Boulder police provide annual JonBenét Ramsey case update ahead of schedule following Netflix documentary premiere

JonBenét Ramsey was a six-year-old girl who was discovered dead in her Boulder residence the day after Christmas in 1996. In the present day, almost 28 years later, her case remains a mystery.

A new documentary on Netflix is titled with the question that has never been answered — “Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey?”

Click here for a timeline of the case

The Boulder Police Department, in response to the increased attention surrounding the case, decided to release its yearly update on the ongoing investigation earlier than usual.

During the video update, Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn stated, “Although I was not part of the Boulder police force 28 years ago, I have been involved in law enforcement for over two decades, and I want to reassure you that our department is fully dedicated to seeking justice for JonBenét and ensuring that her killer is held accountable.”

A lot has changed in law enforcement since 1996, the chief said, acknowledging that there are a “number of things” police could have done better when initially investigating what happened to JonBenét.

“However, it is important to emphasize that while we cannot go back to that horrible day in 1996, our goal is to find JonBenét Ramsey’s killer. Our commitment to that has never wavered,” Chief Redfearn said.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Boulder PD said, “The assertion that there is viable evidence and leads we are not pursuing — to include DNA testing — is completely false.”

Watch the full update in the video player below:

FULL VIDEO: Boulder PD gives annual update on JonBenét Ramsey case a month early after Netflix series premiere

In Nov. 2022, Boulder PD announced a partnership with the Colorado Cold Case Review Team through a joint press release with the City of Boulder, Boulder County District Attorney’s Office and 20th Judicial District.

Chief Redfearn said their collaboration with the Colorado Cold Case Review Team resulted in a lengthy list of recommendations that Boulder police continue to work through. The review included an intensive effort to digitize all of the evidence in the case and create a searchable database.

“Those files include more than 21,000 tips, over 1,000 interviews which were conducted across 17 states and two foreign countries, samples from more than 200 different individuals — including handwriting, DNA, fingerprints and shoe prints — nearly 2,500 pieces of evidence and roughly 40,000 reports with more than one million pages documenting the investigation,” the chief said in his update. “A fresh inventory of all collected evidence was made available for investigative review, which would not have been possible without the assistance of the FBI.”

A Boulder police spokesperson said because this is an open and ongoing investigation, they cannot provide interviews or answer specific questions at this time.

“What I can tell you, though, is that we have thoroughly investigated multiple people identified as suspects throughout the years, and we continue to be open-minded about what occurred as we investigate the tips that come into detectives,” Chief Redfearn said. “I can also tell you that detectives are regularly investigating some aspects of this terrible crime, and I receive updates frequently.”

Michael Tracey is a professor emeritus at the University of Colorado at Boulder and was featured in the Netflix documentary.

“I became involved in the case very early on, early 1997,” Tracey told Denver7. “The reason I became involved was actually not to do with the murder itself. I looked at the way in which the media were covering the case, the way in which the culture was reacting to the case and, actually, the global culture, because this was a global story. And I was appalled by what I saw. It was unfair. It was full of lies, full of misinformation, in an attempt to basically frame the family.”

While Tracey has not watched the documentary yet, he has already experienced the influence of the streaming giant.

“I’ve discovered the power of Netflix. I discovered that today. Oh my god. I mean, I’ve co-produced four documentaries. Netflix got more attention in 24 hours than we did in 25 years,” Tracey said, laughing. “I, along with a number of people, want to keep the case alive.”

Tracey is one of many who have criticized the way this case has been handled.

“The crime scene was compromised from the get-go. [Police] weren’t open-minded,” Tracey said.

One of the suspects in the case was John Mark Karr, who confessed to the killing in 2006. However, his DNA did not match the DNA that was found on JonBenét. Karr communicated with Tracey prior to the confession.

“The emails were very intense. I’ll be honest, it was not fun. And then we had the phone conversations. It was a very, very dark experience,” Tracey said. “He confessed. He confessed in emails, he confessed in phone calls, he confessed in a book manuscript.”

Tracey is convinced the person who has evaded law enforcement all these years is not a member of the Ramsey family.

“You don’t know until you know, but I would be extremely surprised, to say the least, if it was a Ramsey. It wasn’t,” Tracey said. “It was a sexually violent predator who liked to hurt little girls, basically, and in the process, destroyed the Ramsey family.”

A spokesperson for the 20th Judicial District Attorney’s Office issued a statement to Denver7 on Tuesday, saying they are “continuing to work with federal, state, and local agencies to make progress on this tragic case.”

Full statement below:

Anyone with information about this case is encouraged to email [email protected] or call the Boulder PD tipline at 303-441-1974.