Police reopen JonBenet Ramsey murder case

Police have reopened their investigation into the 1996 murder of the child beauty pageant queen JonBenet Ramsey in a bid to finally solve one of America's most bizarre and brutal murder cases.

Six-year-old JonBenet's body was found in the basement of her family's home in Boulder, Colorado on Boxing Day, 1996 nearly eight hours after she was reported missing. The tiny beauty pageant princess had been strangled and beaten to death.

A two-and-a-half page ransom note demanding $118,000 was discovered on a stairwell in the Ramsey's house just hours before JonBenet's body was found in the cellar under a white blanket. White cord was tied around her neck and her wrists, and her mouth was covered in duct tape.

Last year an advisory committee recommended the case be reopened after reviewing evidence in the case. Investigators are expected to see if modern DNA techniques can throw new light on the notorious murder case.

One of the leads they will be following up is DNA, found on JonBenet's clothing, which is thought to have belonged to someone outside the Ramsey family.

Speaking about the case in 2008, former district attorney Mary Lacy said the evidence suggested the girl’s killer was an unknown intruder who broke into the home. It did "not belong to anyone in the Ramsey family".

Detectives have also reportedly launched a fresh round of interviews with witnesses. One of the people they hope to speak to is JonBenet's brother Burke Ramsey, who was nine at the time of the murder.

Both Burke, now 23, and his parents John and Patsy have all come under suspicion at some point during the investigation. Burke was officially ruled out as a suspect in 1999 while his parents were cleared two years ago. Patsy Ramsey died of cancer in 2006.

Yesterday the family's lawyer Lin Wood stressed that Burke has not been interviewed. "I understand that they met with Burke and gave him a card and said 'If you want to talk to us, here's how you would contact me’."

She added: "For all I know, they have gotten some tip and think Burke could give them some information."

In 2006 the case resurfaced in the headlines when a former teacher from Alabama, John Mark Karr, was arrested in Bangkok, after he falsely claimed that he was involved in the girl's death. He was later cleared after DNA failed to put him at the scene. ·