A Colorado forensic scandal is suddenly shining renewed light on the 30-year cold case of JonBenét Ramsey’s murder.
Thanks to the scandal, now Ramsey’s father, John, says investigators are sitting on the very evidence that could crack the case wide open and potentially name his daughter’s killer after decades of no leads.
John Ramsey told Fox News he’s long known that former Colorado Bureau of Investigation analyst Yvonne “Missy” Woods had nothing to do with his daughter’s case, since the earliest DNA testing came from an outside lab.
JonBenét Ramsey mystery reignited by lab scandal that adds pressure to unleash DNA help dad is 'begging' for https://t.co/kEh7CqCkjw pic.twitter.com/xGPNHwnW5t
— New York Post (@nypost) July 12, 2026
“I believe an outside private lab (Bode Labs in Virginia) did the first evidence testing and reported in January 1997 that they found unidentified male DNA in JonBenét’s underwear,” Ramsey said.
Woods pleaded guilty on June 23 to cybercrime, perjury, tampering with a public servant, and forgery for misconduct spanning 2008 to 2023 and faces up to 16 years in prison.
However, Boulder Police insist the fallout stops short of the Ramsey file.
“The Boulder Police Department does not believe the actions of Missy Woods have had any effect on the JonBenét Ramsey case after a review of all the records by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation,” a Boulder Police Department spokesperson told Fox News.
“Because this is an active homicide investigation, we are unable to answer any specific questions regarding the investigation at this time,” the statement continued.
The Boulder District Attorney’s office also confirmed investigators met with the Ramsey family in recent months and are actively exploring advanced DNA testing through outside independent labs, marking one of the clearest admissions yet that John Ramsey’s push is being taken seriously.
John Ramsey is pressing for forensic genetic genealogy, a technique that’s helped solve decades-old cold cases nationwide by matching crime-scene DNA to family trees on public genealogy databases.
Ramsey claims local police lack the expertise to run it themselves and need a private lab to do the work.
“We have been begging the police to work with one of these labs, but we don’t know if they will do it,” Ramsey said.
Ramsey also questioned why some crime-scene evidence was never tested at all, noting later rounds of testing kept turning up the same unidentified male DNA profile.
JonBenét, 6, was found beaten and strangled in the basement of her family’s Boulder home on Dec. 26, 1996.
No one has ever been charged.