JonBenet Ramsey’s father wants outside agency to test DNA

DENVER The father of JonBenet Ramsey is supporting an online petition asking Colorado’s governor to intervene in the investigation into her death more than 25 years ago by putting an outside agency in charge of DNA testing.

The six-year-old was found dead in the basement of her family’s home in Boulder on Dec. 26, 1996, bludgeoned and strangled, several hours after her mother called 911 to say her daughter was missing and a ransom note had been left behind. Her death was ruled a homicide, but nobody was ever prosecuted.

John Ramsey said he wants DNA evidence that was never tested before to be transferred away from Boulder police to a different agency, KUSA-TV reported Sunday.

“Somehow we’ve got to force the police, or take it away from them, the ability to go ahead and test some of the crime scene evidence that was never tested for DNA,” he said. “Why that’s never been done and will never be done by the police baffles me.” The petition notes that advancements in DNA and the use of genetic genealogy is leading to the solving of more cold cases around the country. It criticizes the Boulder Police Department for not doing enough to use DNA to solve the case.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Colorado Governor Jared Polis said, “The state will review the petition and look into how the state can assist in using new technology to further investigate this cold case and to identify JonBenet Ramsey’s killer.” The statement did not address the involvement of Boulder police.

Tests in 2008 on newly discovered DNA on her clothing pointed to the involvement of an “unexplained third party” in her slaying, and not her parents, John and Patsy Ramsey, or their son, Burke.