One Shot: Boulder Police Weigh Risky DNA Test in JonBenét Ramsey Case
Chief Stephen Redfearn says the department is in talks with labs to use genetic genealogy, a process that may consume the limited evidence available.
By Rafael Delgado ·
Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said on Friday that his department is in active discussions with forensic laboratories to analyze old evidence from the JonBenét Ramsey murder using genetic genealogy.
The case remains unsolved 30 years after the six-year-old girl was found dead in her basement. Investigators are considering Single Nucleotide Polymorphism, or SNP, testing to retrieve DNA from miniscule samples. This technology allows officials to match biological material to distant relatives in online databases. The current challenge is that the existing DNA samples are small and complex, containing mixed strands from multiple individuals.
Redfearn stated that the department is hesitant to send samples until they have full confidence in the technology. He noted that some testing methods can consume the entire sample, meaning the police may have only one opportunity to run the analysis. Redfearn said, “We might get lucky because we may only, in some circumstances, with what we have, have one shot at getting it tested.”
The investigation is being revisited in a new “20/20” episode airing on ABC on Friday, Nov. 6, at 9 p.m. ET. The program features 19 new interviews with investigators, forensic scientists, and members of the Ramsey family. JonBenét’s brother Burke Ramsey and her half-brother John Andrew Ramsey spoke with ABC News anchor Diane Sawyer and correspondent Aaron Katersky.
The original crime occurred in the early hours of Dec. 26, 1996. Patsy Ramsey discovered a ransom note in her Boulder home demanding $118,000 for her daughter’s return. The note warned John Ramsey that he stood a 99% chance of killing his daughter if he tried to outsmart the kidnappers. Hours later, John Ramsey found JonBenét’s body in the basement. An autopsy determined she was sexually assaulted and killed by blunt force trauma and strangulation with a garrote.
In 2008, touch DNA analysis detected DNA on the outside of JonBenét’s pajama bottoms. This matched DNA found inside her underwear and traced to an unknown male, clearing the immediate family of suspicion at the time. Then-District Attorney Mary Lacy wrote to John Ramsey stating the family was not under suspicion, though some officials later criticized the letter as premature.
Patsy Ramsey died of ovarian cancer in 2006, two years before Lacy’s letter. Burke Ramsey, who has stayed out of the public eye, said the world turned against the family after the tragedy. He described the public scrutiny as cruel. John Andrew Ramsey said investigators must act aggressively to solve the case. He stated, “I know we’re going to find this person. This is a case that can be solved.”
Redfearn said the police are re-interviewing suspects and testing new evidence. He expressed a desire for someone to finally come forward after three decades. Redfearn said, “I would love nothing more than 30 years since this little girl was murdered in her own home, someone finally decides to get something off their chest.”
