On the night of December 26, 1996. Six-year-old JonBenet Ramsey was reported missing from her home in Boulder, Colorado. No parent could have expected to lose their daughter in the middle of the night.
“Well, I would obviously call the police, and I would also go out and look for them,” senior Daniel Regelado said.
JonBenet Ramsey was a six-year-old pageant contestant and well-known winner competing in local beauty pageant competitions, who had an older brother named Burke, and two parents, Patsy and John Ramsey.
“It’s so sad she was so young when she got murdered. I think she could’ve had a successful career as a pageant queen. But I think she was way too young to have her life taken from her,“ senior Katie Phan said.
At around 5:30 am, Patsey Ramsey found a ransom note on the kitchen staircase, demanding $118,000 in exchange for JonBenet. The note was two and a half pages long and was suspected by police to be staged. The note was found to be written with Patsey Ramsey’s own pen and notepad, and she was suspected to be the culprit. Handwriting tests and comparisons concluded that the handwriting was very similar to Patsey’s, but ultimately was ruled out due to little evidence of fingerprints. Some theories suggested the handwriting was faked or that it was completely different, but it is still unknown.
“It had to be Patsey. There’s no way someone could’ve faked her handwriting that similarly,“ Freshman Harper Downing said.
Around seven hours after she was reported missing, JonBenet was found behind the closed doors of one of the rooms of their basement. She was found, mouth covered in duct tape, cord wrapped around her wrists and neck, and covered in a white blanket.
“ I think it’s likely possible that it was the parents, but I don’t think a killer should be totally ruled out,” Sophomore Cameryn Kophamer said.
DNA was found under her fingernails and in her underwear, and she was strangled with a broken paintbrush and cord. The basement window was found to be broken with a suitcase under it, hinting at a possible entry point for a break-in. DNA evidence was tested to be inconclusive.
“They should’ve tested harder or better because DNA testing existed before the case happened. They might be hiding something,“ Freshman Jensen Holbrook said.
An autopsy was performed, and concluded that she had a skull fracture, and strangulation was the cause of her death. Evidence of blood was found in her underwear, but sexual assault was not concluded. Autopsy also confirmed that fragments of pineapple and milk were found undigested in her stomach, hinting she had a quick midnight snack before her death. Patsey’s fingerprints were found on the bowl, backing up theories that she was the actual killer.
“I think it was kinda convenient that she had pineapple on her stomach, but it’s strange that only her family’s fingerprints were also on the bowl,“ Junior Anahi Sanchez said.
Online speculations and theories claim that a direct family member was guilty, using blood samples found to test, but ultimately, the results were still inconclusive. Police also had reason to speculate that the parents, considering they were uncooperative, believed the incident seemed to be possibly staged, and statistics argue that there is a 12-1 chance it’s a family member. However, a former FBI agent claimed it was not the parents, stating, “but I know of no other case in which the majority of people have decided the solution based on statistics.”
“I think it was the parents. Just because the FBI says it is doesn’t mean it isn’t,“ Senior Derek Walker said.
The case of JonBenet Ramsey is still yet to be solved, but recent advancements in DNA testing provide hope for finding the killer. This case is still ongoing as of 2026, proving to be one of the longest unsolved cold cases in America.
