JonBenét Ramsey's brother reveals what he believes could be key to solving his sister's murder
JonBenét Ramsey’s brother says there’s an overlooked clue that could be key to solving the case of who killed his six-year-old sister.
Burke Ramsey was just nine-years-old when his sister JonBenét was brutally murdered in the basement of her home in Boulder Colorado on Christmas Day in 1996.
Her family found her body the following day, near a ransom note demanding $118,000 for JonBenét's return.
An autopsy determined that JonBenét had died of asphyxia by strangulation associated with craniocerebral trauma, and the case was ruled a homicide.
Advert
The shocking case prompted the most expensive criminal investigation in Boulder’s history and a 2003 breakthrough uncovered trace DNA belonging to an ‘unknown male’ on JonBenét's underwear.
However, despite several leads and a 30-year investigation by cops no one has ever been charged or convicted with her murder.
Her older brother Burke, 39, has now spoken out for the first time in a decade in the hopes of bringing renewed attention to the case as he says he ‘wants this solved’.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Burke said that the killing of his young sister was the ‘most tragic… awful thing’ to ever happen to him and that it’s ‘tough’ to have it come up in the news every 10 years or so.
When asked how he believes the case could be solved, he said the focus should be on determining who the mystery DNA belonged to.
“We need to find that match. It's the best evidence we have,' he told the Daily Mail.
“It was underneath her fingernails and it didn't match any of us. It's probably the person who did it, you know, and it's the best chance we have to solve this.
“And I want it solved. I don't know much about the scientific nitty-gritty and it's hard to learn the details of the case, because it is emotionally taxing. But they need to send those samples to different labs again and keep testing.
“Find the match. That will go a long way to bringing justice. It's been 30 years and enough is enough.”
Burke went on to stress that the DNA exonerated his family from any involvement in JonBenét’s death, after previous heavy speculation from the public.
“The DNA says we didn't do it. I know none of my family did it,” he added.
JonBenét's dad thinks a 'masked intruder' is responsible
In previous interviews, Burke and JonBenét’s dad John has said he believes that an intruder is responsible for the heinous crime.
Speaking to PEOPLE in 2024, he shared his own theory on who was behind the shocking crime but claimed police ‘blew it off’.
John told the publication about the case of a masked intruder who broke into the home of a 12-year-old girl in Boulder nine months after his daughter’s murder, and attacked the girl before running off.
He said he believes the intruder, who was never caught, could ‘easily have been the same person’ who killed his daughter.
“The police blew it off as, ‘No, it's not the same,’” he added.
The family’s story is set to be the focus of an upcoming Netflix drama series The Murder of JonBenét Ramsey, which will star Melissa McCarthy as mum Patsy Ramsey, Clive Owen as John, and Angus K. Caldwell as Burke.
Claire Reid
