What REALLY happened to JonBenét Ramsey? The true story behind Netflix’s new documentary about six-year-old beauty queen’s murder

Less than thirty years ago, the world was shocked by the tragic case of a six-year-old child queen who was found dead in her home.

JonBenét Ramsey was reported missing after her family found a ransom note demanding $118,000 for the child’s return to their home in Boulder, Colorado, on December 26, 1996.

The child’s body was later found by her father in the basement of the family’s home, brutally beaten and strangled.

The case became one of the most talked-about mysteries in the US, not only because of her age, but also because of the brutal circumstances of the murder, the glamorous photos that accompanied the news reports and the fact that her killer was never caught.

Now, a new Netflix docuseries examines her death in detail and offers a new perspective on the family’s decades-long quest for justice.

Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey is now available to watch on the streaming platform, which launched on November 25.

The three-part series, directed by Joe Berlinger, examines the mishandling of the case by law enforcement and the media.

As the series follows Colorado authorities’ quest to bring JonBenét’s killer to justice and “finally give her family peace of mind,” FEMAIL investigates the tragic circumstances behind the pageant princess’s death 28 years ago.

Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey is now available to watch on the streaming platform, launching on November 25

Who was JonBenet Ramsey?

JonBenét Ramsey was an American child pageant queen who died on December 26, 1996 at the age of six in Colorado.

JonBenét was born in August 1990 in Atlanta, Georgia, and was the younger of two children of Patricia ‘Patsy’ Ramsey and John Bennett Ramsey. She had an older brother named Rurke, who was born in 1987.

During her younger years competing in pageants, she had been crowned Little Miss Colorado, Little Miss Charlevoix, Colorado State All-Star Kids Cover Girl, and National Tiny Miss Beauty.

How did JonBenét Ramsey die?

The six-year-old beauty pageant contestant was murdered in her home in Boulder, Colorado on December 26, 1996.

JonBenét had been reported missing earlier that day by her parents, Patsy and John.

Her mother called 911 to say her daughter was missing and that a ransom note had been left demanding $118,000 for the child’s return.

Police arrived on the scene on the night of December 25, but did not find JonBenét in the basement of the family’s home until 1 p.m. the next day.

The girl was knocked down and strangled – upon discovery it was determined that JonBenét had a fractured skull and had died of asphyxiation from the use of a garrote.

JonBenét Ramsey was an American child pageant queen who died on December 26, 1996 at the age of six in Colorado

JonBenét was born in August 1990 in Atlanta, Georgia, and was the younger of two children of Patricia ‘Patsy’ Ramsey and John Bennett Ramsey.

She was covered in a white blanket with a nylon cord around her neck, her wrists tied above her head and her mouth covered with duct tape.

There was no clear evidence of rape, but police did not rule out sexual abuse.

Her death was ruled a homicide, but no one was ever charged with the murder.

The only people known to be in the Ramsey home at the time were Patsy, John and their 9-year-old son Burke.

Who Killed JonBenét Ramsay?

Although JonBenét’s killer has never been identified, the director of Netflix’s new documentary has revealed why he believes the murdered six-year-old’s family is innocent.

Speaking to the New York Post, Joe said: “I firmly believe the Ramsey family is innocent. And I also firmly believe that this case can be solved if the Boulder Police Department finally does what it needs to do.”

He added that he believes all suspects should be “put back on the table,” as many “likely suspects” were ruled out at the time due to the flawed DNA analysis.

However, he did acknowledge that even the Ramsey family would have to undergo another DNA test because they would be happy to help.

Pictured: The site where six-year-old JonBenét Ramsey was murdered in Boulder, Colorado, 1996

Grieving father John Ramsey, 80, took part in the Netflix documentary in the hope it could find answers to his daughter’s murder case.

Joe said: “John Ramsey agreed to sit down with us, didn’t ask to be paid, and didn’t get paid – we don’t pay our nationals – and asked for no editorial input.

‘No question was off limits. To me, that’s an 80-year-old man who… wants to get that case solved. It’s just unthinkable that the family had anything to do with this.’

Joe told the publication that he believes an intruder entered the house and killed the little girl, calling it “a much more plausible scenario.”

The prosecutor said at the time of JonBenét’s death that her parents were under “an umbrella of suspicion” from early on.

JonBenét’s parents gave several televised interviews but resisted questioning by police except on their own terms.

Theorists also wonder whether their son Burke, who was nine years old at the time of JonBenet’s death, accidentally killed his sister in a moment of anger, and whether his parents covered it up.

But 2008 tests on newly discovered DNA on her clothing indicated the involvement of an “unexplained third party” in her murder, and not her parents or Burke.

The prosecutor said at the time of JonBenét’s death that her parents were under “an umbrella of suspicion” from early on

Officials announced in 2006 that the suspect, John Mark Karr (pictured center), had been arrested in Bangkok, Thailand, but DNA testing failed to link him to the crime scene.

Among the suspects was convicted pedophile Gary Oliva (photo), who allegedly confessed to the murder

JonBenet Ramsey’s grave in Marietta, Georgia, pictured

That prompted former prosecutor Mary Lacy to clear the Ramseys of any involvement two years after mother Patsy died of ovarian cancer in 2006, calling the couple “victims of this crime.”

Investigators had identified other suspects and developed a theory about an intruder, or multiple intruders, entering the house and killing the pageant princess.

Among the suspects was convicted pedophile Gary Oliva, who allegedly confessed to the murder.

Others included Ramsey’s housekeeper, as well as the man who portrayed Santa Claus at a holiday party the youngster attended.

Officials announced in 2006 that another suspect, John Mark Karr, had been arrested in Bangkok, Thailand.

He allegedly told an American investigator that he drugged JonBenét and sexually assaulted her before accidentally killing her.

But prosecutors dropped that investigation after DNA tests failed to link him to the crime scene.

Investigations are underway. Police and officials in Boulder said in December 2021 that they had processed 1,500 pieces of evidence and analyzed nearly 1,000 DNA samples in their hunt for the killer.

Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsay is now available to watch on Netflix.