The Ramsey family has lived under a microscope for 29 years.
Every move scrutinized, every statement dissected, every silence interpreted as guilt.
And JonBenet Ramsey's brother broke his silence with one painful confession that exposes who really destroyed this case.
The Brother Who Stayed Out Of The Spotlight Finally Speaks
John Andrew Ramsey was 23 years old when his six-year-old half-sister's body was discovered in the basement of their family's Boulder, Colorado home on December 26, 1996.
While his father John Ramsey became the public face of the family's fight for justice, John Andrew deliberately avoided the cameras.
He watched from the sidelines as Boulder Police bungled the investigation, as grand juries voted to indict his father and stepmother, as the media turned his family into villains.
That changed when Boulder Police announced genuine progress for the first time in 20 years — new DNA testing, fresh interviews, and a police chief who actually seems interested in solving the murder.
John Andrew gave a rare interview to the New York Post on Saturday, two days after the 29th anniversary of JonBenet's death.
And he said something that goes to the heart of why this case remains unsolved.
"The police failed to control the scene and put my father in an unthinkable situation by having him search the house," John Andrew stated. "They and they alone bear the responsibility."¹
His father discovered JonBenet's body in the basement after a detective asked him to search the house again — then carried his daughter upstairs before anyone could properly document the evidence.
Critics have spent decades claiming John Ramsey destroyed evidence by moving his daughter's body.
John Andrew isn't having it.
"It was his house. It was his daughter. Any parent would react in the same way," John Andrew told the Post.¹
That's a son defending his father from 29 years of unjust accusations about something Boulder Police caused through their own incompetence.
Boulder Police Destroyed The Case In The First 48 Hours
Former Boulder Police Chief Mark Beckner confessed during a Reddit question-and-answer session that his department destroyed any chance of solving this case.
"I wish we had done a much better job of securing and controlling the crime scene on day one," Beckner admitted. "We should have separated John and Patsy and gotten their full statements that day. Letting them go was a big mistake."²
The Boulder Police Department was a small-town force that had never investigated a murder of this magnitude.
They refused help from experienced FBI investigators who actually knew what they were doing.
Friends, family, and the Ramseys' pastor wandered through the house while crucial evidence sat untouched or was trampled underfoot.
One detective involved in the case, Tom Trujillo, was later disciplined for misconduct and accused by the Boulder District Attorney of failing to thoroughly investigate multiple assigned cases.³
"They were grossly incompetent to investigate a murder," John Ramsey said about the Boulder investigators.³
This is the pattern with government bureaucracies everywhere.
Boulder Police would rather spend 25 years defending their botched investigation than admit they were in over their heads and needed help from agencies that actually solve murders.
They fixated on the Ramsey family to cover up their own failures instead of following the evidence.
A 1999 grand jury voted to indict John and Patsy Ramsey for child endangerment and being accessories to a crime.
The District Attorney refused to sign the indictment because there wasn't enough evidence.
The family was formally cleared in 2008 when DNA testing proved male DNA found on JonBenet's clothing didn't match anyone in the family.
But Patsy Ramsey died from ovarian cancer in 2006 — two years before vindication.
She went to her grave under a cloud of suspicion created by incompetent cops protecting their egos.
Real Police Work After 29 Years Of Dead Ends
Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn announced earlier this month that investigators conducted new interviews, collected new evidence, and used advanced DNA technology to retest items that were either never tested or tested with outdated methods.⁴
"The killing of JonBenet was an unspeakable crime and this tragedy has never left our hearts," Redfearn said. "We are committed to following up on every lead."⁴
John Andrew believes Boulder Police are finally doing real investigative work.
"After 29 years the cops are re-interviewing people, collecting new evidence and testing new items," John Andrew told the Post.¹
The department has followed up on more than 21,000 tips and interviewed over 1,000 people across 19 states.⁵
They're now working with the FBI, Colorado Bureau of Investigation, and multiple outside forensic labs.
The garrote used to strangle JonBenet — a complex device with sophisticated knots that had to be tied without gloves — was never properly tested and should contain DNA from the killer.
"Cops are moving in the right direction but need to be way more aggressive," John Andrew said. "We have the very best DNA labs, scientists and researchers from around the world lined up and ready to work. Put them to work!"¹
DNA technology that didn't exist in 1996 means this case is solvable if investigators actually use the right tools.
John Andrew says his father will never stop fighting.
"He will fight until his last breath," John Andrew said.¹
And John Andrew delivered one final message that every person demanding justice for JonBenet needs to hear.
"We are going to get this guy!" he declared.¹
How many other families are still waiting for justice because government agencies care more about protecting their reputation than admitting they screwed up?
¹ Jeanne Erickson, "Boulder cops 'bear responsibility' for compromising JonBenét Ramsey crime scene: Brother," New York Post, December 27, 2025.
² "A Look Inside the Mistakes in JonBenet Ramsey Investigation Noted by Former Police Chief," ABC News, December 29, 2016.
³ "Murder suspect's defense looks to explore link to faulty JonBenét Ramsey investigation," 9news.com.
⁴ "Boulder police share latest developments in JonBenét Ramsey investigation," The Gazette, December 13, 2025.
⁵ "New interviews and DNA tests in JonBenet Ramsey cold case," Axios Boulder, December 17, 2025.
