A six-year-old child was found dead in her family home after being reported missing.
Updated 20 Aug 2026
JonBenét Ramsey was reported missing on the morning of 26 December 1996 after a ransom note was found in the family home. Her body was discovered in a basement room later that day. [1]
Boulder Police state that the investigation remains open and that investigators continue to review tips and evidence. No person has been convicted of the homicide. [2]
8 sourced milestones
Major events in the case, shown in chronological order.
Six-year-old JonBenét Ramsey was killed inside her family's Boulder home during the night after Christmas Day.
Source: City of Boulder ↗JonBenét's mother called 911 early that morning after finding a ransom note and discovering that her daughter was missing.
Source: City of Boulder ↗JonBenét's father found her body in a basement room later that day, turning the missing-child response into a homicide investigation.
Source: City of Boulder ↗A Colorado grand jury heard evidence and voted to indict JonBenét's parents on child-abuse-related counts, but the district attorney declined to prosecute because he believed the evidence was insufficient.
Source: Wikipedia ↗Investigators developed an unidentified male DNA profile from crime-scene evidence and submitted it to the national CODIS database; it has not identified an offender.
Source: City of Boulder ↗Authorities arrested John Mark Karr after he confessed, then released him when DNA and other evidence did not connect him to the homicide.
Source: Wikipedia ↗A court ordered the release of previously sealed grand-jury pages, publicly revealing the unprosecuted 1999 proposed charges.
Source: Wikipedia ↗Boulder Police convened a Colorado Cold Case Review Team and later reported new interviews, additional evidence collection, and further forensic testing. No person has been charged.
Source: City of Boulder ↗0 videos
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