The Boulder Police Department maintains that the 1996 murder of JonBenét Ramsey remains an open and active investigation and a top priority for the agency. In annual updates, including one released in December 2025, Chief Stephen Redfearn reported that detectives conducted several new interviews, re-interviewed individuals based on incoming tips, collected new evidence, and retested existing evidence with evolving DNA technology over the previous year. Officials have stated that more than 21,000 tips, letters, and emails have been reviewed since the crime, and that investigators have traveled to 19 states to speak with more than 1,000 people. No one has ever been arrested or charged.

The department has repeatedly emphasized that it continues to consult with state and federal partners, including the FBI and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, and that it updates reference samples as DNA technology improves. Multiple suspects have been compared against the evidence over the years. A fresh inventory of collected materials was made available for review with FBI ᴀssistance. Police have also noted that it is never too late for people with knowledge of the crime to come forward and have urged anyone with information to contact them. The investigation has never been classified as inactive or cold.

Early problems with the original investigation remain part of the public record. The house was not fully secured in the first hours after the 911 call, allowing visitors inside before the body was found in the basement wine cellar. The lengthy ransom note and questions surrounding a previously broken window complicated the early focus. Despite these difficulties, officials say they have never stopped following leads and that advances in forensic science continue to offer new possibilities. The unknown male DNA recovered from the victim’s clothing is still treated as a central piece of evidence.

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As the thirtieth anniversary approaches, the department’s position is unchanged: the case stays open, tips are still being pursued, and evidence is still being examined with current technology. The volume of material—tens of thousands of pages, thousands of tips, and multiple rounds of testing—illustrates both the scale of the effort and the difficulty of the investigation. Whether renewed public attention will generate additional useful information remains to be seen, but Boulder officials continue to state that solving the murder of the six-year-old remains a priority and that they will keep working every lead.