JonBenet Ramsey: Race Against Time - A Diane Sawyer Investigation

There she is, a little girl frozen in. time. [music]. JonBenét Ramsey and family photos you've. never seen before. A beautiful baby. [music]. Her second birthday. At the beach with mom. On a golf cart joy ride with dad. Hugging her big [music] brother Burke. Playing dolls. and dress up.

Learning to swim. A little girl in denim overalls [music]. and pigtails in the grade school. hallway. The everyday tenderness of a child with. a sunlit smile. Her friends called her Johnny B. But tonight, above all, let us remember. [music] this. 30 years ago, a 6-year-old. girl was savagely murdered, strangled, [music] bludgeoned, sexually. assaulted, and that case has never been.

solved. So ABC's chief investigative. correspondent Aaron Kattersky and I are. on a mission to ask about the evidence. that could turn this case on its head. The DNA found at the crime scene not. from the Ramsey family, but look at the. lab report. The DNA of unknown male one. What was this unknown male doing at the. crime scene? Can we find [music] him? And is the. revolutionary new DNA technology that.

has been solving cold case after cold. case the answer to solving this case. after all these years? We tracked down all three living Boulder. district attorneys who worked on this. case to ask what they investigated and. was anything missed? Is there a new message hidden inside the. famous ransom note? >> My name is JonBenét Ramsey and I'm 5 and. a half. >> [music]. >> And also, what is the story behind those. unnerving images of JonBenét in the. pageants?

I'll tell what I found back in 1997, [music]. when I was the first reporter to tour. the Ramsey home with a camera. Are there signs an outsider [music] was. hiding inside the Ramsey house, waiting. to make his way toward John Benet's. bedroom? And who is the man now in charge? The. man who will make the decision about. deploying new science to identify that. DNA? The Boulder police chief sits for. his first interview about John Benet. >> That is a promise. That is a promise. >> If there's ever a case for trial, this.

is the experienced DA, [music] whose. office is also watching over the case. >> We definitely are doing that. >> And tonight, someone standing by you may. not expect to see. We found John Benet's brother, [music]. Burke Ramsey, 9 years old at the time of. her death. He is ready to step out of his silence. [music] after a decade. And as we begin, a man I've met before. over these 30 years walks into the room. John Benet's aging father, John Ramsey, who has lived under a dark cloud of.

suspicion since his daughter died. >> All these years, huh? >> Yeah. >> He has spent three decades of his life. traveling the country begging. investigators to keep pursuing the case. 30 years of time and memory written on. the now weary face of a man [music] who. once sat with his wife, Patsy, to talk. to Barbara Walters after their daughter. was killed. Do you dream about John Benet? >> Yes, I do. >> [music]. >> What do you dream? >> I dream there's my dreams are so vivid.

[music] that I feel like I've spent the. whole night with her. And when I wake up in the morning, then I realize that. the day is the nightmare. [music]. The Boulder police would like this to go. away. They would like to just close the. books on it, pretend that none of it ever happened. [music]. But we are not going away. We are going to be their worst. nightmare. Patsy and [music] John Ramsey are.

hanging in there until the day we we'll. be looking for the person that murdered. our daughter. >> Patsy Ramsey died of ovarian cancer 20. years ago. So I asked John Ramsey [music] that. question again. Does he still dream of. his daughter? >> Once in a while I have this wonderful. dream and it's a little baby. and it's not [music] I can't see that. it's John Benet but it's his child. and it's a very. wonderful dream. Not doesn't happen often but but I've.

had that happen and uh. it's it's uh. you wake up. happy you know and joyful. >> He says he is now filled with new hope. that breakthrough DNA science can. finally solve this case. [music]. >> It's like a nuclear weapon for crime. solving and it solved. I don't know [music] how many countless. old old cold cases that were literally.

ice [music] cold. and they've been solved. This technology. didn't exist even 10 years [music] ago. >> And until then your quest goes on? >> Yeah. It's not going to change my life today. I'm [music]. as someone told me you're playing on the. 16th hole don't forget it. And. >> What are you you're 80. >> [music]. >> 82 yeah. And but it'll change my kids life and my. son's life and [music]. uh. my grandchildren.

>> A father's legacy, a son's urgency. The. oldest son John Andrew Ramsey. [music]. >> Why do I do this? It's because I see. this gross miscarriage of justice. uh against my family. I'm I'm very. comfortable in this and we'll continue. to [music] push this for. till I'm 83 years old. I know. that we're going to find this person. This is a case that [music] can be. solved. You know there's a mountain of. evidence out there. We've got the DNA. testing that's [music] in our favor. It's not a question of if but when.

>> Coming up, what are the secrets inside. the DNA evidence of unknown male number. one? And next, we take you back to Christmas, 1996 to look for new clues in the events. of that horrifying day. 1996, a nightmare is about to descend on. this house in Boulder, Colorado. It's Christmas. Every room here filled.

with trees and exuberant decorations. created by Patsy Ramsey, who would open. the house for tours and parties. >> Hello, I'm Patsy Ramsey. This is. JonBenét. She's 4, Burke is 7, and we'd. like to welcome you to our home and wish. you a very merry Christmas. >> In 1996, a special reason for gratitude. Three years earlier, Patsy had been. diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer. After a terrifying fight with.

chemotherapy and surgery, she was. proclaimed [music] cancer-free. And this Christmas, John's children from. his first marriage were coming, the. whole blended family about to take a. trip together. Still [music] wrestling with the grief. they had suffered five years earlier. when John's oldest daughter Beth was. killed in a horrible car accident. Her. car slammed by a truck. [music]. So this Christmas morning, John Benet. and Burke get up early to open presents. 6-year-old JonBenét gets a doll and a.

new bike she's been dreaming of. And John took a picture of his daughter, this one. He didn't know this picture of her would. be his last. In the afternoon, the whole Ramsey. family, parents and kids, head out for. an early dinner with close friends. John says he doesn't remember checking. the doors before going out. After all, they lived in Boulder, Colorado, famously quiet and safe. Not one. homicide in the city in the whole year.

They arrived back home between 9 and 10. p.m. and head to bed. So a question, is it possible while the. Ramseys were out someone had slipped. inside their house and was waiting. [music] to sneak to where Jon Benét's. room. Would anyone have heard them? Tonight I want to show you something. about the complicated layout of the. Ramsey house with its six doors and more. than 15 windows on the ground floor. I was the first reporter to go inside.

with the camera in 1997 with the. Ramsey's friend Mike Bynum. I start in the parents' bedroom here on. the third floor of the house. So, this. is where the bed was. It's a large room, a converted attic, a. floor above the children's rooms. The back stairs from the parents'. bedroom leads down to the second floor. where Jon Benét's bedroom is further. toward the back of the house with its. own balcony and doors to the outside. >> I didn't know there was a terrace here. >> And then I walked from Jon Benét's.

bedroom down the now horrifyingly famous. spiral staircase by the kitchen. >> And then straight through the kitchen to. this hallway. which is the. entry to the basement. >> Down these stairs? >> Yeah. >> Off the kitchen, more stairs leading. down to a basement with multiple areas, some for kids' toys, some storage rooms. >> And. straight ahead from this landing in the. basement is uh.

actually room where Jon Benét's body was. found. >> So, it's straight down this hall? >> Yes. >> At the end, a room that once had a door. with a latch on it. But that door has been removed because. of what happened here. It takes us back to that moment the day. after Christmas when the silence in the. house was broken. >> 911 emergency. >> Patsy Ramsey [music] has come down the. spiral staircase at 5:52 a.m. >> What's going on there, ma'am?

>> We have a kidnap. Hurry, please. >> Explain to me what's going on, okay? >> There we have a. There's another left in our daughter's. room. >> How old is your daughter? >> 6. >> six years old. She's gone. Six years old. >> How long ago was this? >> I don't know. There's a ransom note. here. >> Okay, what's your name? Are you. >> This is the Ramseys, the mother. Oh my god. Please. >> I'm Okay, I'm sending an officer over. Okay? >> That note said their daughter had been. taken and would be killed if the.

$118,000. ransom was not paid. >> I just remember when I read we have your. daughter, it just. this overwhelming. fear. Then I just screamed for John. Screamed. >> The Boulder police arrive in 3 minutes. The Ramseys also asked friends to come. over and help. >> I was praying [music]. and I kept looking out the window, clutching this cross and just. imagining that she was going to come.

running down the street. >> But the police were not an an. experienced homicide unit. They didn't. protect the crime scene or the evidence. like DNA. Officer Robert Whitson was at the scene. >> And that was a mistake on my part. I. should have uh told those people. to uh relocate to the police department. and got them out of the the house. >> And even more horrifyingly, when police. search the house, inexplicably, they.

don't open the door with the latch, completely missing the murdered child on. the other side. It's hours later when John Ramsey and a. friend follow a police suggestion to. look through the house again. John Ramsey looks around the basement. and opens the latch door. >> I knew instantly, instantly what I'd. found. I'd found my daughter. She was. lying on a white blanket. The blanket. was wrapped around her. Uh her hands were tied above her head.

She had tape over her mouth. I. immediately knelt down over her, felt. her cheek, took the tape off immediately. off her mouth. I tried to untie the. the uh. the cord that was around her arms. I. couldn't get the knot untied. I picked. her up. I took her upstairs and [music]. and laid her on the floor and and uh. still. had a hope that she was alive. All I could do was scream. That's what I did.

>> Patsy said she heard his wail, comes in. and sees her daughter. >> I remember. walking in and seeing her lying there in. front of the Christmas tree. I knelt down over her and. just. laid my body on her body and my cheek. against her cheek and. it was cold. And Father Raw was there.

And uh. he. started. saying the last rites, I believe. [music]. And I just kept saying, no, no, you. know, ask God. Ask God to. raise her. >> But in a curious moment, the police. detective on the scene, Linda Arndt, will later tell Elizabeth Vargas that.

she was immediately suspicious of John. Ramsey. >> We had. a nonverbal exchange that. I will never forget. And as we looked at each other, I. remember and I wore a shoulder holster, tucking my. gun right next to me. and consciously counting, I've got 18. bullets.

Why did you do that? Because I didn't know if we'd all be. alive when people showed up. >> Within days after the murder, it was. leaked to the media. Police had their. suspects, John and Patsy Ramsey, and the. kept coming. >> Somebody from within the police. department was leaking information to. the the news media. >> Coming up, the case against the Ramseys. And the question, did police fully. investigate an intruder?

And still ahead, we'll tell you the. moment DNA points to the presence. [music]. of an unknown male. Days after John Benet's murder, the. press descend. >> We learned, I think, how animals feel in. a zoo. Our home was surrounded most of. the time by cameramen. Photographers. stalked us. We were chased. >> The Ramseys in the spotlight. So what. was police evidence?

They pointed out that John Ramsey. [music] found the body, and the ransom. note was written on Patsy's notepad. Also raising suspicion, the Ramseys. quickly got a lawyer. In 1997, I started. asking why. I'm back with their old. friend, attorney Mike Bynum. >> So you are the reason they got a lawyer? >> I'm the one. I was a prosecutor. I know how this works. I know where the. police attention's going to go right. from the get-go. And John just looked at. me and said, do whatever you think needs to be done.

And so I did. >> [music]. >> Then three days after the murder, the. Ramseys go to Atlanta to bury their. daughter in the family cemetery there. Police say the parents are avoiding a. formal interrogation. So suddenly. [music] the Ramseys decide to appear on. CNN, but they seem strange and groggy. It backfires. >> We have to find out who did this. >> When we looked back at it, we were so. distraught and medicated. >> The Ramseys, really? So do police.

[music] now have a motive? What are they. saying? We're not going to go through all the 30. years of online theories and. speculation. [music] But one motive. introduced by police was that the murder. was staged, [music] a cover-up for a. ghastly family accident. Did nine-year-old Burke injure his. sister in anger because she ate his. pineapple snack? Did Patsy snap because JonBenét wet her. bed, hitting her with a flashlight? The family repeatedly denied their.

involvement. >> I'm a cancer survivor of stage four. cancer. When you are standing on the. brink of death with a terminal illness, your priorities suddenly line up. in a row and you know exactly what the. important things are in life and bed. wetting is totally insignificant. I love my children. I wouldn't. harm them for anything in the world. >> Which takes us to perhaps the most. terrible insinuation that JonBenét was. the victim of family sexual abuse.

>> Here we go. >> Hal Haddon, John Ramsey's attorney for. nearly 30 years. >> What everybody was hearing was that. parents who put their daughter in beauty. [music] contests must be guilty of child. abuse and therefore they must have. murdered her. And that. was the prevailing hysterical view not. only. in the media but in the Boulder Police. Department. >> We'll take a closer look at those. pageant images later. But back then. tabloids were publishing the child's. medical information. 30 trips to the.

pediatrician. Was that evidence she was. being abused? In 1997 with consent from. the family I got her pediatrician Dr. Francesco Boff on the phone to review. his records of the past three [music]. years. >> Before your call I sat down with her. chart and counted it was 27 times. The. majority of them were for sinus. infections and for colds. >> And by majority you mean? >> Probably 20 of that of the lot. >> The doctor told me his big concern was.

that JonBenét might have asthma. [music] So how many UTIs over those. three years? >> I counted three in which he. complained of some pain in urination. >> Would that be unusual? >> For a child that age certainly not. >> Did you see. Did of these. any sign [music]. possible sexual abuse? >> No, and I certainly would have reported. it to the Social Service people if I. had. >> I would have given my life for John.

Benet in an instant. And I was sorry that I couldn't have. done it that night. Uh, to be accused of harming my child in. any way is. it's beyond comprehension. >> But when police sit down for their. formal interrogations of the Ramseys, they ask Patsy about the possibility. that John had abused their daughter. >> If you're asking me if I knew some. information that John Ramsey was.

responsible for killing my daughter. >> Mhm. >> Honey, we wouldn't be sitting here right. now. >> Okay. >> Why? >> Because I would have knocked his block. off a long time ago. >> Okay. >> Okay. >> He didn't do it. I didn't do it. Burke didn't do it. We loved that child. Okay? We're not involved. My life has been. hell. from that day forward, and I can't stand. the thought. thinking somebody's out here walking on. the street. God knows they might do it again to some.

other child. You know, quit screwing around asking me. about things that are ridiculous and. let's find the person that did this. >> Police say they did interview other. people [music] in the community even as. they kept scouring for evidence against. the Ramseys. >> Their lives were put under the. microscope for the world to examine, and. yet nothing, no dysfunction in the. family surfaced. In fact, everything. came back just the opposite. >> I think the issue.

was [music] that you realize that if. that's the direction the police are. going, that they're not actually. pursuing the killer. [music]. >> Later, that two and a half page ransom. note, was that a smoking gun? And next, proof of an unknown male at. the crime [music] scene. Can modern DNA science finally solve. this cold case too? >> So is. >> this our moment?

>> It is still 1997. As police continue to. pursue the Ramseys, the district. attorney also has an investigation and. asks a legendary detective to come out. of retirement. [music] Lou Smit, who had. a headline-making career credited with. solving 200 homicides. [music]. The first thing Smit does is look at the. story told by the body. [music]. The autopsy. We warn you, this is hard to hear. 6-year-old JonBenét Ramsey was [music]. strangled by a cord around her neck that.

could be tightened by a wood handle, a. kind of torture device called a [music]. garrote. That handle fashioned out of one of. Patsy Ramsey's wooden paintbrushes. [music]. JonBenét's hair is caught in the cord. knotted around the handle. The scratches on her neck could have. [music] been her attempt to loosen the. cord. Okay. At his home office with his computer, Lou Smit decides to prepare a briefing. on what the evidence was telling him.

>> I think she tried to get that ligature. off. She was strangled cruelly. by that ligature. Somebody is very strong and somebody. wanted to kill JonBenét. [music]. >> Next, Smit believes a second part of. that paintbrush was used to sexually. assault JonBenét. The coroner found injuries and foreign. material inside her that could be. consistent with wood chips from the. paintbrush.

>> Material similar to the wooden shards of. the paintbrush I found. >> And then [music] the autopsy reveals. another brutal injury, a bludgeon to the. right side of her head. An 8.5-inch-long. wound under the skin stretching from the. back of her head to the forehead. A blow. so staggering, someone said it was the. equivalent of being dropped from a. [music] two-story building right onto. your head. >> Her head had been completely crushed. >> The bone is literally knocked into the. brain.

That shows a tremendous blow to the. head. >> Smith thought it was significant that. the other items used in the crime were. not traceable to the Ramsey's home. No. sign of any cord, no sign of any duct. tape. >> No prior application of the duct tape. was found. And the roll that came from a common. house, where is it? >> There was also a long rope left [music]. in the guest room. The Ramsey's had. never seen it before. Smith thought it. was the type used for climbing.

>> This rope. was found in the guest [music] bedroom. It's not the Ramsey's. Nobody in the Ramblet family can. identify that rope. And it's a special kind of rope. It's. just not an every an ordinary day rope. Leads me to believe that the killer just. inadvertently left it behind. >> And when he spotted two distinct marks. on her cheek and on her back, he. theorized a killer had used a stun gun. to subdue her. An investigative memo at.

the time said four pathologists agreed. with him, one did not. >> The Ramsey's did not do this. And if. it's not the Ramsey's, then it's an intruder. It's as simple as that. >> But police questioned how an intruder. could have entered the Ramsey house. because John Ramsey thought all the. doors were locked. But remember, there are six doors on the. main floor of the house and a multitude. of windows, many unlocked and at least. one of them broken.

Police photos show this window in the. basement, a suitcase underneath almost. like a step stool, a scuff mark on the. wall. And we know there is a lot of. debate and intrigue about items found. near the body, including a leaf, a boot. print. But what about entrance through that. broken window? Police implied it would. be like an obstacle course for an. intruder. Lou Smith made a tape showing it wasn't. hard for him.

>> It really wasn't that difficult. >> But another question. Why would an intruder take the risk of. entering a home, spending time there, making a garage, writing a ransom note? This is Julia Cally, 22 years [music]. experience, the FBI's lead profiler in. the case of the Golden State Killer. >> Marker?

>> She studies the JonBenét crime and. [music] sees it as a practiced sadist. executing his fantasy of control. >> If [music] an offender just wanted to, say, kill a victim and kill them by. strangling them, we can just use your. hands. Or you could use a ligature and. you tie it tight, you don't let it go. But the point of fashioning a device. that has a handle on it where someone. can tighten it and loosen it and tighten. it and loosen it, that gives the. offender a tremendous amount of control.

over the life and death of that little. girl. So why do that? To me, that tells me that that is. potentially part of an offender's. fantasy. >> FBI Special Agent Stephanie Benitez is a. 22-year veteran of the force. She worked. on the JonBenét Ramsey case. >> Somebody knew this house. This probably wasn't the first time they. were there. >> And she says, remember, for some of. these killers, the risk is part of the. thrill.

>> These type of intruders don't come in. and out. They find pleasure in being in. the house. They could be in the house. for hours before, [music] hours after. >> That Golden State Killer cased houses. ahead of time, looked for unlocked. windows and doors, and spent hours inside lurking in. closets, going through drawers. >> It's not the risk [music] that a normal. person takes or even a normal burglar. would take. A sexual burglar wants. people to be home. They want to occupy. their space. They want a control that they're in.

there. They enjoy being in there. It's. [music] sexually gratifying to them. >> And finally, take a look at another. explosive piece of evidence that could. undercut the whole case against the. Ramseys. Right after the murder, DNA is. found on JonBenét's clothing. The 1997. report shows the DNA lab found a blood. stain on what they call her panties, her. underwear. And in that stain, DNA from JonBenét, but also at least one other person.

Who? Later, a more sophisticated test of the. underwear reveals another major new. development. The DNA mixed in with JonBenét's is the. DNA of an unknown male. And it is not anyone in the Ramsey. family. [music]. They also found DNA under her. fingernails, also male, but it was such. a small sample they couldn't develop a. useful profile. And so we wondered, why didn't the.

existence of unknown male DNA on her. clothing make more headlines? Did police. doubt it? Dismiss it? Was everyone. focused on the Ramseys instead of. looking for the unknown male? Mary Lacy, who had been the head of the. sex [music] crimes department in. Boulder, has become the district. attorney and her office takes over the. JonBenét case. She was troubled [music]. by the lack of evidence against the. Ramseys and stunned by the sadistic. crime. >> I had never seen a case like this.

that involved the violence. [music] Um, no, never seen. I'll ask you to do something very. difficult. Put a child in front of you. and hit her so hard on the head that it. leaves a hole in her skull. And then. take a paintbrush. and jam it. up her vagina. And then take a garrote and pull it as. hard as you can,

hard enough to cause a deep. ditch in her. And tell me. that parents who have been described by. every single person as loving, good. parents [music] with no psychopathy at. all. committed that crime. >> Later, will new DNA science [music] and. the new Boulder police chief find the. unknown male? And when we come back, my colleague.

Aaron Katterski picks up the story with. that ransom note found in the Ramsey's. kitchen. [music] A surprising new way to. see it. And a note Detective Lou Smit died in. 2010. [music] He went to his grave. convinced that an intruder had murdered. JonBenét. [music] On his deathbed, he. asked his children to continue his. investigation, and they have honored his. wish. >> For 30 years, some have believed this is.

the smoking gun against the Ramseys, the. ransom note left on their stairs, near. their kitchen, written on Patsy Ramsey's notepad with. her DNA found on the pages. The evidence. suggests the author came from within. [music]. So even though there was no obvious. motive, suspicion focused on the family. This is unlike any other note from any. other crime.

Compare it to the 11-line misspelled. ransom letter in the Lindbergh. kidnapping and the one-page Weinberger. baby kidnapping note with its. distinctive sloping cursive left inside. the child's crib. The Ramsey note is different. It is long, really, really long, nearly. three pages, and filled with baffling. details offering to return a child who. had never left the house. Julia Calley built her career. investigating people capable of carrying.

out unspeakable violence and of writing. notes like these. >> They're prioritizing writing this note. over potentially getting caught. >> And at the outset, she wants you to know. you've been fooled into believing this. is a ransom note. This is a knife to John Ramsey's heart. >> I [music] think it's a note designed to. torment John. >> The note is addressed to Mr. Ramsey and. is filled with insults and taunts. The. two gentlemen watching over your. daughter do not particularly like you. You are not the only fat cat around.

Don't underestimate us, John. John Benet is never [music] mentioned by. name. >> The note itself is so focused on Mr. Ramsey, he almost forgets that John. Benet is [music] involved in this crime. >> Throughout this haunting letter is a. staggering number of villainous lines, stunningly direct quotes from movies, [music] thrillers about kidnappings and. killings. And that starts right from.

the outset. Listen carefully. >> Now listen to me carefully. >> Listen to me carefully. >> Listen very carefully. >> You listening? Real real good. >> So you have Dirty Harry, Ransom, In the. Nick of Time, and Ruthless People. Boulder police simply would not deal. with the movie speculation, would not. discuss it. Say, nope, that's not right. [music] and I won't go there. >> And there's this line. Don't try to grow. a brain, John. Sound familiar? >> Nothing tricky now. You know that I'm on. top of you. >> Do not attempt to grow a brain.

>> Don't try to grow [music] a brain, John, is a reference to speed. The bad guy says it to the the hero in. the movie. >> [music]. >> And this part? >> If we catch you talking to a stray dog, she dies. If you alert bank authorities, she dies. >> Can you place it? >> If I even think you're being followed, the girl dies. If you talk to anyone, I don't care if. it's a Pekinese pissing against a lamp. post, the girl dies. >> Dirty Harry. >> I I can [music] not verbatim.

>> But stray dog, girl dies. is pretty clear. >> They watched these movies. These movies. resonated with them, resonated so much. that when they sat down to write the. letter, they they referenced [music] it, the different movies several times. >> Ransom hit theaters a month before John. Benet was killed. TV listings show Nick. of Time was playing on Christmas in 1996. and Dirty Harry was on TV that year. Something else stands out. Did you. notice the money? $118,000.

That's nothing. 20 years earlier, Patty Hearst's. kidnappers demanded a ransom worth $400. million. and the gangsters who took the grandson. of J. Paul Getty demanded $17 million. But $118,000. meant something. It's nearly the same. amount as John Ramsey's bonus. Somebody knew him or wanted him to think. so. >> If you're really going to be extorting. people or wanting ransom, you're going. to make it a lot more and he certainly.

could have afforded a lot more. So. [music]. to me, this is a message to him that I. know something specific about you. >> The community knew John Ramsey was. successful. The local paper ran an. article on his billion dollar business. four days before the murder. But how many people knew the amount of. his bonus? Patsy said she didn't until. she read the letter. >> So this wasn't about the money. This was. about something else. >> It was the amount of his bonus? >> Yes. Yes. Very interesting. >> How many people know that?

>> [sighs and gasps]. >> I I [music] probably not too many. >> Does that point to a. an employee? Does that point to a. business partner? >> You're looking at someone that had a. grievance with John. >> Investigators wondered who could have. written it and turned to handwriting. analysis. We asked two former Boulder. County district attorneys about the. results. >> Well, I think there were six or seven. handwriting analysis [music]. done.

Only one of them. showed indications [music] of Patsy and. it was just indications. It was not she. wrote this. >> The Secret Service [music] considered. the gold standard in handwriting. analysis said Patsy Ramsey was not the. author. So did the Colorado Bureau of. Investigation and three private. analysts. One analyst said her. handwriting looked different from the. note, but he was unable to eliminate. her. >> Some experts have pointed out. Patsy Ramsey's handwriting looks like.

some of the writing on the note. Is it possible it's her? >> Well, some people have said that. Other. people issued an opinion that it was not. Patsy. Uh so no, I don't know. >> So were the police really convinced. Patsy Ramsey watched those movies and. wrote that note? >> [music]. >> We're going to need movie rental records. just to see if he rented Speed and. Dirty Harry or any of those movies. >> During an interrogation, police asked. John Ramsey about what kind of movies he. watched.

>> I mean, there have to be ways to follow. up on that. Who in the public knows. someone who's I mean, he has to. obsessive. [music] He knows the quotes. >> So someone obsessed with those movies. Could that same person have left another. signature at the crime scene? >> You've prosecuted a lot of cases. In. what scenario would there be an unknown. man's DNA in a child's underwear and on. her pajama pants and that's not the.

killer? >> I'm not aware of a scenario where that. would make sense. >> So while police were insisting the note. pointed toward the Ramseys, a. breakthrough in DNA [music] testing was. pointing somewhere else. Coming up, the search for unknown male. number one.

>> It is 2008 and a new chapter in this. case is about to begin. [music]. For years, attempts to identify the. unknown male DNA in John Benet Ramsey's. underwear have failed. [music]. They've searched the FBI's criminal DNA. database, no match. But then, district attorney Mary Lacy. learns about a new kind of DNA test. called touch DNA, which can recover tiny DNA samples from. clothing even without a visible stain,

extracting human cells left in the. fibers. [music]. DA Lacy sends the touch DNA lab the. underwear that's already produced. unknown male DNA, but also the long john. pajama bottoms John Benet was wearing. when they found her body. The theory, someone removed her long johns to. assault her and then put them back on. Word comes back from the lab. They found. a new DNA hit on the long johns [music]. and the Ramseys are excluded. It is not. their DNA.

It's an unidentified male leaving his. DNA on the right side of the waistband. Then late in the evening, a lab. technician makes a stunning discovery. That new unknown male DNA on the long. johns seems similar to the unknown male. DNA on the underwear. In the scientific language of the lab. report, the unknown male number one in. the underwear cannot be excluded from. this new DNA. When the lab runs a statistical analysis.

of that similarity, the results are. striking. The respected scientist who. was the director of forensic casework at. the lab goes on CNN to say this. >> It's the same DNA. It's the same male that's in the. underpants that's on the side of the. long johns. Whoever committed this offense must have. pulled down her long johns, but then. they pulled them back up because she was. found dressed. >> And you were able to compare it to the. touch DNA on her little long johns.

And it came back. >> To match. An intruder, a third party male. It was on the outside where you would. pull down the long johns. And most. importantly, it was in a drop of blood in the crotch. of the underwear. I did sex crimes. for 10 years. Almost all of the sex crimes in Boulder. County. And finding DNA in blood in the.

crotch of the underwear of the victim. that's your perpetrator. >> And. do you believe unknown male one is the. killer? >> I believe the source of that DNA is the. killer. >> And so it wasn't a question of. murky could be might be. >> No, it was a match. Two separate pieces of clothing. I think what I said to myself.

is that there's only one right thing to. do at this point in time. and I did it. Not without talking to people in my. office. Um so there was agreement. It was. it was fair. It was just. I And it was necessary. >> District Attorney Lacy writes a letter. to John Ramsey exonerating the family. [music] Patsy has died two years. earlier. Her letter says we do not consider your. immediate family including you, your.

wife [music] Patsy, and your son Burke. to be under any suspicion in the. commission of this crime. She adds this. evidence has vindicated your family. based firmly on all of the evidence. including the reliable forensic DNA. evidence. Her letter was an act so. controversial the current district. attorney Michael Dougherty says he would. not have done it. >> So you would not say that no family. member is a suspect [music] in this. case? >> I've never said that in any case I've. handled in 30 years as a prosecutor.

>> You know that there are other. former DAs and others who say. you can't say that. It's just not the. job to go out and proclaim somebody. innocent. >> No, but my job was to seek justice in. every case in my office. And we took that very seriously. And. justice had been violated for a long. time. >> [music]. >> And her successor in the DA's office, Stan Garnett, also criticizes her even.

today. >> As I've said many times, district. attorneys are not priests. Our job is to. not forgive people. Uh our job is to evaluate evidence and. to determine whether charges. can be brought in court. Unfortunately, human beings. uh do all kinds of horrible things to. each other. Uh often human beings who. you don't think are bad people will do. horrible [music] things. >> One former DA says, you know, I just see. people who whom you don't think could do.

terrible things do terrible [music]. things all the time. >> You do. And when you see that, there's always. some psychopathy, clear evidence, and emotive. [music]. Do parents kill their children? Absolutely. Would I go after a parent who killed a. child? Absolutely. But in this case, none of that was present. >> Well, I certainly have no belief that there's. evidence to prove the Ramseys or anyone.

associated with the family is guilty. On the other hand, the crime scene is in. their house. Uh the ransom note. uh was written [music] on materials in. their house. The body was found in their. house. There is evidence that is. significant. Of course, nobody including me has concluded that. they're guilty. >> And in an irony, the man who led Boulder. police for nearly two decades as they. pursued the Ramseys.

quietly seems to have shifted his. position in 2015. Here's what he said in. a newspaper. [music]. The unknown DNA from John Benet's. clothing is very important. I'm not involved anymore, but that has. got to be the focus of the. investigation. In my opinion at this point, [music]. that is your suspect. And now, do we all wonder if it was the. endless public fixation on those pageant. photos that kept placing [music] the. Ramsey parents back in the eye of the. storm.

The pageants, how do you explain that to. people? The people who wanted to believe. that Patsy Ramsey was a stage mother. forcing her daughter to do this and that. it was some sort of unnerving. if not eerie activity [music] for a kid. >> Patsy was a beauty queen. Her sister was. in beauty pageants. This was normal for. her. And John, he didn't like the pageants, [music] but. he was okay with the talent part of it. because he was proud of that.

The Boulder Police Department went all. over the country looking for something. bad about Patsy and John Ramsey. You. know what? They didn't find any. >> So, looking back, even though this may have been. considered unusual, unconventional. by other DAs, you'd do it again in a second? >> It was the right thing to do then. It. would be the right thing to do now.

>> Coming up next, we look into those. children's pageants [music]. and we wonder, was a stranger watching. JonBenét? Will new science be able to find the. identity of the unknown male DNA? And. later in this hour, JonBenét's brother. Burke Ramsey, just 9 years old at the time of her. death, speaking out.

>> [music]. >> Number 75. Name and how old you are. >> My name is JonBenét Ramsey and I'm 5 and. 1/2. >> 5 and 1/2. Okay. Pick one. Turn left. Okay. Sit. Whoops. What is your favorite animal at the zoo? >> The monkeys because they laugh and just. stuff and hang around.

>> They laugh and hang around. That thumbs. it up pretty good. Okay, and now what's. number 75? Thank you. >> 30 years ago, these images of a little. girl in grown-up [music] clothes and. makeup were startling, unnerving, strange. >> [singing and music]. >> Children's pageants weren't on our radar. at a time with so many grown-up ones. In fact, full disclosure, I was in a. teenage [music] pageant competing for a.

crown and college scholarships. >> I'm Diane Sawyer. I attend Seneca High. School, Louisville, Kentucky. >> And Patsy Ramsey said she and her sister. had so much fun competing in pageants. too. >> It was the most wonderful time of my. life. >> There she is as Miss West Virginia, and. you can almost see her confidence grow. from the first round of competition to. her state victory. >> Now live from. >> moving on to the Miss America pageant in.

1977. >> Patricia Ann Paul, Miss West Virginia. >> I'm a junior at West Virginia. University. >> In her book, Patsy Ramsey said her. little daughter JonBenét would break. into song and dance in their living. room. She also loved to play dress up. and knew those pageants had made her. mother happy. Patsy also writes that. after she got cancer, she feared she. might not be there when her little. daughter's grown-up dreams came true. >> It's hard to describe JonBenét. She was.

[music] somewhat indescribable. She, in her own words, described herself. as an up girl. She and Burke would. always race to the elevator. to see which one could push the buttons. first, and she declared that she would. be the up girl. She was a ball of fire. She was always very caring and. spiritual. [music] She could stand on. her head. She could hula hoop. She could rollerblade. And she just recently learned how to.

climb a rock wall. >> John Benet was four on their summer. vacation in small town Michigan. She. asked [music] if she could enter the. Little Miss Charlevoix contest. She won. From there, less than 10 pageants in. total. Sometimes the costumes were kind of over. the top, at least one a little version. of what her mother had once worn in. 1977. But the family says most of the venues. for John Benet's pageants were modest. private event rooms, and the audience.

was not what you think. >> Grandmothers, grandfathers, sisters, brothers. >> Burke was in the audience. I mean, grandpa, Burke, uh [music] it was a. >> It was a Sunday family afternoon. >> to 15 people, 20 people maybe, and they. were all family. >> They all went home with a prize. It was. all about making the child feel good. about. herself. >> And remember, this was all before. iPhones and the internet. No one was. posting pictures. >> It's not unlike a father who enjoyed.

playing baseball as a child. [music] He. wants to impart that same love of the. game with his his son or daughter. It's There's just absolutely nothing. wrong with it. >> [applause]. >> I remember the trophies in her room and. all that kind of stuff, but I didn't. think any much of it, right? I don't. think it was a big deal just like Burke. played Little League or, you know, whatever activity the kid you know, kids. do. >> We would probably never have seen these. pictures if the little girl in them had.

not been murdered. After her death, a. pageant photographer made money by. selling the photos. to an agency who sold them to tabloids. >> The tabloids had a field day. >> Oh, they they made a fortune on the. tragedy of losing a child. >> As years passed, the Ramsays. acknowledged they'd been haunted by. doubt. >> Well, I think that is probably. one thing that I if had to do ever. again, would be much more cautious.

about. And part of protecting. all the members of your family. is. low profile. [music]. You know, don't put bumper stickers on. your car that that announce the [music]. school that your children attend. Don't. let photographers have complete. cart blanche. >> As you did. >> As we Yes. >> There's there's no question we were. naive. We were naive. [music]. And what we're telling people is don't.

make the same mistake we made. >> John Andrew Ramsey has his own theory. about public criticism of his family, wondering if it's born out of every. parent's fear. >> The pageants, as I see them, is a way. for people to separate themselves from. our family, right? [music]. Because. you can point to the pageants and say, I. don't do that. That 's why this family. got found themselves in this position. they're in now with these awful. pageants.

But no, this is not some. big part of family life. >> JonBenét. She is the child. >> As we know, there are still thousands of. children's pageants all across this. country. >> She has blonde hair, green eyes. >> But it's always hard not to wonder if 30. years ago an unknown male they already. have had this little girl in his sights.

Coming up next, back on the trail of a. killer after all these years, will a. science miracle finally solve this case? Idaho, 2022. An unidentified killer of. four young college students is on the. loose. And then authorities say brand. new cutting edge science helped catch. that killer in 47 days. That man was Brian Kohberger.

Gilgo Beach, New York. Eight women found. murdered. But breakthrough technology finds DNA. inside single strands of hair. One of. them, the murderers. You know his face. And in California, the terrifying Golden. State [music] serial killer, finally. convicted of 13 murders, it was the DNA. superpower science that tracked him down. through his distant cousin. A 40-year. cold case solved in just months. And here is one of the men who solved.

that case, former FBI attorney Steve. Kramer. >> People would ask me if I was ever going. to solve the Golden State Killer case, and. I I told them I'm like, I'm 100% confident that we will solve it. in 5 years. And they're like, 100%? I'm. like, 100% and [music] 6 months later, you know, we solved the case. >> Kramer and former FBI special agent. Steve Bush say we cannot overestimate. the magnitude of this new investigative. technique. >> Law enforcement's been given a. superpower with this technology.

>> Kind of like a radar that's going to. just continue to push you and push you. and push you until you find [music] the. right person. And so there's really no. limit to where that can stop. It allows. us to identify almost anybody. >> So how come we show you the enormous. difference between the old DNA testing. and the new? Well, think of yourself as sitting in a. living room with an unfathomably big and. mysterious jigsaw puzzle, and you only. have a handful of pieces [music] to. solve it. But now, look at what's possible today.

The new technology that can hand you. hundreds of thousands of pieces to solve. the puzzle. [music] And they're already. arranged, sequenced in the right order. Which brings us back to the 30-year-old. DNA of the unknown male at the center of. the JonBenét Ramsey case. This is the Mount Everest of cold cases. >> Anytime we tell somebody what we do and. they're aware of what we do, they say, well, what about the JonBenét Ramsey. case? [music]. >> There is foreign DNA. I think we can all. agree on that uh on the clothing of.

JonBenét. The question is, who is that. male? >> Kramer and Bush say from their. experience with cases, you can often get. a lot of new DNA samples from old items. of evidence. >> Here that we have the photos, right? So. >> This is evidence you'll recognize. >> Definitely [music] anything that was. used to kill her, alleged to kill her. kill her, I think that would be the most. advantageous. >> The cord around John Benet's neck and. the garrote used as a torture device, which we know the police inexplicably. [music] let people handle without.

wearing gloves. >> The ligatures. were handled [music]. by people without gloves, which is going to contaminate. I would still look at those ligatures. and if they're untied, swab them. >> [music]. >> The paintbrush? >> The paintbrush. It's a piece of the paintbrush you could. It's worth a new swab? [music]. >> Yeah, absolutely. >> We even wonder if there's a new way to. test that complicated male DNA from. under John Benet's fingernails, or maybe. even another sample we don't know about. at all. Kramer and Bush say the biggest.

hope is always finding DNA suitable for. what they consider the holy grail of DNA. testing. It's called SNP testing. It's that revolutionary technique that. [music] can give you massive amounts of. information for your living room puzzle. by sequencing the pieces and setting you. up to find a needle in a genealogical. haystack. >> This is just the past, right? >> This is all the historical record. >> So Aaron Katterski and I wanted to learn. more about SNP testing and DNA. sequencing, what it can do, what it.

can't. >> All right, I'm just going to show you. how this works. So. >> Dr. Nathan Lents is a professor of. biology at John Jay College of Criminal. Justice, a leading expert on the human genome and. a consultant on cold cases. >> These are the photos from the [music]. original crime scene. This is John. Benet's. bedroom. From these photos here, there's a lot to potentially test. >> Dr. Lents is [music] not working on the. Ramsey case, but he says in an ideal. world, you would first find samples. [music] from the richest sources of DNA,

which tend to be body fluids. >> Semen is the most DNA rich fluid of all. because little sperm cells are packed. with DNA. That's all they're there, little packets of [music] DNA. So so. those would be the richest source of. DNA. I see blood stains and these would. all be opportunities [music] to extract. DNA. >> We know the principal DNA sample from. John Ramsey's underwear contains her. blood and some other fluid from the. unknown male, [music] not semen, one. possibility mentioned was saliva. But does it matter that the DNA samples.

in the Ramsey case are 30 years old? Lent says that's the advantage of SNP. testing and sequencing. Even if your. sample is very old and has lost some of. its detail, it's not too late. But we kept hearing [music] that that as. every day goes by, the sample is. degrading on its own. It's just a. natural function of the sample. So. lying awake at night and thinking how. many days [music] have passed. How what would you have left in terms of. the integrity of the DNA taken then?

>> Well, that's what's powerful about DNA. sequencing is the way the DNA ages is it. fragments, so it gets smaller and. smaller and smaller. But now we're using. DNA sequencing. [music]. We can rebuild a whole chromosome. digitally speaking. and all the markers could be there. >> You're telling us that it's fully. possible that the DNA [music] taken then. doesn't have to be a new sample. extracted is still intact enough to read. it. >> Yes. We have sequenced a full genome of. Neanderthals. So that's 35,000 years or. more. So something like 30 years we can.

do that. >> [music]. >> And another [clears throat] advantage of. SNP testing, it can retrieve DNA from nearly. impossibly tiny samples. Think of it. this way. The smallest thing you can see. with your naked eye is a grain of salt. [music] But now imagine something half a. million times smaller than that grain. It's 100 picograms. For SNP testing, [music] no problem. >> These are, you know, tiny tiny amounts. You're talking about the amount of DNA. that might come from 10 [music] to 25. cells. So way smaller than you can see.

with the naked eye. >> How much of the unknown male do you. [music] need? >> The beautiful part about DNA sequencing. is. we can sequence everything in the tube. We can sequence literally every DNA. molecule that's in that tube. >> But SNP testing does have some. limitations, and we'll talk about them. soon in an interview with the man who is. going to decide what to do next, Boulder's Chief of Police. And we are. asking the question, even if there's a. risk, is this the chance we've been. waiting for? >> The DNA is eventually going to catch up.

with you. >> Exactly. DNA is always there. It's the. silent witness. >> You got to weigh two things. I think. one, are you worried about a killer? You. know, someone that's [music] breaking. into homes. and murdering young children. The second. would be we just want to figure out who. did this. for the sake of knowing. I think [music]. where we are today. with technology and what we know, like I. would try to do [music] it now for both. of those reasons. >> Rolling the dice for a little girl who.

never got to grow up. I keep thinking if there's something out. there that knows something, gradually. the circle [music] is closing. >> Mhm. >> and tightening. And maybe this is the time to talk. Coming up, [music] if the new technology. works, how will a genealogical database. map the trail to a killer? >> In 30 years, the Boulder police have.

never officially named a suspect in the. murder of JonBenét Ramsey. They won't tell us who or how many. people they've interviewed in the Ramsey. [music] neighborhood, at John Ramsey's. workplace, or the hundreds of caterers, party guests, and workers who knew the. layout of the Ramsey home. >> Quite [music] frankly, if you're in. Boulder, Colorado and were male. on Christmas [music] Day 1996, you're a. suspect. in my mind.

>> There were a number of other people who. there were suspicions about, some who. lived in the area. A couple of men had. been sex offenders around the area, and. some people when they would get drunk. used to say I was involved in John. Benet's murder and so they they all got. investigated. >> And have you heard about another. chillingly similar crime that happened. nine months after John Benet's murder. and just two miles from the Ramsey home.

the clear intent the sexual assault of. another child. Mary Lacy then the head of the sex. crimes unit talked to the distraught. father who was away from his home that. night. >> So. he said. he was gone. his wife was home his daughter was in. bed. house was locked. The wife wakes up to the child screaming. in her bed. [music]. The mother runs into the bedroom. there's a stranger an intruder there. and she scares him off he runs away.

>> One more thing that child had attended. the same dance school as John Benet. Ramsey. Lacy says the father questioned. whether police were aggressively. pursuing it was there DNA [music] from. her attacker a description of the. suspect. >> He said they came and took the report. and they never came back. >> Boulder police dispute any claim they. didn't investigate and say this is still. an open case just like the case of John. Benet Ramsey which has received periodic.

[music] re-evaluations over the past 30. years. Stephanie Benitez was the FBI agent. assigned to a 2021 review she has never. spoken about it until now. Do you know. who did it? >> I don't. >> Do you have a guess? >> Well I'll tell you this it wasn't the. Ramseys. in my opinion it was not the Ramseys so. let's get off of that for the last time. get off of Burke get off of Patsy get. off of of John. It's someone else. >> But who? Do you know who did it?

>> No I did not. I think there was always a camp that. believed that the family was involved. there was always a camp that there was. an outside intruder. >> Marris Harold was the Boulder police. chief who ordered that cold case review. >> When you inherited the. >> did you find [music] that. everything. had been done? Were there leads that. went unfollowed? >> Well, there was definitely investigative. techniques that were not explored, and. I think that it's [music] been extremely.

hard for those men and women that worked. this case that there is no resolution to. this. >> They took it as far as they could. [music]. >> I do believe that. >> Now Boulder police are weighing whether. to use the latest DNA technology to take. the case [music] even farther. We know how hard it is for humans to. find a needle in a haystack. What if the new DNA science can search. the haystack and find [music] it for us? The DNA of unknown male one was found in. John Benet's underwear and on the right. side of her pajamas. [music].

Suppose that DNA could be reanalyzed to. get a SNP profile, which could be. uploaded to a genealogy website. So many. of us have used those sites, [music]. swabbing our cheeks to find relatives we. didn't know we had, or to trace our. country of origin. Investigators are now doing the same. thing to search for criminals, looking. for genetic matches, even a very distant. cousin, which can then lead to other. relations, and maybe through high-speed. [music] digital trial and error directly. to a suspect. >> We identified.

somebody via the 12th cousin. Now I mean that's. just incredible. Like but in general, like these databases aren't really. reliable like after fourth or fifth. cousin. >> How many matches does one typically get? >> It depends on the quality. and the database. The databases that law. enforcement uses typically will get. four, five, six, seven, eight thousand. matches or DNA relatives. >> Some genealogical databases like.

GEDmatch and Family Tree DNA allow users. to opt in to law enforcement searches. Others, including sites with tens of. millions of users, do not, citing. privacy concerns, and that limits how. many people police can compare to an. unknown suspect's. without a warrant. >> How many more. cold cases could you solve? >> All of them? >> On average, right now, it takes just. over 12 months to solve a genetic. genealogy case for law enforcement. With. those databases, uh, it.

would be. probably weeks, days and weeks in most. cases. Yeah, and so you would solve, you know, cases left and right. >> Just recently, investigators in New York. used genetic genealogy to identify two. 9/11 victims 25 years later. Delicate tests [music] of microscopic. remains using new technology led to the. discovery of their relatives. >> If the Boulder Police Department [music]. asked for your help, would you give them. the same 100% guarantee? >> If they get a SNP profile that's.

uploadable, 100%. [music] You We'll. identify the contributor, for sure. >> But that new technology, called the SNP. test, has a few limitations. It uses up. the part of the sample [music] it's. testing. So if your only sample is very. small, you've got one shot to get it. right. >> [music]. >> Not every case is ready for IGG these. days, but a really large portion of them. are. >> Karen Binder is an expert in IGG, investigative [music] genetic genealogy. at Ramapo College. She has consulted. with law enforcement on solving other.

cold cases. [music]. >> The problem seems to come in when it's a. very, very, very tiny DNA sample plus a. mixture. But I foresee in the next 5 to. 10 years the skills that laboratory. analysts have to improve these DNA. samples and deconvolute mixtures will. grow by leaps and bounds. >> We can't just sit around and wait. [music] and wait and wait for the. perfect opportunity. We've got to be. aggressive. We've got to push. That's. what it's going to take, right? Here we.

are 30 years later, no results. >> The investigation today lacks that. courage, that heart. to push forward. >> And do you want him to know you have the. courage? >> Of course. Next, Diane sits down with. the man who will take the lead on the. decision to test the DNA, the Boulder. police chief, his first interview about. John Benet Ramsey. >> [music].

>> It was 5 months ago we first went to. meet the new Boulder police chief, Steven Redfearn. The first time a sitting chief agreed to. do an interview about the John Benet. case. Redfearn is a fresh face at the Boulder. police department, an energetic [music]. presence in the Boulder community. He was just a teenager when John Benet. Ramsey was murdered, but he wants. everyone to know how passionate he is. about solving this case. >> There are people in this [music]. building that truly, truly, truly care.

about this case and truly care about. what happened to that little girl in our. city and that's not changed currently. and and we would love nothing more than. than to solve this case. >> He does not even try to defend all the. mistakes that were made with the. evidence 30 years ago. If you could go. back and if there was one thing you. could change and do differently, what. would it be? >> Oh, there's more than one. Hindsight is. 2020, but there's clearly things that. were not done right. There's clearly. things that were not done. in accordance with training and. overall, if we could go back and.

reinvestigate the whole thing from the. first 911 call, I would love to do that. I mean, I fully acknowledge that. mistakes were made. >> And there's something else Redfearn has. done differently. For the first time, a. police chief agreed to meet with the. father of the murdered little girl. >> They've been through five police chiefs. since this happened and I've asked to. meet with each one. The first three or. four were. produced nothing. >> You talked to John Ramsey? >> Yes. I look John in the eye and tell him. this, if we have a viable lead, we're. following it, period. One of the things.

that we've been doing this year. is going back and retesting items that. were tested 30 years ago and we will. test things that have never been tested. with current technology. >> And what do you allow yourself to hope. in terms of timing? That it could happen this year? >> Well, that would be great. >> So, 5 months later, we sit down for a. second interview with Chief Redfern. He wants us to know his hopes are still. high. You had indicated you would by the. end of the year when we talked five. months ago.

>> Yeah, that's uh we're getting a little. closer to the end of the year. I still. remain hopeful. Uh whether that comes to fruition or not. remains to be seen, but I'm I I don't. think it's going to be. an incredibly long time. >> He says he needs to be careful what he. tells me because small details can. compromise an investigation. If he's determined to do it, he's. determined to do it right. >> Part of of the criticism is well all. these other cases are getting solved in. with this uh new technology, why not. this one? And our profile is not simple. We must be confident that whoever we're.

partnering with, whether it's another. law enforcement agency or a lab, has the. same goal that we do, and it's to get. justice for this case, not to uh advance. a company or get good PR. >> So you still haven't sent anything out. to a lab? >> We're actively engaging in. conversations. That's that's that's as. deep as I can get into that with you at. this time without um giving away too. much. >> Okay, I'm going to refine my question. Have you found a lab on which you feel. the technology is sufficiently. sophisticated.

and not all consuming of the DNA that. you can take a chance? >> I think we're getting there. The. conversations we're having are positive. They're not uh [clears throat]. discouraging. >> Does this mean he now has samples that. are suitable for SNP testing? Have you. been able to obtain a SNP profile. on any of the DNA? >> I can't tell you specifically today that. we have or have not. Um I I can't. disclose that in that detail that much. detail of where we are in the. investigation, but that um obviously is.

something we've been working towards and. are hopeful uh that we're going to have. that success like we've talked about. >> But you got to have DNA that can be. tested in a way that allows it to be. entered into those databases. >> Yep. And that is a huge focus right now. Huge. >> You can't say you have it. >> I can't. >> But are we right to think that the road. to an answer in this case has to begin. with the identity of. male one. Unknown male. number one.

>> Right. >> That is your focus. That is your. suspect. >> The main focus, yes. We're incredibly. excited. about the DNA, and I've shared that, but. we can't be so focused that if that we. miss something else. We are moving as. quickly as we can, but also while. ensuring we don't move too quickly and. ruin the potential chance that we solve. this case or do anything to. potentially harm a prosecution. And. that's. why we're hand in hand on this with the.

DA's office. >> The prosecutor, if there is a trial, would be District Attorney Mike. Dougherty, who spent decades prosecuting. sex crimes and homicides in New York and. Colorado. >> We need the DNA to be identified for us. to prove the case against the killer. I. don't want to have something tested and. then lose the opportunity to do it in a. year or two. And I also don't want to. have it tested by a lab that doesn't. hold up in court. >> And we all have one most vivid thing, I. think, about that little girl. that we remember. Do you have one?

>> Oh, I always focus on her age and the. pictures of her smiling and just how. absolutely tragic it is for her life to. have been ended so brutally. so young. >> And is it fair to say sadistically? >> Yes. Definitely. >> How can you convince our viewers that. you're making progress? >> That is one of the reasons I wanted to. sit down and do this interview. I would. love nothing more than to stand up in.

front of. probably be the world with the interest. in this case and say that we've figured. this out. That's the only way in my mind. that we get justice for JonBenét. >> 5 months from now, if I come back to. you, will you be shocked and stunned if. you haven't solved it? If you haven't at. least gotten the samples to a lab and. it's underway? >> Do I think there's a good potential that. in 5 months when you call, because I'm. sure you will, uh, that that I that we. have progress, I think there's a really.

good potential. Whether I can share that with you or not. will be another story. >> Coming up next, you'll remember John. Benet Ramsey's little nine-year-old. brother Burke. Where is he today? [music] We'll take. you to find him. Tonight, there is someone else with. something to share, John Benet's brother. Burke Ramsey. speaking for the first time in a decade. >> I don't even know where to begin, you.

know? It's taken I mean, it's just taken a. toll on all of us. It's. just to lose a sister and a daughter. like that and it's just. it's one of the worst things imaginable. to happen to somebody. and then to have the whole world. turn against you afterwards. Like I. can't really imagine anything worse than. that. [snorts]. It's like how can the world be so. unfair?

>> The now 39-year-old tells us he lives a. good life, but asks as a kindness if we. would not reveal where he lives. He's a software engineer who likes to. relax by skateboarding, snowboarding, and through all the decades has stayed. close to his family. [music]. He says he wants to speak this one time. to say his parents are the reason he. made it through. >> To think that anyone thinks that. they could have been involved is just. crazy. And it's sad.

My parents are such [music] amazing. people and and. that message needs to be out there, not. this. sensationalized like [music] junk. [clears throat]. I mean, it's. you know, it's cruel. It's so cruel. Like we as humans should be better than. that, but apparently we're not. [music]. >> The police would say at one point Burke. was never a suspect. It would have been. impossible for a spindly boy to wield.

those horrible blows. But the. accusations continued to play out in the. press. >> I remember seeing me on a tabloid in the. grocery store and I'm like what, you. know? >> There was also a TV show that ran years. ago suggesting he was responsible for. his sister's death, but he sued. The network settled the. case. You may remember Burke did an. interview on a daytime talk show trying. to help people understand his family, but he was so scared and nervous it. didn't help. But privately Burke says he has a.

scrapbook of memories of life before. that Christmas. Burke [music] and JonBenét, happy kids, riding bikes, trips to Disney, dressing. up for church Christmas [music]. pageants. >> The pageant thing was just one side of. her and I mean she had this, you know, she would. rough and tumble with us boys all the. time. >> Their older pal Laney helped Patsy and. John watch the kids. >> My memories of JonBenét and the family.

in general are like. singing karaoke by the bonfire. Um. I remember the last summer before. everything happened. We went to see the. Babysitter's Club movie. and I just remember walking like from. the little downtown traveling movie. theater, skipping, her singing. Like she was just a happy. kid. I mean she was kind of a tomboy. As a family they were just normal. He was like your stereotypical little. boy like. nerdy into Legos and.

I don't think of him as JonBenét's. brother. I think of him as my friend. Burke. It broke my heart that Patsy passed away. without any closure and I want John to. be able to. put it to rest. I want I want Burke to. go to live a normal life. That's what I. want. >> Sitting next to John is wife Jan, a. designer. They married five years after. Patsy's death. That's Burke [music] there with them. >> You know, since JonBenét was murdered, we tried to give him as normal a.

childhood as we could give him. We lived in a small town in the summer. and. he could ride his bike [music] and. we kept him out of the grocery store so. he wouldn't be in the tabloid articles. on the front page, things like that. We had to figure out how to get Burke. to his fifth grade class in school. without being photographed cuz we were. afraid. We didn't know who was out. there. And we didn't want him exposed.

for his own safety. Cuz he was little. It was. This is not that long after we lost. JonBenét. He was putting a. like a a wire and a bell across his door. opening to his bedroom. I think to be an alarm. That he has to think about something. like that. >> But he says still his mother Patsy would. do anything to bring him joy, even help. get a skate park built for all the kids.

in their town. >> She got us involved like right when we. moved there and. before I knew it there was a skate park. It it truly blows my mind to to think of. what they had to go through and. to think that they still were able to. raise me and give me a normal life. >> A young man who could only give his dad. love for the past 30 years, but gives him [music] a promise for all.

the years to come. >> I know he won't give up. I I you know. and if it comes down to it I won't give. up either. I mean. but he he'll never give up and that. [music]. speaks volumes. I mean. nor should he. And I just I want answers. I want [music] my dad to see it solved. most of all.

>> So tonight we end where we began, 30. years later. The story we can't get out of our minds. and the family that has lived it every. anguished day. [music] I know over and. over again people have come to you for a. life coach. on how you endure [music]. through something over this amount of. time. And everybody wonders if.

there are days you still buckle. >> Early on our minister said, you know, now today members are going to be in. pain. Eventually it'll bring joy. And I've. pretty much found that to be true. Really went through evaluating and. examining [music] my faith. I got to the point that yes there is. more to life than what we see today.

>> John Andrew Ramsey, admiring his. father's grace, but filled with a young man's urgency. >> [music]. >> Part of what I'm after is some peace in. life. And. peace [music] to me would be giving my. father. and the family confidence knowing that. everything that can be done is being. done. We don't have that confidence. today, so we [music] can't rest. It's a 30-year-old cold case, what's the. rush, right? It's the dead opposite.

[music] Our window of opportunity is. narrowing, right? We're all getting. older. We we don't have. another 30 years. It's got to be now. >> [music]. >> And he is not alone. >> I believe. Boulder PD and the District Attorney's. Office can solve this case. I believe. they can. >> How much longer is it going to take? >> Hopefully very soon. I hope very soon. They have all the tools they need. >> It would provide answers to a community. that's been searching and desperate for.

them on this case for so long. [music]. Not just the loved ones of John Benet. Ramsey, but people all around the world. to know that they have some answers as. to what actually happened. >> Let's drown out some of the noise and. really focus [music] on what we're. trying to do, and it's to get justice. for that little girl and provide. answers. She should be here now. She. should be a happy adult with her own. children. >> This has been in the media since I was a. young officer. [music] It is, I think, vitally. important for all of us to get. resolution on this case.

>> World's waiting. [music]. >> The world is waiting. >> As a family, we're not responsible for. justice. We can't deliver justice. What we can do is serve as an advocate. for JonBenét. [music]. Somebody needs to stand up for her and. make sure that justice. is delivered for her. And as a family, our job is to keep barking until. somebody does that. >> [music]. >> And the man who once grappled with his. faith. now believes the day this is solved, his. family in heaven will share the joy.

>> [music]. >> I don't know anything about heaven, really, other than I believe it's true. I'm comfortable. and it it makes me smile if I really. acknowledge that I know JonBenét's in. heaven. And I know Beth's [music] in heaven. I. know Patsy's in heaven. >> And a poignant footnote, the former. district attorney Mary Lacy shared with. me something she's never shared publicly. before. [music]. Amid letters she got from John and Patsy. Ramsey was this one from Patsy.

Dear Mary, I'm getting ready to start 6. months of chemotherapy again. So I'm writing now before I start. feeling bad. Please, [music] please don't stop trying. to find John Benét's killer. >> When she was on her deathbed, she said, my consolation is that I will soon know. [music] who did this.

>> [music].