What happened to JonBenét Ramsey? True story behind Netflix's Cold Case
Her murder is the subject of a new documentary.
Netflix is adding a new true crime documentary to its catalogue and this time, it explores one of the most well-known cold cases in the US, the murder of JonBenét Ramsey.
Titled Cold Case: JonBenét Ramsey, the three-part series "investigates the mishandling of the case by law enforcement and the media".
It has been over two decades since JonBenét's murder, with what exactly happened to her and by whom still unknown to this day.
"I believe this crime can be solved," the documentary's director Joe Berlinger told Today.com.
With the documentary now available to watch on Netflix, read on for a full explainer on what is known about what happened to JonBenét and theories about her killer.
What happened to JonBenét Ramsey?
On 26th December 1996, John and Patsy Ramsey discovered that their daughter, JonBenét, was missing and found a ransom note that had been left in their home, demanding $118,000 for her safe return.
However, this would not be the case as JonBenét's body was found by her father, John, in the basement of their family home.
Retired police detective Bob Whitson recalled in the documentary: "I knew initially this was a very rare case. Kidnapping for a ransom, we had never had a case like this."
According to JonBenét's autopsy report that was released by the Office of the Boulder County Coroner the day after her death, it was confirmed that her cause of death was "asphyxia by strangulation associated with craniocerebral trauma".
JonBenét was found covered by a white blanket with a nylon cord around her neck, with her wrists bound above her head and her mouth covered with tape.
John explained in the series: "I immediately pulled the tape off and I tried to untie her hands but the knot was tied really tight, I couldn't get it undone. So I just screamed and I picked her up and carried her upstairs just to try to get her help. The detectives looked for a pulse, looked at me and said she's dead."
Consequently her death was ruled as a homicide.
Who killed JonBenét Ramsey?
JonBenét Ramsey's killer has never been identified.
As discussed in the documentary by John Ramsey, those in the media and members of the public began to speculate that the family had something to do with JonBenét's murder, which they have always vehemently denied.
Director Berlinger told the New York Post that he is "firmly convinced that the Ramsey family is innocent".
"And I am also firmly convinced that this case can be solved, if the Boulder Police Department finally does what it's supposed to do," he told the publication.
He expanded that he believes there are a number of "likely suspects" that were ruled out at the time of the murder.
Berlinger told the New York Post: "I think all suspects now have to be put back on the table, including the Ramseys. And they would be the first ones to say, 'Sure, put this back on the table, but let's do the DNA testing.' This is not trial by television. I don't want to do to people what was done to the Ramseys.
"We want the proper authorities to reinvestigate this case, and the potential suspects after the DNA is properly retested."
Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey is available to watch on Netflix now. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
Check out more of our Documentaries coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
Katelyn Mensah is the Entertainment and Factual Writer for Radio Times, covering all major entertainment programmes, reality TV shows and the latest hard-hitting documentaries. She previously worked at The Tab, with a focus on reality TV and showbiz news and has obtained a BA (Hons) in Journalism.
