Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey: Where are the child beauty queen's family members now?

The tragic case remains unsolved

JonBenét Ramsey
(Image credit: Netflix)

A Netflix documentary covering the tragic, unsolved murder of child beauty pageant star, JonBenét Ramsey, has left viewers wondering where her family member are decades later.

Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey is the latest true crime documentary added to the extensive Netflix catalogue, that viewers can't stop talking about. The documentary revisits events that happened on December 26, 1996, when John and Patsy Ramsey woke to find their six-year-old beauty pageant queen daughter, JonBenét, was missing. While a ransom note had been left, John Ramsey later discovered his daughter's body in the basement, having been assaulted and murdered in their home.

Fingers were quickly pointed at JonBenét's family as the most likely culprits, and the case became a national and global obsession. However, twenty-eight years later, the case remains unsolved and flames of suspicion are constantly ignited over who could be responsible for such a terrible crime. Netflix documentaries Sweet Bobby and My Wife, My Abuser, have both left viewers wanting to know more about the perpetrators of the crimes in the aftermath of events - although the JonBenét case remains unsolved, those tuning in are very interested to know where her family members are now.

Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey | Official Trailer | Netflix - YouTube Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey | Official Trailer | Netflix - YouTube
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Where is Patsy Ramsey now?

Sadly, JonBenét's mother, Patsy Ramsey, died from ovarian cancer in 2006 at the age of 49 - this was two years before she and and her husband were cleared of any involvement in their daughter's death. She'd first been diagnosed with stage four ovarian cancer in 1993, aged 36. Following treatment, Patsy went into a nine-year remission, before her cancer returned in 2002.

In an 9News interview shared to YouTube, Patsy gave her view on possible circumstances involving JonBenét's death. The family had left their house in the afternoon of Christmas Day to visit friends for dinner. Patsy believes an intruder entered their home while the family were out, saying, "Possibly this person watched our house, watched us leave an came into the house at that time."

She added, "There were several hours of time where he could've familiarised himself with the house, where JonBenét's bedroom was, where our bedroom was, where the basement was, before we returned home. I believe the ransom note was written at that time, and I believe the person was still there when we returned home that night."

John and Patsy Ramsey

(Image credit: Helen H. Richardson/ The Denver Post/Getty Images)

Where is John Ramsey now?

Now 80-years-old, John dated Beth Twitty for a short time after Patsy's death - Beth is the mother of Natalee Holloway, a teen who had gone missing in 2005. In 2011, he was married for the third time, to fashion designer Jan Rousseaux. According to People, the couple split their time between Michigan and Las Vegas. Prior to JonBenét's death, John had already experienced tragedy when his 22-year-old daughter, Beth, from his first marriage, died in a car crash.

Speaking recently on Today, John was candid about how finding the killer would affect him. "Finding the killer is not going to change my life," he said, adding, "I’ve lost JonBenét and it’s not going to bring JonBenét back. I would like to close this chapter so we can be more rest and at peace. I won’t give up pressing the authorities to do their job until I see that they do their job, and that’s been the frustration for 25 years."

John has said he won't be watching the latest documentary, instead describing the lasting impact of his daughter's murder on his life. He concluded, "You don’t get over it. One mother described the loss of her child as a hole in her heart that won’t heal, and that’s a good description," he said, adding, "You’re different going forward. What we realized early on was we needed to be stronger now than ever, for our other children who are still living, this was a horrible tragedy for them, and for us, too."

Where is Burke Ramsey now?

Burke was 9-years-old when his sister was murdered, and is now 37 and working as a software engineer in Michigan. He's always kept a low profile and doesn't like to give interviews or talk about JonBenét's death. Burke refused to take part in the Netflix documentary, with a disclaimer at the end of episode three stating, "Citing his treatment by the media and online websleuths, Burke Ramsey declined our request for an interview."

The one and only interview Burke gave in relation to his sister, was during a 2016 episode of Dr Phil. He was asked about the main theories involving who could have killed his sister, and about the long ransom note found in the family home. Of the note, he said, "I don't think I've read the whole thing, I've definitely seen pictures of it though."

Following allegations Patsy wrote the ransom note, Burke was shown a copy of it and asked if he recognised the handwriting. He replied that it was "too sloppy" to belong to his mother, who was always hot on the children having neat handwriting.

Lucy Wigley
Entertainment Writer

Lucy is a multi-award nominated writer and blogger with seven years’ experience writing about entertainment, parenting and family life. Lucy worked as a freelance writer and journalist at the likes of PS and moms.com, before joining GoodtoKnow as an entertainment writer, and then as news editor. The pull to return to the world of television was strong, and she was delighted to take a position at woman&home to once again watch the best shows out there, and tell you why you should watch them too.