A team of forensic experts from around the globe have recently completed their investigation into the 1996 murder of child beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey in Colorado and named the probable killer as JonBenet’s brother, Burke.

It was a case that caught the attention of the world. JonBenet Ramsey was only six years old when her body was found in the basement of her parents’ mansion in Boulder, Colorado, the day after Christmas 1996. Twenty years later, her brutal murder still remains officially unsolved and controversial.

The team, brought in for a two-part documentary made for CBS, consisted of seven professionals who are prominent experts in their respective forensic fields. They each possess high-level qualifications and wide experience and have gained international respect and recognition. Their combined forensic analysis of JonBenet’s murder was in-depth. The crime scene was meticulously reconstructed using police photographs, and key pieces of evidence were scrutinized and subjected to modern scientific analysis. Included were the ransom note, 911 call, autopsy results, behavior of the remaining family members and legal process. The startling conclusion by the team, based upon evidentiary examination, was that JonBenet was killed by her brother, Burke, in an angry outburst. Their parents then united to cover up events by staging a crime scene.

Analysis of the ransom note established it was written by an educated, mature female who spoke English as a first language. It was concluded that the rambling, three-page ransom note was written by JonBenet’s mother, Patsy Ramsey. Most of the content was deemed superfluous and reflected a desperate and amateur effort to sell the staged crime. Basic words were deliberately spelled incorrectly, while more complex words were correctly spelled. It was concluded there was no sexual assault of the child, and the foreign DNA detected was transferred during the manufacture of underwear.

The intruder theory was looked at, and it was shown that a cobweb with accumulated dust and debris at the claimed point of entry was still intact in crime scene photos. The investigation concluded the crime was committed by a member of the Ramsey family within the home and not by any intruder, as strongly suggested by the subsequent staging. The child’s body was moved, and the crime scene heavily contaminated. John and Patsy Ramsey, who were affluent and influential, refused to cooperate with the police investigation. They did, however, give a CNN interview, which was scrutinized for behavioral clues. Taped interviews of Burke also caused alarm as he showed little interest and zero emotional involvement in his younger sister’s brutal murder.

Undigested plant material found within the victim’s digestive tract indicated that she had consumed pineapple just prior to death. A bowl of pineapple that showed Burke and Patsy’s fingerprints was in the kitchen. Burke claimed not to know what it was when shown a photograph. It was determined that circular marks on JonBenet’s body were not caused by a stun gun as claimed. The marks were consistent with the ends of a track for toy trains, which was found at the scene. The team demonstrated that the wound in the child’s skull was caused by a blow with a flashlight, which could be inflicted by a child of Burke’s age at the time of the crime. This would have resulted in brain death, but not clinical death. Asphyxiation using a garrote ensured she was dead.

Video footage of the child’s involvement in pageants brought public criticism of the parents for sexualizing a little girl and placing her in a setting which is attractive to pedophiles. This was viewed as exploiting and endangering a little girl who was subsequently murdered.

In conclusion, the team noted that Burke was displaced by the arrival of a beautiful little girl, and it appears there was resentment and jealousy that could have led to an outburst of anger and a fatal head wound. Whatever the concealed truth may be, the undisputed fact remains that a little girl lost her life on Christmas 1996.