The director of the new JonBenét Ramsey Netflix docu-series has addressed claims regarding the murdered child beauty pageant star’s father allegedly receiving a significant letter identifying the person responsible for her death.
The resurgence of interest in the 1996 unsolved murder of JonBenét has sparked new optimism that detectives might finally make headway in solving the long-standing mystery.
Discovered in the basement of her family residence in Boulder, Colorado, on December 26, 1996, the lifeless body of JonBenét, aged 6, bore evidence of severe physical trauma and sexual assault.
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.
‘OVERBLOWN LEAD’
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.”
‘BLACK MARK’
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.”
Suspects investigated in the JonBenét Ramsey case
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:
- John and Patsy Ramsey: At the start of the investigation, police focused on JonBenét’s parents and her then-9-year-old brother, Burke. Boulder police believed Patsy wrote the ransom note at the scene after she allegedly became enraged that JonBenét wet the bed. Police alleged Patsy viciously injured her daughter in a fit of rage, causing her death and setting up the crime as a kidnapping. The parents were cleared when the DNA evidence found under JonBenét’s fingernails, on her clothing, and her underwear was linked to an unknown male. The DNA did not match John, Patsy, or Burke Ramseys.
- John Mark Karr: In 2002, John Mark Karr, an elementary school teacher living in Thailand at the time, began communicating with an investigative journalist. Karr disclosed details about JonBenét’s murder that were not known to the public. With the help of journalist Michael Tracey, authorities arrested Karr in Bangkok and extradited him to Boulder. However, the case again hit a wall after Karr’s DNA did not match the samples taken from the crime scene. Karr’s estranged wife also provided an alibi, saying Karr was in North Carolina on the day that JonBenét was killed. Despite being cleared, Karr continued to claim he was with JonBenét when she died.
- Gray Oliva: The U.S. Sun extensively reported how convicted pedophile Gary Oliva confessed multiple times to killing JonBenét in letters to a high school friend. Oliva was released from prison in January 2024 after serving less than eight years of a 10-year sentence for child pornography charges. In letters to high school friend Michael Vail, Oliva confessed multiple times to killing JonBenét, claiming it was an accident. Oliva was living in the Boulder area on and off at the time of JonBenét’s murder, police said. Despite his obsession with JonBenét, Olivia was cleared by DNA evidence.
- Michael Helgoth: At the time of the 1996 murder, Michael Helgoth worked at a nearby auto salvage yard. Helgoth owned a pair of Hi-Tec boots that appeared to match a print left at the crime scene. He also owned a stun gun – a weapon investigators believe the murder suspect used on JonBenét. Private investigator Ollie Gray claimed Helgoth’s family owned a taped confession of guilt. Helgoth died by suicide in 1997. However, the DNA evidence found at the scene did not match that of Helgoth.
- John Brewer Eustace: Investigators for JonBenét’s case traveled to Charlotte, North Carolina, in 1997 after learning that John Brewer Eustace had broken into a home, kidnapped, and sexually assaulted a 2-year-old toddler. When police searched through Eustace’s belongings, they uncovered a notebook of clippings about JonBenét’s case. However, he was eventually ruled out as a suspect after a “rock solid” alibi confirmed Eustace had been working at a factory on the night JonBenét’s murder occurred.
