JonBenet was found dead in the basement of the Ramsey family home the morning after Christmas in 1996.
JonBenet was found dead in the basement of the Ramsey family home the morning after Christmas in 1996.
The 20th anniversary of JonBenet Ramsey's murder has led to all kinds of renewed speculation surrounding the infamous case, but the criminal investigation has now taken a step forward.
On Tuesday, Colorado police and prosecutors announced they would look into new DNA testing technology on the underwear and long johns that the six-year-old girl was wearing when she was killed.
The latest development comes in the wake of an investigation by the Boulder Daily Camera and local news station 9NEWS that apparently uncovered "serious flaws" in the interpretation of previous DNA testing.
JonBenet was found dead in the basement of the Ramsey family home the morning after Christmas in 1996. The unsolved murder case of the tiny American beauty queen has captivated the world for two decades.
JonBenet performing during a beauty pageant. Picture: AP
Boulder County District Attorney Stan Garnett and Boulder police Chief Greg Testa confirmed Tuesday that they discussed the issue with Colorado Bureau of Investigation administrators, who were about to unveil more sophisticated DNA tests.
"We are going to take a look at the new technology, and see how they may help us further this investigation," Boulder Police Chief Greg Testa said in a statement.
The tests would also tap into an FBI database that includes genetic profiles from more than 15.1 million known offenders and arrestees and more than 738,000 unsolved cases.
"What I am confident about is that the Ramsey case is more than a DNA case, and to ever have a prosecutable case, we have to have several different pieces of evidence come together," Mr Garnett added.
Over the course of the ongoing investigation, authorities have collected 1500 pieces of evidence, including the analysis of 200 DNA samples, travelled to 18 US states to interview at least 1000 people and have received, reviewed or investigated more than 20,000 tips, letters or emails, Mr Testa confirmed.
In July 2008, prosecutors cleared JonBenet Ramsey's parents and brother, saying DNA on the little girl's underwear didn't match anyone in the family. They apologised to the family for casting the cloud of suspicion that hung over them for more than a decade.
Burke Ramsey, JonBenet's older brother was just nine-years-old when his sister was brutally murdered.
At the time, Boulder County District Attorney Mary Lacy said that the tests point to an "unexplained third party". She apologised to the Ramsey family, saying, "To the extent that this office has added to the distress suffered by the Ramsey family at any time or to any degree, I offer my deepest apology."
By this time, mother Patsy Ramsey had already died. She died in 2006 from ovarian cancer.
But the investigation by the two news outlets found that DNA evidence in the case doesn't support the controversial decision by Ms Lacy to exonerate the Ramsey family members from all suspicion in JonBenet's murder.
Ms Lacy concluded that the DNA tests revealed that a male intruder killed the girl, but outside forensic experts have since disputed that, asserting that the DNA was a mishmash of multiple people and not that of the single person referred to as "Unknown Male 1".
In October, JonBenet's older brother, Burke Ramsey, filed a defamation lawsuit against forensic pathologist Werner Spitz after he told local media outlet CBS Detroit that Burke (then nine years old) bludgeoned his sister to death.
The now 29-year-old claimed Dr Spitz was a publicity seeker "with a history of interjecting himself in high profile cases". He sought a jury trial and at least $US150 million in damages.
"Burke Ramsey has suffered, is suffering, and will continue to suffer harm," the complaint said.
His lawyers also demanded a retraction the day after the damning interview, but Dr Spitz refused.
"This lawsuit arises from the public discussion about theories involving one of the major unsolved crimes of the 20th Century," Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP wrote on behalf of Dr Spitz in his response to the lawsuit.
"Because the First Amendment protects this speech on a matter of immense public concern, Plaintiff Burke Ramsey's lawsuit should be dismissed."
On Boxing Day in 1996, hours after Patsy Ramsey's 911 call, police found six-year-old JonBenet dead in the basement of the family home in Boulder, Colorado. She had a homemade garotte around her neck, a blow to her head and DNA in her underwear that still hasn't been identified. The family blamed an intruder who came through the open basement window.
A hearing on Dr Spitz's motion for summary disposition is currently scheduled for February 24, 2017.
