How the 1996 Murder of JonBenét Ramsey Became a National Obsession

What exactly happened to 6-year-old JonBenét Ramsey, who was found dead in her family’s home in 1996, may never be known. But the crime had every element to ensure enduring fascination.

“The list of suspects narrows. Soon there will be no one on the list but you.” —Alex Hunter, Boulder District Attorney, Feb. 13, 1997

JonBenét Ramsey would have celebrated her 34th birthday on Aug. 6. But she never even made it to 7.

Nearly 27 years ago, John and Patsy Ramsey’s youngest child was found dead in the basement of their Boulder, Colo., home on the afternoon of Dec. 26, 1996—almost eight hours after Patsy frantically called 911 to report that her 6-year-old daughter had been kidnapped.

Patsy had awakened at around 5:30 a.m. to find a two-and-a-half-page, sloppily printed ransom note at the bottom of the stairs that threatened to “behead” the child if her parents didn’t fork over $118,000 in ransom to some “foreign faction.”

It was John who discovered JonBenét’s body shortly after 1:30 p.m. on his second search of the house, which by then was already full of police and family friends. He carried the child, who was still dressed in the pajamas she wore to bed the night before, up the stairs and laid her down near the Christmas tree in the living room.