First appearance on Fox: JonBenét Ramsey's father, John Ramsey, says his daughter's 1996 unsolved murder may be connected to another unsolved 1997 assault case involving the victim, who attended the same dance studio as JonBenét. I believe there is.
Twenty-eight years after 6-year-old JonBenét was found strangled and bludgeoned to death in the basement of her Boulder, Colorado, home the day after Christmas 1996, authorities are still searching for her killer. Not specified.
Since the release of Netflix's new documentary about her murder, Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey, another assault case involving a girl who attended JonBenét's dance studio has received new attention. There is.
“Well, I think there are very strong indications that there may be a connection,” John Ramsey told FOX News Digital. “The police initially ignored it, but to my knowledge they never considered that an option. The police chief at the time said, 'Well, the girl in the second incident wasn't killed. 'So it's not the same.'It's stupid to say something like that. ”
JonBenét Ramsey's father suggests money was motive for his daughter's murderer in resurfaced interview
JonBenét Ramsey (right) was murdered on December 26, 1996 at her family's home in Boulder, Colorado. This undated photo provided by her family shows her and her brother Burke. (Ramsey family handout)
Ramsey added that he believed it was “possible that they are the same person.”
That night, on September 14, 1997, an unknown suspect entered the girl's home, just two miles from Ramsey's home, and attacked her in her bedroom. However, the victim's mother heard whispers and confronted the attacker, who then fled through a window of her daughter's house. , as 48 Hours reported in 2004.
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August 16, 2006 at the Ramsey family's former home in Boulder, Colorado. (Reuters/Mark Leffingwell)
“My sense is that he went into the house while they were out and hid in the house. So he was probably there for four to six hours, hiding. '' the victim's father told 48 Hours at the time.
The victim's father himself pointed out similarities with the Ramsey case.
JonBenet Ramsey (Polaris/Discovery+)
“The first thing we thought was the similarities to the Ramsey case, because it was the exact same situation,” the girl's father told 48 Hours. “I think someone painted a bead on her somewhere. Obviously we were under surveillance, but we didn't know.”
John Ramsey said he believed “the method of operation against this person was the same” in both cases.
“I think he was at home after going out to dinner with his kids and some friends,” Ramsey said of her daughter's killer. “We went to bed, but he waited until we fell asleep and attacked JonBenét. In the second case, the parents were out. They came home and the security guard The mother then heard a noise and eventually went into the child's bedroom and saw a person standing on the bed, so when they got home, the person was home. If we didn't do that, we wouldn't have been able to get in.”
Although some have noted similarities between the two cases, Boulder police have previously said there is no connection between the two cases.
JonBenet's father requests meeting with Colorado governor: 'Time is running out for an answer'
An autopsy conducted in 1996 determined that JonBenet died from strangulation and a blow to the head. (Crimecon)
“A report published this morning in the Dallas Morning News reveals that the murder of JonBenét Ramsey is related to an unsolved sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl in Boulder that occurred nine months later, in September 1997. “This raises the possibility that there may be,” Chief Mark Beckner said. “Boulder Police have known about this case for two years and have previously investigated sexual assaults in connection with Ramsey's murder,” Boulder Police said. Updated August 1, 2000. “Although there are some similarities between the two cases, detectives were unable to find a definitive connection at the time.”
At the time, Beckner said there were more differences than similarities between the two cases, according to an update.
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Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey? JonBenet Ramsey, John Ramsey, John Andrew Ramsey, and Patsy Ramsey in Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey. Cr. Provided by Netflix (Netflix)
“But in this job, you can't rule anything out until you answer all the questions,” he said at the time. “I don't want to do anything that could potentially jeopardize this opportunity to talk to my parents.”
Boulder police have since given no indication that there may be a connection between the two incidents.
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Scanned photo of JonBenét Ramsey from John Ramsey's personal Ramsey family collection (Discovery+)
BPD Chief Stephen Redfern is the fifth police chief to take charge of the case since 1996, and was officially appointed in September after serving as an interim. Boulder Police Department Chief It starts in January. BPD detectives followed up on more than 21,000 tips, emails, and letters, traveled to 19 states, and interviewed or spoke with more than 1,000 people in connection with the case.
Redfern said in a statement in November, 28 years after JonBenét's murder, “JonBenét's murder was an unspeakable crime, and this tragedy has never been far from our hearts.” “We are committed to following up on every lead and will continue to work with DNA experts and law enforcement partners across the country until this tragic case is solved. is always a top priority.”
JonBenet Ramsey, right (Ramsey family)
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Local authorities are partnering with federal officials, including the FBI, and DNA experts from around the country, according to the department's November update.
Authorities have compiled 2,500 pieces of evidence and about 40,000 reports with more than 1 million pages documenting the investigation. Redfern said the Colorado Cold Case Review Team also provided BPD with a list of tips for the department to pursue.
