DNA hope in JonBenet slay

Police in Colorado are still “actively” working to solve the cold-case murder of JonBenet Ramsey, and believe DNA evidence could be the key to finally identifying her killer.

JonBenet, 6, who competed in beauty pageants, was found dead in the basement of her family’s home Dec. 26, 1996, and an autopsy revealed she had been strangled.

Boulder police provided an update in the infamous unsolved mystery earlier this week, saying investigators have processed more than 1,500 pieces of evidence in her slaying.

The investigation has included the analysis of nearly 1,000 DNA samples as of this month, and “multiple suspects” have been compared for possible matches thanks to significant advances in DNA technology, department officials said.

Boulder police are also working with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation on “future DNA advancements” in hopes of making a break in the case.

2,100 tips

Cops also have looked into more than 2,100 tips, letters and e-mails connected to the case, visiting 19 states throughout the process to interview more than 1,000 people.

Police have said JonBenet was found dead hours after she was reported missing by her mother. The family had discovered a ransom note inside their home that demanded a $118,000 payment.

JonBenet’s parents, Patsy and John, were initially eyed by police, but were cleared in 2008 along with their son, Burke, after DNA evidence from the girl’s clothing matched an unknown male.

Two years earlier, Patsy Ramsey died of ovarian cancer at age 49. The Ramseys have insisted an intruder is the killer.

JonBenet’s older halfbrother, John Andrew Ramsey, 48, who was in Atlanta at the time of the slaying,

tweeted “don’t believe the hype” Tuesday while sharing a news report on the new DNA testing processes.

“What the Boulder police have done to date is not enough,” Ramsey told the Denver Gazette. “What our family wants is results. We don’t care who gets us to the finish line . . . Whatever it takes to find JonBenet’s killer.”