After Patsy Ramsey called 911 astatine 5:52 a.m. connected Dec. 26, 1996, to study that her girl JonBenét Ramsey had been kidnapped, she and hubby John Ramsey besides reached retired to a fig of their friends, who came close implicit to enactment the couple.

In turn, successful summation to responding officers, determination were radical milling astir the Ramseys' 5,000-square-foot location each time earlier John recovered JonBenét's assemblage successful the basement soon aft 1:30 p.m.

"I should person removed each those radical from the scene, that was a transgression country mistake," retired Boulder Police Detective Bob Whitson recalled successful the Netflix docuseries Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey. "But, astatine the time, it looked similar a morganatic kidnapping. So, I thought, Well, these are the enactment strategy for the Ramseys, and I fto 'em stay."

Not knowing she was dormant erstwhile helium recovered her, John said successful the bid helium astatine archetypal tried to untie the cord that bound her hands. The knots were excessively tight, helium said, but helium did region a portion of duct portion that was covering her rima and tossed it onto a broad that had been with the body.

He past carried her upstairs, which, according to investigators, ensured that the grounds collected from her body, the pajamas she was wearing, the tape, etc., was contaminated.

"There whitethorn person been immoderate grounds connected the duct portion if that wasn't removed," Whitson said successful the series.

Police who responded to Patsy's 911 telephone searched the 3 precocious levels of the Ramseys' home, and the basement, but it wasn't until a detective suggested that John bash different expanse of the location astir 8 hours aboriginal that her assemblage was recovered successful a portion of the basement that utilized to beryllium a ember room.

"One of the cops did not unfastened the doorway wherever JonBenét was lying," Fox News' Carol McKinley, who covered the lawsuit astatine the time, said successful the Netflix series. "Major mistake, and I judge helium lives with that to this day."

Retired Boulder PD Commander John San Agustin noted successful the series, "You ne'er person idiosyncratic extracurricular of instrumentality enforcement doing a search."

However, erstwhile John looked successful the ember room, helium said, "Her assemblage was close determination successful beforehand of me."

In a pre-Toddlers and Tiaras world, the media incredulously spotlighted JonBenét's information successful children's quality pageants, with astir of the commentary being of the what-sort-of-mother-lets-her-child-parade-around-like-that variety.

Having competed and performed astatine section events since she was 4, determination were myriad photos of JonBenét wearing a afloat look of constitution and videos that became Rorschach tests for critics of the Ramseys who were looking for signs of intersexual maltreatment oregon different trauma down the child's precocious poise.

And radical who claimed to person diagnosed arsenic overmuch had nary qualms saying it connected TV, the Netflix bid including a clip from Geraldo successful which a pistillate identified arsenic a "well-known adept successful kid abuse" described 1 of JonBenét's performances arsenic masturbatory. (Host Geraldo Rivera was staging a mock proceedings connected his show, during which a six-person "jury" recovered Patsy liable for her daughter's death. "I went to furniture for astir 2 days," she said successful the 1998 documentary The Ramseys vs. The Media, "because I conscionable was mortified.")

Reflecting connected his enthusiastic sum of the case, Rivera told the Chicago Tribune successful 2006, "Everyone I came successful interaction with was talking astir the Ramsey case, whether it was my nanny oregon the radical successful the vicinity oregon the feline that takes attraction of my koi pond." Even his ma wanted the details, helium added, truthful "when it gets to that level, you cognize it has an involvement that’s astir universal."

The pageant commentary painted the Ramseys arsenic "delinquent parents," recalled Paula Woodward, an investigative newsman for KUSA Denver who covered the lawsuit from the beginning.

She interviewed JonBenét's pediatrician astatine the time, the writer said, "He told me, no, she's ne'er had immoderate intersexual maltreatment successful her life. He would person mislaid his aesculapian licence if helium ever lied astir that."

In a 1997 interview, the doc said determination was "never immoderate hint whatsoever of intersexual abuse. I didn't spot immoderate hint of affectional abuse, oregon carnal abuse. She was a precise much-loved child."

But, arsenic seen connected tabloid covers shown successful the series, determination was plentifulness of speculation that the kid may person been abused successful lieu of grounds to allege that she truly was.

"Let maine code it precise directly: I did not termination my girl JonBenét," John told reporters during a May 1, 1997, quality conference. "There person been innuendos that she had been oregon was sexually molested. I tin archer you that those were the astir hurtful innuendos to america arsenic a family. They are wholly false. JonBenét and I had a precise adjacent relationship. I volition miss her dearly the remainder of my life."

Added Patsy, "I'm appalled that anyone would deliberation that John oregon I would beryllium progressive successful specified a hideous, heinous crime. But fto maine guarantee you that I did not termination JonBenét and did not person thing to bash with it. I loved that kid with the full of my bosom and soul."

JonBenét was laid to remainder successful Atlanta adjacent to her half-sister Beth Ramsey (one of John's 3 grown children from his archetypal marriage, she died successful a car mishap successful 1992) connected Dec. 31, 1996.

By then, the household had a spokesperson releasing statements to the media and had hired a lawyer.

Which, astatine the time, "smelled a small funny," Fox News' McKinley said successful the series. "And we were like, 'What is going on?'"

John said successful the series, however, that their attorneys had advised them to beryllium cautious astir thing they said oregon did. "But we gave the constabulary everything they asked for," John said. "Blood samples, DNA samples, immoderate they asked for. Records, each our recognition paper [records], thing they asked for, we gave it to them."

Meanwhile, helium added, "I would've been blessed to die, rather frankly, to relieve the pain."

But with the media filling successful the blanks truthful agelong arsenic the Ramseys remained silent, soon capable friends successful Boulder advised them to assistance an interrogation ASAP, John recalled. So helium and Patsy sat down with CNN connected Jan. 1, 1997.

"There is simply a slayer connected the loose," Patsy memorably said astatine the time. "I don't cognize who it is, I don't cognize if it's a helium oregon a she. But if I were a nonmigratory of Boulder, I would archer my friends to support your babies adjacent to you. There's idiosyncratic retired there."

Following the Ramseys' interview, then-Boulder Mayor Leslie Durgin said connected TV that determination was nary disposable motion of forced introduction astatine the Ramsey residence and the cops were saying, based connected wherever JonBenét's assemblage was found, that "someone had to cognize the house. So, determination isn't a crazed slayer connected the escaped wandering the streets of Boulder."

Listening to Durgin, "You would presume that she had accusation from the constabulary that led her to consciousness comfy saying that," recalled KMGH Denver investigative newsman Julie Hayden in the Netflix series, explaining wherefore authorities' behaviour successful those aboriginal days besides contributed to the unreality of suspicion increasing astir John and Patsy. The "implication from that intelligibly would beryllium that it was idiosyncratic connected with the family."

Journalist McKinley recalled successful the bid reasoning that the Ramseys made "an orchestrated appearance" astatine a Jan. 5, 1997, memorial for their girl successful Boulder. "It didn't look sincere to maine and it was astir similar a performance," she added, singling retired Patsy's large achromatic sunglasses and all-black attire arsenic a peculiarly notable touch.

John hardly remembered that time "'cause we were successful shock, frankly," helium said successful the series, but immoderate accusation that aspects of it were staged was "absolutely false."

Local media were getting a batch of accusation from instrumentality enforcement sources, often crediting conscionable 1 root if that's each they could get, respective journalists noted successful the series. And not each of it was factual.

Charlie Brennan of the Rocky Mountain News admitted getting it incorrect erstwhile helium reported for the insubstantial that John, a licensed pilot, had flown JonBenét's coffin to Atlanta successful his ain plane.

"That was inaccurate," helium said successful the Netflix series. "It came from a root that I thoroughly trusted and had fixed maine different coagulated information. That accusation was wrong, my root was incorrect successful that case, and that was a mistake."

The Colorado Bureau of Investigation's study stating that unidentified antheral DNA recovered connected JonBenét's underwear and nether her fingernails did not lucifer her begetter oregon her then-10-year-old member Burke Ramsey came backmost connected Jan. 15, 1997. But constabulary didn't stock the findings close away—not adjacent with prosecutors.

Police "were told that successful January," John said successful the series. "They kept that concealed from the media and from the District Attorney for months."

Stranger still, investigative newsman Woodward observed successful the series, was that the info didn't leak to the media. 

"DNA results often leak successful execution cases," she said, "yet erstwhile the 1 portion of grounds that clears them, oregon astatine slightest clears their DNA, comes back, there's not a leak astir it."

But, Woodward noted, aboriginal successful the investiation determination was "massive constabulary leaking that Patsy Ramsey had written the ransom note." (The mentation was duly reported on; aggregate handwriting experts determined her penning and the missive did not match, retired Det. Whitson recalled successful the series.)

"They kept that secret," John said of the DNA findings, "because it conflicted with their decision that we were the killers."

Boulder Police Det. Steve Thomas took implicit starring the probe into JonBenét's decease successful aboriginal 1997 and helium zeroed successful connected her parents. In his 2000 book, JonBenét: Inside the Ramsey Murder Investigation, helium elaborate his mentation that Patsy killed her girl successful a rage aft the 6-year-old bedewed the bed, staged the country successful the basement and wrote the ransom note. 

He besides said this to Patsy and John's faces connected an occurrence of CNN's Larry King Live. They vehemently pushed back, Patsy yet saying, "God knows [what happened], and the information is going to prevail." (The Ramseys filed an $80 cardinal defamation suit against Thomas and his steadfast successful 2001; it was settled for an undisclosed sum.)

In the Netflix series, John said that Steve's mentation "didn't walk the sanity test."

"Patsy had conscionable recovered from signifier 4 ovarian cancer," John said. "She was grateful to beryllium alive. Do you deliberation that her kid wetting her furniture would beryllium a large deal? No. She was blessed to beryllium live and to person immoderate much clip with her children."

Steve Thomas resigned from the lawsuit successful protestation successful August 1998, accusing the territory attorney's office of mishandling the Ramsey case. 

In a 2004 interview, Boulder County District Attorney Alex Hunter reflected connected "a split" betwixt his bureau and Boulder PD, noting, "Some Boulder Police radical thought they knew who did it. And immoderate of my radical were convinced that it was an intruder that did it."

In 1997, the DA's bureau brought successful retired detective Lou Smit to consult connected the case. Smit died successful 2010, but helium elaborate successful video and audio diaries sampled successful the Netflix bid wherefore helium believed the Ramseys were innocent.

There was "no motive, nary grounds of atrocious character," helium said successful a 1998 recording, per the series. "There is grounds of an intruder. I accidental this implicit and implicit and implicit again. Nobody wants to listen."

So erstwhile prosecutors opted to instrumentality their lawsuit against the Ramseys to the expansive assemblage successful September 1998, Smit tendered his resignation from the case.

"He would person nary portion successful trying to convict an guiltless couple," Colorado Springs Police Department Investigations Commander Kurt Pillar, who considered Smit a mentor, said successful the Netflix series. "That's however powerfully helium felt astir this case."

John recalled successful the series, "We afloat expected and were prepared to beryllium indicted. 'Cause they were saying, 'You tin indict a ham sandwich successful beforehand a expansive jury,' it's a one-sided argument."

More than a twelvemonth later, District Attorney Hunter announced connected Oct. 13, 1999, that his bureau didn't person the grounds to record charges against the Ramseys—or anyone—at that time.

He did not stock the expansive jury's proposal with the public. "I consciousness astatine bid and to immoderate grade arrogant of the information that I weathered the tempest and did the close thing," Hunter said successful 2004, "based connected the evidence."

In 2008, his successor Mary Lacy publically exonerated John, Patsy and Burke, citing the results of caller interaction DNA analysis. "To the grade that we whitethorn person contributed successful immoderate mode to the nationalist cognition that you mightiness person been progressive successful this crime, I americium profoundly sorry," the DA wrote successful a missive to John, per NBC News.

It wasn't until 2013 that the indictment was unsealed, revealing that the expansive assemblage chose to indict John and Patsy connected 2 counts each of kid maltreatment resulting successful death. Per the Denver Post, the papers didn't impeach them of sidesplitting their daughter, but alternatively of permitting her to beryllium placed successful a unsafe concern that led to her decease and of assisting a idiosyncratic who "committed and was suspected of the transgression of execution successful the archetypal grade and kid maltreatment resulting successful death."

"We didn't cognize who did what," a subordinate of the expansive assemblage told the Boulder Daily Camera successful January 2013. "But we felt the adults successful the location whitethorn person done thing that they surely could person prevented, oregon they could person helped her, and they didn't."

After the 1999 indictment was revealed, Boulder Police Chief Mark Beckner said successful a connection that it proved "the probe pursued by the Boulder Police Department was, successful fact, based connected the accusation and grounds available."

"There are nary caller leads," the connection continued. "While we judge astatine this constituent it is improbable determination volition ever beryllium a prosecution, the Boulder Police Department inactive holds retired immoderate anticipation that 1 time the territory lawyer and the Boulder Police Department volition beryllium capable to enactment unneurotic a lawsuit worthy of presenting to a jury."

The Ramseys' lawyer Lin Wood said successful 2013, per the Post, that the expansive jury's determination successful 1999 was "based connected incomplete evidence."

“It’s taxable to the content that transgression charges were warranted against the Ramseys," helium said. "A afloat introspection of the grounds unquestionably exonerates the Ramseys. This is inflicting a unspeakable miscarriage of justice."