Wow, this is a shocker: over 10 years the Jonbenet Ramsey case was never solved and turned into a ‘cold case’. Until yesterday, when a 41-year old suspect was arrested in Bangkok, Thailand. The man, John Mark Karr, who is reported to have admitted being present when JonBenét died, but claiming “it was an accident”. He is to be extradited to the US and charged with 1st degree murder. Karr was reportedly obsessed with JonBenét and had contacted Michael Tracey, producer of the 2004 documentary Who Killed JonBenét? as well as other researchers in Boulder.
Jonbenét Ramsey was a six-year-old girl and beauty pageant queen who was found murdered in the basement of her parents’ home on December 26, 1996, in Boulder, Colorado, United States, eight hours after being reported missing. The case drew national and international attention when no suspect was charged and suspicions turned to possible family involvement. Lot’s of speculation went on about the muder case and the parents got scrutinized by the press. They remained they were innocent.
In December 2003, forensic investigators extracted enough material from a mixed blood sample found on JonBenét’s underwear to establish a DNA profile. The DNA belongs to an unknown male. The DNA was submitted to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), a database containing over 1.6 million DNA profiles, mainly from convicted felons. Later investigations also discovered that there were more than 100 burglaries in the Ramseys’ neighborhood in the months prior to JonBenét’s murder, and that 38 registered sex offenders were living within a 2-mile radius of the Ramsey’s home.
JonBenét’s mother, Patsy Ramsey, died of ovarian cancer on June 24, 2006[6], at the age of 49. She had been battling cancer off and on after first being diagnosed in 1993. She had a recurrence in 2003. She was aware at the time of her death that the Boulder County (Colorado) District Attorney’s Office was investigating a suspect in Bangkok, Thailand.
So sadly, when it turns out Karr is the killer, she will not be here to be cleared of all blame. I guess all that is left now, is to match his DNA to the DNA extracted from the crime scene.
Breaking news: arrest in JonBenét case
More videos:
– MSNBC reporting on Jonbenét Ramsey
– CNN reporting on Jonbenét Ramsey case
– Geraldo segment on JonBenét murder (2005)