JonBenet Ramsey’s dad has shared his biggest regret about his six-year-old daughter’s last ever Christmas, saying it served as a crucial life lesson.
Beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey was found dead in the basement of her family home in Boulder, Colorado, on 26 December 1996.
While her death was ruled a homicide, no one has ever been charged with her murder.
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Now her father John has revealed his biggest regret about what would prove to be his young daughter’s final Christmas, saying it remains a ‘hurtful’ detail all these years later.
In a new interview with The Sun, John recalled how JonBenet had been given a brand new bike as her main present that year, and that she had wanted to ride it outside.
While there was time for a few lengths of the alley, the family eventually had to head out to get to a meal.
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“We went out in the back alley and she rode it up and down the alley a couple of times,” he said.
But John, who is now 79, knew they were pressed for time, and had to hurry her to get back inside.
“I said, ‘OK, we gotta go, we’re going to be late for dinner,'” the heartbroken dad continued.
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“To which she said, ‘Oh Dad. Please let me go just one more time,’ but I told her, ‘No, we’ll do that tomorrow.’”
John said how, 26 years on, the memory feels ‘hurtful’, now knowing there was 'no tomorrow’.
He said: "And that's what I remember vividly, her asking me to go just one more time, and me telling her no we'll do it tomorrow.
"Of course, there was no tomorrow [...] it's a hurtful thought now."
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John said the haunting memory served as an important life lesson, adding: "I had a mother write me [years later] and she said your loss made me take that extra five minutes when my child asked for my time because you don't know.
"So that's another life lesson [...] don't be so busy that you say we've got to wait until tomorrow.
"That's what I remember most from that day."
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JonBenet was found bludgeoned and strangled in the basement of her family home, just hours after her mum reported her missing via a 911 call.
JonBenet’s mum said a ransom note had been left and her death was eventually ruled a homicide, despite no one ever having been charged.
In November, the Colorado Cold Case Review Team, with the support of Boulder Police, confirmed it was looking into the case once more.
"Since JonBenet’s murder, detectives have investigated leads stemming from more than 21,000 tips, letters, and emails. We have travelled to 19 states to interview or speak with more than 1,000 individuals," a statement released by the force on 9 November read.
"This investigation continues to receive assistance from federal, state, and local partners. Boulder Police work with multiple agencies, including the FBI, the District Attorney’s Office, Colorado’s Department of Public Safety, Colorado’s Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and several private DNA laboratories across the country."
Jess Hardiman