John Ramsey says investigators told him that "new evidence" was submitted for additional DNA testing in the 1996 murder of his daughter, JonBenét Ramsey. The family hopes the samples will be analyzed using investigative genetic genealogy (IGG), which they view as a powerful tool beyond the decades-old CODIS system. Ramsey praised current leadership and said he will seek a January meeting for an update as the investigation advances. Authorities have not released specific details about the evidence or testing results.
John Ramsey Says 'New Evidence' Submitted for DNA Testing in JonBenét Ramsey Case; Family Pushes for Genetic Genealogy
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John Ramsey says investigators have identified what he described as "new evidence" that has been submitted for additional DNA testing in the long-unsolved 1996 killing of his daughter, six-year-old JonBenét Ramsey.
JonBenét was found dead inside the family’s Boulder, Colorado, home on Christmas Day 1996. Authorities determined the cause of death to be strangulation and blunt head trauma. Her body was discovered roughly seven hours after she was reported missing.
Speaking on NewsNation’s Banfield, Ramsey said he met with Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold Redfern (referred to in the interview as Chief Redfern) around September, and was told that evidence had been submitted for additional DNA analysis. Ramsey said the chief did not specify whether the material was newly collected or previously held evidence re-submitted for retesting.
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Ramsey described the development as "encouraging," while acknowledging uncertainty about the specifics. He said the family has urged investigators to test any crime-scene items that have never been sampled, including the object believed to have been used to strangle JonBenét — a reference that was partially unintelligible on the interview recording.
He also said he would press investigators to confirm whether the samples have been analyzed using the latest forensic methods, including investigative genetic genealogy (IGG). "And that would be very encouraging to us if they've done that," Ramsey said, noting IGG has become a powerful investigative tool in recent years. He contrasted IGG with the FBI’s CODIS database, saying CODIS is long-established but, in his view, more limited for complex cold-case work.
Ramsey praised the current leadership, saying he has greater confidence in the department than in past years. "It was not very good for 25, 26 years," he said of earlier phases of the investigation, adding that he finds Chief Redfern "sincere and honest" based on several meetings. He said he plans to request a meeting in January for a progress update.
Context: The JonBenét Ramsey case has remained one of the most widely followed unsolved murders in the United States. In recent years, law enforcement agencies and the family have expressed interest in advanced DNA testing and genealogy techniques to identify potential suspects.
The family and the public are watching closely for any confirmation that new or retested evidence yields genetic leads. Authorities have not publicly disclosed details about the specific evidence or any investigative results as of the interview.
