The Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey is Netflix’s latest true crime docuseries.
The series, focusing on one of America’s most significant cold cases, the death of JonBenét Ramsey, promised to “investigate the mishandling of the case.”
There have been several theories but few solutions after almost 30 years of research.
On Dec. 26, 1996, John and Patsy Ramsey found their youngest child, 6-year-old JonBenét, missing when they woke up the morning after a family Christmas.
That morning, Patsy hastily called the police to report that she had found a scary ransom note demanding $118,000 in exchange for JonBenét’s safe return.
After her death was declared a homicide, shockwaves swiftly swept across the country from Boulder, Colorado.
From the beginning, the Ramsey family was the subject of intense investigation.
The media speculated that someone close to JonBenet—possibly a family member—was involved because of the unusual circumstances of the crime.
The Ramseys have long denied any role in their daughter’s murder and the rumours that the now-deceased Patsy wrote the ransom note.
No one in the family has ever been charged.
Another theory involved a possible invader named Michael Helgoth, who possessed a pair of boots that seemed to match a print discovered at the scene.
Police initially examined Michael Helgoth, but after his suicide in 1997, investigators turned their attention elsewhere.
A possible suspect then admitted to the murder in 2006, but detectives eventually determined that the statement was untrue.
Days before the murder, another possible invader had visited the Ramsey residence while working as Santa Claus.
Decades prior, the man’s daughter had been kidnapped, but he was never officially regarded as a suspect.
We have compiled a list of some of the most significant unsolved aspects of the case that were not discussed in Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey:
A significant point not explored in the Netflix series was the fact it was discovered that JonBenét had digested pineapple on the night she died.
Forensic evidence contradicted her parents’ assertion that JonBenét and her brother Burke immediately fell asleep after returning from a Christmas party.
Coroner John Meyer’s examination revealed that JonBenét’s stomach contained partially digested pineapple, and the pineapple would have been eaten around midnight, according to the autopsy, hours after the Ramseys ensured their kids went to bed.
Patsy Ramsey fiercely disputed that her daughter had eaten pineapple that evening, and Burke stated in earlier interviews that both siblings liked pineapple.
But when asked about the particular bowl that was discovered in the kitchen that evening, he seemed noticeably uneasy and said he didn’t recognise it.
Another point not discussed was the inconsistencies found in Patsy Ramsey’s recollection of the night.
When questioned, Patsy stated she had woken before dawn to get the family ready for a flight the following day and found JonBenét’s bed empty.
However, in another instance, Patsy claimed she had first walked straight past JonBenét’s room and that the ransom note had caused her to panic before she realized JonBenét was not in her room.
While many claim this was a misremembrance of the time of events due to the stress and grief of losing her child, others claim it is a significant enough detail to arouse suspicion.
In the Netflix special, Lou Smit, a detective investigating the case, claimed that the intruder theory was the most plausible.
However, Netflix left out Detective Steve Garrett’s interesting observation about a spider web that had been untouched at the intruder’s supposed entry point.
“It’s very clear that this is not a brand new web,” FBI profiler Jim Clemente said in The Case of: JonBenét Ramsey.
“That would not have survived someone going in a window.”
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Further, the Netflix series never mentioned Laura Richards and Jim Clemente’s recreation of the Ramsey house and subsequent findings.
The pair alleged the scene was “staged,” following extensive experiments surrounding an intruder theory.
Another interesting point left out was a statement made by the 911 operator who took the call on December 26.
Kim Archuletta, who received the emergency call that morning, alleged Patsy Ramsey’s demeanour shifted from hysterical to unnaturally composed.
Kim spoke of the call: “So I remained on the phone, trying to listen to what was being said. It sounded like there were two voices in the room, maybe three—different ones. I had a bad feeling about this; to me, it sounded rehearsed.”
