Three major theories around JonBenét Ramsey's murder as her brother breaks 10-year silence with key clue

Burke Ramsey, the brother of JonBenét Ramsey, has renewed a public plea for authorities to find her killer almost 30 years after she died.

Speaking to the Daily Mail this week, Burke, 39, said police overlooked DNA evidence that he believes would fully eliminate his family from the investigation.

"The DNA says we didn't do it. I know none of my family did it," he said. Pointing to himself, he added: "I didn't do it.... You know, it's like, stop. There was this energy looking at the family, but the DNA is sitting right there."

He said DNA found underneath his sister's fingernails did not match any of the family. "We need to find that match. It's the best evidence we have," he said. "It's probably the person who did it, you know, and it's the best chance we have to solve this."

JonBenét was six when she was found dead in the basement of the family's Boulder, Colorado, home on December 26, 1996, some seven hours after she was reported missing.

A lengthy ransom note demanding $118,000 had been found on a back staircase that morning, and her death was ruled a homicide, but nobody was charged.

JonBenét Ramsey was six when she was found dead in the basement of her family’s home in Boulder, Colorado, on December 26, 1996. (CNN)

Who do people think killed JonBenét Ramsey?

Netflix's 2024 title Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey? examined three main theories.

The first points to her parents. Former Boulder police detective Steve Thomas wrote in JonBenét: Inside the Ramsey Murder Investigation that he believes Patsy strangled her daughter after accidentally causing a head wound, and that John 'chose to protect his wife'.

Patsy's lawyer, L. Lin Wood, called the claim 'fiction and utter nonsense' and said it was 'refuted in its entirety by medical evidence', per the New York Times.

Suspicion initially fell on the parents because the $118,000 ransom demand matched John's Christmas bonus from work, and the note was thought to have been written on Patsy's stationery.

The second theory is that an intruder was responsible.

John and Patsy's book Death of Innocence suggests a stranger entered the home, and DNA evidence pointed to an 'unexplained third party', though nobody matched the profile.

John has campaigned for modern DNA testing, telling NewsNation: "I believe if we do that, there's a really good chance we can solve it."

A third theory pointed to Burke, who was nine at the time.

Experts interviewed for a CBS documentary claimed a flashlight at the scene matched JonBenét's head wound, but the flashlight was ruled out as being involved.

He took legal action over the claims, suing CBS for $750 million in a case that was settled in 2019.

There have been three main theories into her death (Photo By Helen H. Richardson/ The Denver Post)

When does the JonBenét Ramsey Netflix drama come out?

Netflix is revisiting the case again.

The eight-part The Murder of JonBenét Ramsey starts on December 10, according to Netflix, with Melissa McCarthy as Patsy and Clive Owen as John, and it features the suspicion around Burke's family.

Burke said: "I will do anything I can do to help get this case solved. I'm an open book. I've told everybody everything I know.