JonBenet Ramsey's Brother Says Her Murder Can Still be Solved

JonBenet Ramsey's half-brother says the murder of the six-year-old beauty pageant star can still be solved and that there is far more evidence than people realize. John Andrew Ramsey and his father John Ramsey are speaking out in a new true crime documentary that features previously unheard of audio tapes from Lou Smit, a homicide detective who came out of retirement to investigate the mysterious murder.

It's been 24 years since JonBenet was found dead in her family's Colorado home, setting off a media frenzy and speculation that her parents, Jon and Patsy were involved. They were eventually cleared but that was years after a grand jury returned a true bill to indict them on “charges of child abuse resulting in death and being accessories to a crime,” according to CNN. The district attorney disregarded the grand jury’s vote and chose not to indict John and Patsy, believing there was insufficient evidence to convict them.

Only John and Patsy Ramsey and their son Burke were home with JonBenet the night of the murder. The child’s body was found Dec. 26, 1996. Police said there were no clear signs of a break-in and a bizarre ransom note demanding $118,000 was found in the house.

John Andrew Ramsey still remembers it all so clearly — the way his half-sister was when she was alive and the tragic day that she went missing. He shared those memories in an interview with Discovery+, according to Fox News.

"I remember JonBenet as a six-year-old little kid who loved to play with her brother Burke, her older sibling, and his friends," he said. "Whenever the neighborhood kids would come over, they would be running around, playing outside and riding their bikes. That’s how I remember her."

John Andrew described his half-sister as an energetic and talkative child who loved to interact with her family.

"She was the kid who loved to keep the conversation at the dinner table going," he continued. "She would go around and ask each person how their day was and what they did. That’s something I never forgot."

JonBenet's death shocked the world. The young beauty queen was found in the basement of her parents' home. According to The Los Angeles Times, her mother, Patsy Ramsey, reported her daughter missing that morning after recovering the ransom note. Later that day JonBenet's body was discovered by her father, John Ramsey. At the time, it was reported she had been struck on the head and strangled with a garrote.

John Andrew remembered the day he learned JonBenet was missing. He was in Atlanta with his mother, John Ramsey’s ex.

"You know, it’s sad, but what I remember is thinking that she was most likely dead," he said. "For whatever reason, I’d seen a Geraldo Rivera [talk show] before and it had the families of kidnapped victims. I just remembered that statistically, the likelihood is that she was dead.”

John Andrew told Fox news: "The objective of this documentary is to keep JonBenet’s case in the spotlight. We hope it can keep memories fresh for people who may know anything. Maybe it can compel someone to come out and share information that they’ve been holding on to for 24 years.”

He also says there is plenty of evidence that has been collected that the public does not know about. DNA that has not been linked to anyone was found in the child’s underwear and under her fingernails.

"I think the biggest misconception is that this is somehow a murder that can’t be solved," he told Fox. "When I look at it, the reality is we have a murder investigation that has dozens, if not hundreds, of pieces of physical evidence … There is an abundance of evidence that’s available. This case can be solved."