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FIRST ON FOX: DENVER— John Ramsey, the father of JonBenet Ramsey, who was 6 when she was murdered in 1996, is asking for President Donald Trump to help push Colorado authorities to take a more proactive approach to solving the infamous killing.
Ramsey, who has criticized the Boulder Police Department’s efforts to solve the Christmastime slaying, has offered to fundraise to pay for investigative genetic genealogy, a newer technology that’s been used to solve high-profile cold cases such as the Golden State Killer.
“I told the DA that money should not be a restrictor here,” Ramsey told Fox News Digital during an interview at CrimeCon in Denver on Saturday. “I need to get Donald Trump on them. He’ll stir things up one way or the other, but somehow we’ve got to get them to do that.”
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“If he got involved in the… Cracker Barrel (issue),” he added, referring to Trump’s criticism of the restaurant chain’s short-lived re-branding of its logo. “This is a whole lot of a bigger deal than the Cracker Barrel. Help us. So that’s the bottom line.”
The White House referred Fox News Digital to the Justice Department when asked to comment on Ramsey’s remarks.
Trump has commented on and has intervened in criminal cases before. In July, he weighed in on the plea deal that will spare Bryan Kohberger’s life for killing four University of Idaho students in 2022.
“These were vicious murders, with so many questions left unanswered,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform at the time. “While Life Imprisonment is tough, it’s certainly better than receiving the Death Penalty but before Sentencing, I hope the Judge makes Kohberger, at a minimum, explain why he did these horrible murders.”
In 2019, he called for the release of New York-based rapper A$AP Rocky, who was charged with assault in Sweden.
Ramsey has criticized the Boulder authorities over the handling of the murder investigation, but said he believes the police department is moving in the right direction after meeting with the new leadership.
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Now, he believes genetic genealogy could be the key to solving the case.
“I am absolutely convinced that’s the gold standard today,” Ramsey said. “So I’ve been pushing that pretty hard in terms of what I think ought to happen. And I don’t know that they’re doing it. I know they listen, but I don’t know where they are mentally in terms of making that happen.”
“To me, it’s a no brainer that it would be done, but I don’t know how to make it happen,” he added. “All I can do is ask.”
On Saturday, Ramsey announced a petition asking Colorado lawmakers to bring state law into alignment with the federal Homicide Victim’s Families’ Rights Act, which gives victims the right to request a cold-case review in federally handled investigations that haven’t found answers.
“I was shocked by how the system works in our country,” he said. “We have 18,000 police jurisdictions. Each one is a little island of authority and if that chief of police of an island doesn’t want help. Help can’t come in. They have to be invited. That’s primitive in my opinion.”
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At an earlier CrimeCon in Las Vegas, Ramsey announced the start of a petition asking Colorado Gov. Jared Polis to allow an independent agency to conduct modern DNA testing in the case — rather than the Boulder Police Department.
JonBenet was reported missing by her mother, Patsy Ramsey, on Dec. 26, 1996, after finding a ransom note demanding $118,000. John Ramsey found her body later that same day in the basement of their Boulder home.
An autopsy revealed that JonBenet died of strangulation and a blow to the head.
Ramsey has long criticized the department for its “arrogance,” “pride,” “ego” and inexperience at the time his daughter was killed.
The department said investigators assigned to the case have followed up on more than 21,016 tips, letters and emails and traveled to 19 states to interview or speak with more than 1,000 individuals.
“The killing of JonBenet was an unspeakable crime and this tragedy has never left our hearts,” Boulder Police Chief Steve Redfearn said in a November 2024 video message. “We are committed to following up on every lead and we are continuing to work with DNA experts and our law enforcement partners around the country until this tragic case is solved. This investigation will always be a priority for the Boulder Police Department.”
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