Inside Tortured History of JonBenet Ramsey’s Murder Home—as Her Dad Reveals Update on Cold Case Ahead of Netflix Docuseries Release

JonBenét Ramsey‘s 1996 murder has haunted authorities for nearly 30 years. Now, the shocking death of the 6-year-old beauty queen in her family home in Boulder, CO, has been thrust back into the headlines after her father issued an update on her cold case ahead of the release of a new Netflix docuseries about it.

John Ramsey, now 80, spoke on Nov. 21 to express his gratitude for the renewed interest in his daughter’s case, while remaining hopeful that new technology could help authorities finally track down JonBenét’s killer.

Speaking about the release of Netflix’s new docuseries, “Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey,” during an appearance on the “Today” show, John said: “We want to keep the case alive and in front of people. I believe it can be solved if the police accept help from outside their system. That’s been the flaw for 25 years.”

He conceded that not all of the attention has been positive, admitting that the notoriety surrounding his daughter’s murder is “a double-edged sword.” However, he insisted that he is “grateful that the public, and frankly the world, cares about the murder of our child.”

JonBenét was found dead in the early morning hours of Dec. 26 in the basement of her family’s Colorado home. It sparked a nationwide hunt for the killer—and a slew of conspiracy theories about who could have been behind such a heinous crime.

To make matters all the more confusing, hours before her body was discovered, the family had found a ransom note in their home demanding $118,000 for the safe return of their daughter.

Police believe that JonBenét, who was found beaten and strangled, was murdered on Christmas Day sometime in the late hours of the night. An autopsy found the cause of death was strangulation, and her death was ruled a homicide.

In the days and weeks after her murder, police began investigating a number of suspects, revealing soon after her death that both of her parents were included under the “umbrella of suspicion.”

Focus also turned to her brother, Burke, who was 9 at the time of his sister’s death, and whom conspiracy theorists alleged may have killed his sibling in a fit of rage—prompting their parents to cover up the truth about her death.

JonBenét’s murder has continued to draw huge interest in the 28 years since she was found dead—as has the home in which her family was living at the time. The seemingly charming property has never managed to shake its dark history.

Over the years, it has come on and off the market as the current owners, Time and Carol Schuller Milner, have failed to find a buyer.

JonBenét’s parents, John and Patsy, had purchased the home for $500,000 in 1991. They moved out after the murder and were suspects in the case for a decade. The home was sold to an investor for $650,000.

In 2008, John and Patsy were both cleared, two years after Patsy died of ovarian cancer. Burke was also cleared of any involvement.

The current owners purchased it in 2004 for $1.05 million, then put it on the market in 2008 for $2.68 million. They relisted it in 2009 for $2.29 million, in 2011 for $2.3 million, and in 2014 for $2 million.

In November 2022, it came back on the market for $7.25 million. Then it was reduced to $6,249,000 before the homeowners took it off the market.

The home, which is no longer available for sale, is currently estimated to be worth $4.2 million.

The five-bedroom, 5.5-bathroom Tudor features a top-floor penthouse with two bathrooms as well as a kitchen with a separate catering kitchen. The home totals 7,240 square feet and was built in 1927.

Despite the home’s beauty and desirable location in the affluent University Hill neighborhood near the University of Colorado Boulder, it seems potential buyers just can’t forget the horrific crime that happened inside.

Over the years, Boulder police say they have followed up on every single lead; but the case remains unsolved, despite having been the subject of numerous books and TV specials. The three-part Netflix series is the latest to explore the case.