Cops in Colorado are following up on dozens of leads in the JonBenét murder case — and they are quietly hoping that they are close to finding a resolution, two investigative sources tell The Post.
“I’m not sure what it will take to bust it wide open,” an investigator said, “but it feels like it’s within reach. We’re hoping for 2025; this is our year.”
Momentum has stalled since 2023, when the previous Boulder police chief convened a multi-agency task force to investigate the case. According to the investigator, the group has only met once in person, but the investigators are regularly in contact with each other.
“It hasn’t been as aggressive as anyone had hoped,” said the investigator, “but now there’s a lot of pressure to get this solved.”
Another police source said that new Boulder police chief, Steve Redfearn — who took over in early 2024 — is now turning his attention to the case: “He wants it solved and off the books, and he’s assigning officers and resources to solving the murder, which has been a black mark on the Boulder PD.”
“We f–ked the case up from the start, and now with new blood, we can finally fix it.”
The Boulder Police Department released an annual update on the investigation into the murder last Tuesday — the day after Netflix put out a viral hit new documentary, “Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey.”
Cops insist that they are doing everything they can to solve the baffling case that has plagued them since 1996.
“The killing of JonBenét was an unspeakable crime and this tragedy has never left our hearts,” Redfearn said. “We are committed to following up on every lead and we are continuing to work with DNA experts and our law enforcement partners around the country until this tragic case is solved. This investigation will always be a priority for the Boulder Police Department.”
Redfearn — who previously worked in the Denver suburb of Aurora — then took aim at the claims that his detectives have not investigated all tips.
“The assertion that there is viable evidence and leads we are not pursuing — to include DNA testing — is completely false,” Redfearn continued.
But Ramsey’s family has been critical of the Boulder Police Department, saying that detectives are in over their heads, and haven’t asked for the help they need.
While authorities sent several items for renewed DNA testing last year, they have still been frustratingly unable to crack the case.
“There have been horrible failures,” JonBenét’s father, John Ramsey, told “Today” last week. “But I believe it can be solved if police accept help from outside their system. That’s been their flaw.”
JonBenét’s murder has confounded authorities since the early morning hours of Dec. 26, 1996, when the 6-year-old beauty queen was reported missing from her sprawling Boulder, Colo., home.
Hours later, John Ramsey found the little girl’s body in the basement of the home. She had a garrote around her neck, and her skull was smashed from an apparent blow to the back of her head.
Police initially focused on JonBenét’s family: father John; mother Patsy; and brother Burke. But 15 days after the murder, a DNA report seemingly excluded them as suspects. They were formally exonerated in 2008 by the then-district attorney.
In the 28 years that have passed, no one has ever been held accountable for killing JonBenét.
But John Ramsey has publicly said that he’s “cautiously optimistic” that there will soon be movement in the case.
“They need to accept the help that’s offered to them,” Ramsey, 80, said. “There’s a new police chief brought in from the outside. I hope he accepts help, so this can be solved.”
