S. Sun.
“Mr. Ramsey did an interview and he just mentioned this in the context of ‘yeah, we’ve gotten some recent activity because of the documentary – for example I’ve got a letter on my desk right now.’
“He didn’t mean it to be like it was a great lead. They just don’t know and not sure who is looking at it to verify it.
“They tried to call her, she left a number. The number didn’t go through.”
Berlinger continued, “So, he’s told people that the family has gotten a lot of these now and this may be something maybe not.
“But it’s not to get excited about right now.”
Boulder law enforcement investigators shared that they received numerous tips about JonBenét’s case following the release of the docu-series and are following up on some of them.
Investigators are applying the most modern scientific and cold case techniques to try and solve the 1996 case, according to ABC News.
Police sources in Colorado told The New York Post they’re “optimistic” about the case heading into 2025.
“I’m not sure what it will take to bust it wide open,” one of the sources told the outlet.
“But it feels like it’s within reach. We’re hoping for 2025: this is our year.
“It hasn’t been as aggressive as anyone had hoped, but now there’s a lot of pressure to get this solved.”
A second source told the outlet that the new Boulder police chief, Steven Redfeam – who took over the force in early 2024 – has turned his attention to the case.
“He wants it solved and off the books, and he’s assigning officers and resources to solving the murder, which has been a black mark on the Boulder PD,” the source added.
“We f**ked the case up from the start, and now with new blood, we can finally fit it.”
Child beauty queen JonBenét Ramsey, 6, was found dead in an unfinished wine cellar section in the basement of her family's Boulder, Colorado, home on December 26, 1996.
JonBenét’s parents reported her missing after mom Patsy found a handwritten ransom note on the staircase toward the back of the family’s home.
Hours passed without any sighting or word from JonBenét’s supposed kidnappers as Boulder police combed through the home and the surrounding area.
JonBenét’s body was eventually found by her father, John Ramsey, in the basement. A rope was tied tightly around her neck, and at the end of the rope was a broken paintbrush.
An autopsy determined the 6-year-old had been sexually assaulted and tortured.
In the decades since the unsolved murder, investigators have probed several potential suspects connected to JonBenét’s case.
List of suspects:
