True crime documentaries have always captivated American audiences, but perhaps none is as chilling as the one that will premiere this Monday on Netflix. Titled Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey, the three-part series does a deep dive on the horrific murder of John and Patsy Ramsey’s six-year-old daughter, JonBenét. It covers what the investigation did wrong and why this true crime documentary might be the best chance at finally bringing the killer to justice.
For those who might be unfamiliar with the case [Editor’s note: Sensitive and disturbing information follows], John and Patsy Ramsey awoke to a nightmare the day after Christmas 1996, when they discovered their youngest child was missing. Because a ransom note was left behind, the family and police assumed the little girl had been kidnapped. But hours later, John Ramsey discovered his daughter’s lifeless body in the basement, where she had been sexually assaulted and brutally murdered.
The Boulder police were inexperienced in handling homicide investigations, and in the days that followed, the wealthy Ramsey family came under intense scrutiny, with many assuming they were involved in the crime. The case fueled a national obsession, which remains unsolved 28 years later.
In fact, when Dr. Ann Burgess, a renowned psychiatric nurse and professor who has made a living working opposite some of America’s most-well known killers, spoke with Glamour earlier this year for her own documentary, she weighed in on the Ramsey case, saying, “I think it was someone that knew the area very well and knew the comings and goings, so that he was able…to be successful in terms of what he did. And I think it was one person responsible, but they still don’t have him.”
Now, Academy Award–nominated director Joe Berlinger is hoping that will change when the docuseries is released on the largest streaming platform. Through new interviews with John Ramsey (Patsy died of complications from cancer in 2006) as well as reporters, law enforcement, and others who worked closely on the case, Berlinger redirects the spotlight to focus on how this unfathomable murder can finally be solved.
