Fact check: JonBenét Ramsey murder still unsolved more than 26 years after 6-year-old's death

BrieAnna J. Frank, USA TODAY
·3 min read
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The claim: JonBenét Ramsey’s killer was announced

An April 18 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) claims one of the most famous unsolved murders in U.S. history has been resolved after more than 25 years.

“After Two Decades, JonBenet Ramsey’s Killer Has Finally Been Announced,” reads the post.

It was shared more than 100 times in three days.

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Our rating: False

No killer has been announced in the 1996 murder of 6-year-old Ramsey. The local district attorney exonerated Ramsey’s immediate family members in 2008, and investigators have dismissed false confessions in the case. Police in 2022 said more evidence is needed to solve the murder.

Ramsey's parents, brother exonerated in case that remains unsolved

There have been no announcements or reputable media reports of Ramsey's murder being solved.

Ramsey, known for competing in child beauty pageants, was reported missing in December 1996, and a ransom note was found inside her home in Colorado. She was later found dead in the family’s basement, with strangulation ruled as the cause of death.

The story linked in the Facebook post – from American Web Media, which has previously published outdated and misleading stories – doesn't reference any recent announcement. Instead it references a 2016 two-part documentary that included a theory that Ramsey was killed by her older brother, presenting it inaccurately as a recent revelation.

Burke Ramsey, a 9-year-old at the time of his sister's death, sued in the wake of the documentary and later settled with CBS Corp. and other entities, as reported by NPR.

In 2008, then-Boulder District Attorney Mary Lacy exonerated Ramsey’s immediate family in a letter sent to the girl’s father, John Ramsey, as reported by the Associated Press.

“This new scientific evidence convinces us that it is appropriate, given the circumstances of this case, to state that we do not consider your immediate family, including you, your wife, and your son, Burke, to be under any suspicion in the commission of this crime," the letter says.

Lacy’s letter said there was DNA from an unknown man on two pieces of clothing Ramsey was wearing at the time of her death and that there was "no innocent explanation for its incriminating presence."

Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said in a November 2022 news release that more evidence would be needed to find Ramsey's murderer.

More: JonBenét Ramsey's family hopes new Discovery+ documentary will ‘keep the case alive’

The news release, a joint statement from Dougherty and the Boulder Police Department, said authorities received more than 21,000 tips, letters and emails on the case. More than 1,000 people had been contacted at that point in their search for the killer.

It went on to say that investigators' efforts are complicated by the "extremely small" amount of DNA evidence available for analysis, which could “in whole or in part, be consumed by DNA testing."

Boulder police planned to consult with the Colorado Cold Case Review Team in 2023 to determine the best way forward, the release says.

JonBenét Ramsey
JonBenét Ramsey

The case has triggered false confessions, which have each been dismissed by investigators.

USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the claim for comment but did not immediately get a response.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: False claim killer was announced in JonBenét Ramsey case