The death of JonBenét Ramsey has captured the nation since her death on December 25th, 1996. Her mother says she found a note demanding $118,000 for her ransom or she wouldn't be returned alive. On the 26th of December during the late afternoon she was found. Her father found her in the basement, bound and gagged. Her father brought her body upstairs and it became obvious she had been dead for quite some time. She had been bashed over the head, strangled, and most likely sexually assaulted.
There wasn't any sign of a break in and the perpetrator likely knew where to go, since it's obvious that this person was able to quickly find JonBenét's room, where this person used a stun gun on her, and brought her down to the basement.
Part of the reason this case remains unsolved is that the Boulder police department didn't secure the crime scene as they were understaffed and there were leaks to the media. Another reason was that people decided in their minds what had happened and refused to change their mind. A lot of people suspected the parents. And they had good reason. When a child is killed in the home, statistically a parental figure is involved. JonBenét's father was also over heard on the phone making arrangements to leave the state. A journalist even converted his faith so he could join JonBenét's parents church to get more evidence. He decided the mother was guilty because she kept praying for her own soul. $118,000 is an oddly specific amount to ask for and it's almost exactly what JonBenét's father got as a Christmas bonus. Also it said two men would watch JonBenét and make sure they get the money. A handwriting expert believes that the note was written by her mother.
New DNA evidence found on JonBenét uncovers a mixture of DNAs that don't belong to any of her family members, so more testing will come. So that clears her parents and brother. Other suspects include a homeless sex offender and a neighbor dressed as santa clause.
Countless books, documentaries, and true crime shows have featured their own theories about JonBenét’s murder. The mom, the dad, the brother, the convicted child sex offender (Gary Oliva), the electrician (Michael Helgoth), the school teacher (John Mark Karr), the housekeeper (Linda Hoffman-Pugh), and the town Santa (Bill McReynolds) have all fallen under suspicion—at least by media and news outlets—but none have been charged.
The case is still open but the mistakes made by law enforcement may have ruined any chance of closing the case. There was a steady stream of people going in and out of the house so it could've been anyone. Her mother was known to throw extravagant Christmas parties so maybe it was someone she met at the Christmas party? Do any of you have any theories?
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