Boulder police chief says "Goal is to find JonBenet Ramsey's killer" nearly 30 years after Colorado murder

Boulder Police Chief Steven Redfern released a video statement on the social media platform X on Tuesday, talking about the unsolved murder of a Colorado girl dating back nearly 30 years. Redfern used the platform to deliver an update on the investigation into the murder of JonBenet Ramsey.  

The 6-year-old was found dead in her family's Boulder home a short time after she was reported missing on Dec. 26, 1996. Her murder remains unsolved. 

In the weeks and months afterward, her parents were considered by police as potential suspects along with Ramsey's 9-year-old brother. It wasn't until years later that authorities cleared their names.  

The Boulder Police Department asked an outside team of experts, called the Colorado Cold Case Review Team, to look into the case. According to the City of Boulder, the Colorado Cold Case Review Team is comprised of experts from the FBI, Colorado Bureau of Investigation, Boulder County District Attorney's Office, and numerous other entities (including public and private forensic laboratories) with expertise in cold case homicide investigations. They were brought together in December of last year "to review the case, generate additional investigative recommendations, and determine if updated technologies and or forensic testing might produce new intelligence or leads to solve the case."

The team digitized the extensive case evidence, which includes more than 21,000 tips, over 1,000 interviews, and samples from more than 200 different individuals, including handwriting, DNA, fingerprints, and shoeprints, totaling more than one million pages documenting the investigation. The investigation was conducted across 17 states and two foreign countries. 

After documenting and analyzing the evidence, the cold case team made investigative recommendations to the Boulder Police Department and Boulder District Attorney. Those recommendations are not being made public.

"I know that our community would like to know more information and specifics on our progress, but like any major criminal investigation, there is no way that we can share that information publicly without compromising the integrity of this case and any future prosecution by the district attorney's office. What I can tell you, though, is that we have thoroughly investigated multiple people identified as suspects throughout the years, and we continue to be open-minded about what occurred as we investigate the tips that come into detectives," said Redfern.

He said that the Boulder Police Department continues to have ongoing conversations with JonBenet's family and the most recent happened earlier this year. 

Redfern discussed that JonBenet would have been 34 years old this year and that her murder continues to haunt the Boulder community. 

"We are committed to following up on every lead and we are continuing to work with DNA experts and our law enforcement partners around the country until this tragic case is solved. This investigation will always be a priority for the Boulder Police Department," said Redfern. 

The Boulder Police Department encourages anyone with any information to contact detectives at  BouldersMostWanted@bouldercolorado.gov or by calling the Boulder Police tipline at 303-441-1974.

Production is set to begin soon on a new Paramount+ limited TV series that will focus on JonBenet's unsolved murder.  The Paramount+ series has a working title of "JonBenét Ramsey" and it will consist of 8 episodes. The stars will be Melissa McCarthy and Clive Owen in the roles of Ramsey's parents Patsy and John. It will be filmed in Calgary, Canada.

CBS Colorado is owned by Paramount.