I’ve watched a number of JonBenét Ramsey specials over the years, and like many of the specials invested in the case, I hoped that they all depicted the unimaginable death of a six-year-old child in her home in Boulder, Colorado. would solve on Christmas Day. Like those earlier documentaries, Netflix’s “Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey?” does not give us the answer we have been looking for for 28 years. But what the three-hour docuseries (now streaming) does extremely well is show how wrong it was to suspect the child’s parents, John and Patsy Ramsey, or brother Burke, who was only nine when his sister died.

“People hated the Ramseys,” says Paula Woodward, an investigative journalist who covered the case in the docuseries, “and it was because of the information that came out about them that was wrong.”

In “Cold Case,” John Ramsey recalls being “followed everywhere by the media. We stayed with friends and within a day or two the house was surrounded by cameras and people banging on the door and windows.”

Fact check: Murder of JonBenét Ramsey still unsolved years after 6-year-old’s death

It’s almost surprising to see John within the first few minutes of the premiere. Now 80, his more prominent wrinkles and age spots are a jarring reminder of how long he’s been without answers — and how long his family has been under scrutiny. One in four people surveyed for a 1999 poll by Scripps Howard News Service believed that JonBenét’s mother, Patsy, had killed her. Five percent suspected Burke, who refused to participate in “Cold Case,” producers said, citing his treatment by the media and “online web sleuths.” In 2019, Burke received an undisclosed settlement from CBS following a defamation suit stemming from a 2016 special that blamed the murder on him.

“You look back at pictures of nine-year-old Burke,” says John Andrew Ramsey, John Ramsey’s child from his first marriage, and “it’s just absolutely absurd to think, ‘Oh yeah, he could have killed his sister and killed him. can liberate. this level of violence. ”

Here are the most shocking things the Ramseys were exposed to, as presented by ‘Cold Case’.

‘The Geraldo Rivera Show’ mock trial sends Patsy to bed ‘for about two days’

One moment that will leave viewers stunned is the revisiting of a 1997 mock trial conducted by Geraldo Rivera, then a daytime talk show host, to gauge whether the Ramseys were liable for their daughter’s death. A woman identified as a child abuse expert believes JonBenét was “sexually stimulated” after watching a videotaped performance.

“She picks up a saxophone and for the next minute and a half she masturbates with it,” says the supposed expert, grossly mischaracterizing the footage, which shows JonBenét pretending to play the instrument.

“I couldn’t believe what I heard,” Patsy responded in an earlier interview. (She died of ovarian cancer in 2006.) “It’s sick for anyone to even remotely hint at something so terrible; it just makes me sick.” After the television “judge” got Patsy involved, “she just loosened up,” she says. “I went to bed for about two days because I was just mortified.”

John Ramsey: Police kept DNA results for months to clear ‘family secret’

Researchers collected someone else’s DNA from JonBenét’s fingernails and her underwear. Ultimately, the docuseries questions the validity of the DNA testing, but it was previously established that neither Patsy, John, nor Burke could match it.

Some, like John Ramsey, believe the police deliberately kept the results to themselves. “They were told by their laboratory in January: ‘We tested the DNA. There is unidentified male DNA, which rules out the parents and the son, Burke,” Ramsey said. “They kept that a secret from the media and from the prosecutor for months… because it conflicted with their conclusion that we were the killers.”

A reporter says police ‘distorted’ facts provided to media

Journalist Woodward says the police “took these little bits of information, twisted them and then gave them to some media reporters who said, ‘Hey, I agree.’”

A March 1997 article in the Rocky Mountain News states that “the absence of tracks (in the snow) was one of the first clues that led police to suspect family members.” But those interviewed say there was no snow at the back of the house, which would have preserved footprints.

Lou Smit, an investigator brought in by the Boulder district attorney to help with the case, expressed his frustration with Boulder police in an audio recording. (He died in 2010.) “Clearly there is evidence of an intruder,” he says. “I say this over and over again. Nobody wants to listen.”

And then there’s the ransom note. “Very early on, there was a huge police leak that Patsy Ramsey had written the ransom note,” Woodward says. However, Bob Whitson, a former police officer, says at least four experts have concluded that Patsy did not write the note.

So who killed JonBenét Ramsey?

Episode 3 of the docuseries mentions some potential suspects. But the bulk of the episode explores the possibility that John Mark Karr, who fled the US after being accused of child pornography, was to blame. He knew an eerie number of details about JonBenét and her death and claimed to have committed the murder. But Karr’s DNA doesn’t match what investigators collected. (Mary Lacy, a former Boulder County district attorney, previously said, “Mr. Karr’s family cooperated by providing circumstantial evidence that Mr. Karr spent Christmas with his family in Atlanta.”)

John Ramsey, who suspects something is wrong with the DNA results, wants those samples retested. He also wants additional items collected on site to be tested for the first time. He would then like those results to be compared with available databases.

What do Boulder police say?

“The murder of JonBenét was an unspeakable crime, and this tragedy has never left our hearts,” Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said in a statement to USA TODAY by Public Information Officer Dionne Waugh. “We are committed to following up on every lead and we will continue to work with DNA experts and our law enforcement partners across the country until this tragic case is solved.”

Citing the ongoing investigation, police declined further comment on “specific aspects” of the crime. They encourage those with helpful information to contact them by email, [email protected], or by phone: (303) 441-1974.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Netflix’s ‘Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey’: Docuseries’ Biggest Revelation