JonBenet Ramsey Case Evidence, Potential Suspects Linked To Murder Examined In 2020

JonBenét Ramsey's murder has remained a mystery since 1996, but over the years, new theories and potential leads have continued to emerge as both law enforcement officials and true crime fans alike try to solve the case. While an official conclusion has continued to evade investigators, there are some new details that have emerged in the past two years. In honor of what would have been Ramsey's 30th birthday on Thursday, take a look at the most recent case evidence.

Following years of inactivity, Randall DeWitt Simons, an Oregon man who had reportedly worked as Ramsey's photographer leading up to her murder, was indicted on child pornography charges in July 2019. After an A&W restaurant employee had alerted police that someone had been utilizing their WiFi in order to download "inappropriate and concerning images," officials were able to connect the content to Simons.

After being linked to the investigation, the one-time photographer's property was searched. Four laptops, three camcorders, two bags of writable discs, and six cameras were found. The now 67-year-old was later charged with 15 counts of child pornography. He was released from jail in March after his attorney expressed concern that he could contract COVID-19 while behind bars, according to The Register Guard.

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While Simons was not officially charged with a crime surrounding Ramsey's death, Simons' behavior and interactions with the late 6-year-old has since been re-examined. Less than two years after Ramsey was murdered in Boulder, Colorado, Simons had been arrested for walking down a street in Colorado naked. He was subsequently ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation. Additionally, in 1997, he reportedly sold a "portfolio of JonBenét glamour pictures" for $7,500.

In January, prior to Simons' prison release, the true-crime podcast "The Killing of JonBenét: The Final Suspects" also took a look at Simons. Throughout the episodes, author Stephen Singular revealed that pageant moms who had known Simons at the time stated that he had called each of them in the middle of the night while screaming and crying. Per their accounts, he had repeated "I did not kill JonBenét, I did not kill JonBenét" on those calls.

Simons was later excluded due to his DNA not matching anything found at the crime scene, but some law enforcement officials have indicated that he continues to remain on their radar.

"The Killing of JonBenet: The Final Suspects" also considered other suspects throughout the episodes. In February, John San Agustin, an investigator, discussed why DNA evidence that was recovered from the Ramsey house was particularly troubling for him.

Joyce Singular, co-author of "Presumed Guilty: An Investigation Into the JonBenét Ramsey Case, the Media, and the Culture of Pornography," commented on the cold case in a separate February episode of "The Killing of JonBenet." At that time, she stated that allowing children to enter the beauty pageant world could secretly attract pedophiles who could masquerade as sponsors or judges.

At this time, Ramsey's case remains unsolved.