JonBenét Ramsey’s brother breaks his 20-year silence about the murder of the six-year-old beauty queen
Burke Ramsey, now 29, has given his first ever interview about his sister's death on Dr. Phil
THE brother of JonBenét Ramsey has broken his 20-year silence to speak out about the murder of the six-year-old beauty queen.
Burke Ramsey was just nine when his pageant-winning sister was found dead in the basement of the family’s home in Boulder, Colorado, in 1996.
Suspicion immediately focused on the girl’s parents John and Patsy, as well as Burke, however the family has always maintained their innocence.
Burke, now 29, has appeared on Dr. Phil, an American talk show, to mark the 20th anniversary of JonBenét’s death.
In the interview, Dr. Phil asks Burke: “Has it ever occurred to you that your parents actually thought you did this and didn't ask you because they didn't want to know?”
To which Burke replies: “I know people think I did it; that my parents did it. I know that we were suspects.”
“I remember my mom searching my room that night saying, 'Where's my baby? Where's my baby?’”
He added: “I want to honour her memory by doing this interview. I don't want anyone to forget.”
JonBenét Ramsey was reported missing on Boxing Day.
Her parents told police she had been kidnapped and that a note had been left demanding a ransom of $118,000 (£89,737).
Hours after officers searched the home, John found JonBenét’s body in an underground utility room.
She had been bludgeoned, strangled and hidden underneath a white blanket with a nylon cord around her neck, her wrists bound above her head and her mouth covered by duct tape.
Patsy was suspected of being the murderer after reports emerged that handwriting on the ransom note was similar to her own.
She provided samples to police to prove her innocence but remained a primary suspect, alongside husband John, for more than a decade.
Fingers pointed at the family as there were no footprints in the snow around the house and the ransom amount was the exact total John has just received in his annual bonus.
Patsy and John denied Burke was responsible for his sister’s death and said he was sleeping until after they called the police.
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Burke, who has remained out of the spotlight, was exonerated by DNA evidence in May of 1999.
Patsy died of ovarian cancer in 2006 and she and John were cleared of any wrongdoing two years later.
Private investigator Ollie Gray claimed JonBenét’s killer was Michael Helgoth, whose family owned a junkyard on the outskirts of the city.
He died of an apparent suicide in 1997 and was cleared a few years later when it was revealed none of his DNA was found under JonBenét’s fingernails or in her underwear.
In 2006 a 41-year-old schoolteacher named John Mark Karr confessed to killing the blonde youngster.
He was arrested in Bangkok, Thailand, but he was never charged with the murder because his DNA did not match that found on the girl's body.
Burke’s interview will air on 12, 13 and 14 September.
John Ramsey also appears in the three-part special, but vows that it will be his final interview about the death of his daughter.