(NewsNation) — A new Netflix docuseries and statements from the Boulder Police Department have reignited interest in the decades-old investigation into the death of 6-year-old JonBenét Ramsey.
The 1996 death of the child pageant contestant in Boulder, Colorado, drew national attention, and through the years, various theories have implicated her parents, her brother, known criminals and an unknown intruder in her case. But there have been no definitive answers as to who is responsible.
Here is a timeline of key events in the case:
JonBenét Ramsey found dead in her home
Dec. 26, 1996, 5:52 a.m.: Patsy Ramsey calls the police to report JonBenét missing. She tells police she found a handwritten ransom note on the kitchen table demanding $118,000 to return JonBenét.
In addition to police, friends of the Ramseys come to the house for support. A forensics team seals off JonBenét’s room but does not treat the rest of the house as a crime scene.
Dec. 26, 1996, 1 p.m.: Police ask John Ramsey and a friend to search the home. They begin in the basement, where they find JonBenét’s body in a room previously overlooked by police. She has duct tape over her mouth, a cord around her neck and wrists and is partially covered by a blanket.
Ramsey brings his daughter’s body upstairs, disturbing forensic evidence that may have been present.
JonBenét Ramsey death investigation
April 1997: Police identify John and Patsy Ramsey as the main suspects. A key piece of evidence is the ransom note. While handwriting analysis ruled out John Ramsey, experts said they could not rule Patsy Ramsey out as the author.
The main theory is that Patsy Ramsey accidentally killed JonBenét in a fit of anger over the girl wetting her bed. Investigators speculate that the couple then staged the crime scene and ransom note to cover up the crime.
Photos and videos of JonBenét participating in pageants also attract media attention, with many in the media and public speculating about the family over performances perceived as overly sexualized for a young child.
Boulder police also face intense scrutiny and criticism for their handling of the crime scene, potentially resulting in the loss of forensic evidence that could help identify JonBenét’s killer.
July 1997: Results from JonBenét’s autopsy are released. The coroner found she was strangled with a garrote and also had a severe head injury. The report states that JonBenét did not appear to be raped, but sexual assault could not be ruled out based on other injuries.
Grand jury considers case against John and Patsy Ramsey
1998-1999: The Boulder County District Attorney’s office convenes a grand jury in the case. The jurors take months to go over all of the evidence gathered.
During the investigation and proceedings, there is conflict between the Boulder police, who believe the Ramseys are the prime suspects, and independent investigator Lou Smit, who was brought in by the DA’s office.
Smit supports the theory that an unknown intruder killed JonBenét, possibly breaking into the family’s home while they were out on Christmas Day and laying in wait for them to return.
Although the jury voted to indict John and Patsy Ramsey on charges of child abuse or neglect, the DA’s office does not file the charges, citing insufficient evidence.
Defamation lawsuits filed around JonBenét’s death
1999: The Ramseys file the first of several defamation lawsuits against people and companies that have reported on the case and suggested the parents are culpable in their daughter’s death.
2001: The Ramseys are sued for defamation after publishing a book about JonBenét’s death. The individuals who bring the lawsuits are named in the book as possible suspects considered by police.
2006: A family friend of the Ramseys files a defamation lawsuit after comments online suggest he is the one who killed JonBenét.
2016: JonBenét’s brother Burke, who was nine when she died, files multiple lawsuits after a CBS documentary introduces the theory that he killed his sister in anger after she stole his snack and their parents covered up the crime to protect him.
DNA evidence found on JonBenét Ramsey analyzed
2003: DNA from a blood sample found on JonBenét’s underwear is analyzed and found to belong to an unknown male. The profile does not match the Ramseys or anyone in the FBI’s criminal database.
2016: A new forensic analysis with updated techniques finds the DNA contained genetic markers from two separate individuals.
Additional DNA samples of up to six people were found on other items from the crime scene.
District attorney exonerates Ramsey family as suspects in JonBenét’s death
2008: District Attorney Mary Lacy, who took over the case in 2002, announces that new touch DNA analysis excludes John and Patsy Ramsey, who died of ovarian cancer in 2006, as suspects.
Others disagree, noting that trace amounts of DNA can be transferred from many sources that would have no connection to the crime.
The grave of JonBenet Ramsey; it is still not known who murdered her. (Photo by Chris Rank/Sygma via Getty Images) 
American child JonBenét Ramsey was murdered at age 6, in Boulder. (Photo by Axel Koester/Sygma via Getty Images) 
FILE – In this Jan. 3, 1997, file photo, a police officer sits in her cruiser outside the home in which 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey was found murdered in Boulder, Colorado on Dec. 26, 1996. The father of JonBenet Ramsey, John Ramsey, is supporting an online petition asking Colorado Gov. Jared Polis to transfer DNA testing in the case away from the Boulder Police Department to an outside agency. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)
Confessions and suspects in JonBenét’s case
2006: Teacher John Mark Karr is arrested in Thailand after claiming to have killed JonBenét. Karr is a known sex offender who claims to have drugged the girl and had sex with her.
Karr’s confession does not line up with the evidence and details of JonBenét’s death, and his DNA does not match the DNA found at the scene, so he is released.
2016: Gary Oliva is charged with exploiting a child in relation to child sexual abuse material found on his computer. Oliva was previously investigated in relation to the JonBenét case and was found to have images of her in his possession.
At one point, Oliva agreed to confess to her murder, but his DNA did not match the scene, and he was released.
2019: Photographer Randy Simons is arrested in Oregon for child sexual abuse material. Simons took photos of JonBenét and others in the Colorado pageant scene in the 1990s, including some of the photos that became famous during coverage of the case.
A number of mothers reported feeling suspicious of Simons due to what was described as borderline inappropriate behavior. Simons’ DNA does not match the crime scene, and he is never charged in the case.
JonBenét death investigation reopened and returned to Boulder police
2009-2024: The Boulder County DA’s office returns the case to the Boulder Police Department, who resume investigating the cold case.
Avenues of investigation include DNA analysis using more advanced technology and the potential to use familial DNA to help identify a suspect, as has been done in other cold cases.
