Why JonBenet Ramsey's Half-Brother Is 'Absolutely Confident' Her Killer Will Be Found

The Ramsey family firmly believes in the mantra “never say never.” Twenty-three years after the death of JonBenét Ramsey, her half-brother, John Andrew Ramsey, and late detective Lou Smit’s daughter Cindy Marra believe they can still crack the case.

“We have the killer’s DNA … so that’s hugely important and will ultimately solve this crime,” John Andrew, 43, says in episode 5 of the Killing of JonBenét: The Final Suspects podcast. “There are additional items that should be tested given today’s new technology for additional samples. And then … the advent of using genealogy to identify a killer is hugely promising, and that technology will only get better.”

John Andrew notes that DNA technology has made “leaps and bounds in improvement” since his half-sister was found dead at the age of 6 in December 1996.

“So in my mind, if it’s not today, it’s tomorrow. We’re going to crack this,” he says. “I’m absolutely confident in that.”

Marra has an equally positive mindset about the investigation, which her late father led for many years. She and her husband, Kat Marra, along with a man named Jameson have a treasure trove of files sourced from the Ramsey family and Smit, who died from colon cancer in 2010.

“Lou used an Excel spreadsheet and it has information in there about the evidence, about the people who had any kind of connection to the Ramsey case — whether it be neighbors, people who phoned in tips, sex offenders that were in the area at the time — they’re all on a list,” Cindy says. “And on that list, it shows whether the police took their DNA, whether they took their blood, their saliva, fingerprints, handwriting samples. It has information.”

She adds, “We feel confident that the name of the killer is on that list.”

JonBenét’s autopsy report stated that she died from asphyxia by strangulation and also had craniocerebral trauma at the time of her death. The late child beauty queen’s parents, John and the late Patsy Ramsey, were initially investigated as suspects but later cleared by DNA results. The case remains unsolved, and the Boulder Police Department in Colorado still has an open investigation.

If you have information that could help investigators and the Ramseys identify JonBenét’s killer, please email tips@justiceforjonbenet.com.