(NewsNation) — The father of JonBenét Ramsey, a 6-year-old Colorado girl who was mysteriously killed in 1996, is determined to make sure alleged mistakes made in his daughter’s investigation won’t be repeated.
John Ramsey told NewsNation’s Elizabeth Vargas about a new mission: Make the murder of children a federal crime.
“There was so much that could have been brought to bear to solve this crime. … Big egos and inexperienced, poor leadership ended up in a tragedy, frankly, for our family,” John Ramsey said.
Six-year-old JonBenét was found dead in the basement of her home on Dec. 26, 1996. Several hours before, her mother had called 911 to say her daughter was missing and that a ransom note was left behind.
While JonBenét’s death was ruled a homicide, no one was ever prosecuted. Currently, murder is a federal crime only in some circumstances, such as if a senator or federal law enforcement officer is killed.
However, investigators in Boulder are still looking into the case.
Last year, Boulder police put out a press release saying the department has followed up on “every lead” that has come in, including more than 21,016 tips, letters and emails. Investigators have traveled to 19 states to interview or speak with more than 1,000 individuals, police said in May 2022.
“We have a shared goal to bring justice — and hopefully some peace — to JonBenét’s family and everyone who was impacted by her loss,” Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold said at the time. “Our investigation with federal, state and local partners has never stopped.”
Tyler Wornell contributed to this report.
