BOULDER, Colo. – After 27 years, the Colorado Cold Case Review Team has completed its analysis of the JonBenét Ramsey case, announced by the Boulder Police Department on Thursday. The collaboration between the Boulder Police, the City of Boulder, Boulder County District Attorney’s Office, and 20th Judicial District was established in November 2022. This marks a significant development in one of the country’s most high-profile unsolved crimes, which captured the nation’s attention after the 6-year-old beauty pageant contestant was found bludgeoned and strangled in the basement of her family’s home in Boulder.
The review aimed to generate additional “investigative recommendations” and determine if any updated technologies and/or forensic testing would produce new leads. During the year-long analysis, the Colorado Cold Case Review Team digitized all evidence in the case and created a searchable database that includes 21,000 tips, more than 1,000 interviews, and samples from more than 200 people, including handwriting, DNA, fingerprints, and shoeprints. The case file contains nearly 2,500 pieces of evidence and nearly 40,000 reports, according to Boulder police.
Boulder police have worked with numerous agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office, Colorado’s Department of Public Safety, Colorado’s Bureau of Investigation, and several private DNA laboratories in this case. The police department announced that detectives are “actively taking steps to prepare the evidence for testing when possible” despite the small amount of DNA evidence available at the crime scene.
As the investigation continues, Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold expressed gratitude for the Cold Case Review Team’s assessment and recommendations, committing to pursuing all leads and exploring technology advancements to identify JonBenét’s killer. Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty emphasized the importance of looking at the facts and evidence with fresh eyes and an open mind to solve the tragic murder. Anybody with information on this case is encouraged to call the tip line, email, or remain anonymous by calling Northern Colorado Crime Stoppers.