x
Breaking News
More () »

Polis says state will review petition to transfer JonBenét Ramsey case away from Boulder PD

JonBenét's father John Ramsey told 9NEWS that he supports the petition.

BOULDER, Colo. — The family of JonBenét Ramsey is supporting a petition for Gov. Jared Polis to take new action to help find answers in the case that's gone unsolved for more than 25 years.

JonBenét's father says he wants DNA evidence that he says has never been tested before to be transferred away from the Boulder Police Department (BPD). He wants a different agency to investigate. 

"Somehow we’ve got to force the police, or take it away from them, the ability to go ahead and test some of the crime scene evidence that was never tested for DNA," said John Ramsey, JonBenét's father. "Why that’s never been done and will never be done by the police baffles me."

Six-year-old JonBenét was found dead in the basement of her family's home in December 1996. Her killer still hasn't been found.

Multiple people over the years have said they killed JonBenét, but their confessions were ultimately discounted.

The new petition, supported by JonBenét's father, asks Gov. Polis to transfer the evidence away from Boulder Police and allow a different department to use new technology to try and find the person who killed her.

"It’ll never be solved if it stays in the Boulder Police hands. Or at least get the crime scene material tested for DNA samples." Ramsey told 9NEWS. "The technology has advanced so far in the DNA world from 20 years ago. To just not do that, it baffles me."

In a statement, Polis' office said, "The State will review the petition and look into how the state can assist in using new technology to further investigate this cold case and to identify JonBenét Ramsey's killer."

BPD released a statement late Sunday afternoon saying the department continues to test pieces of DNA for potential matches. The department said it already works with several agencies to test DNA and will continue to do so.

“We have a shared goal to bring justice—and hopefully some peace—to JonBenet’s family and everyone who was impacted by her loss,” Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold said in a statement to 9NEWS. “Our investigation with federal, state and local partners has never stopped. That includes new ways to use DNA technology. We’ve always used state-of-the-art technology as it has been at the forefront of this investigation. Every time the DNA technology changed, we worked to make sure the evidence could be tested."

The department says it has interviewed more than 1,000 people connected with the case and looked into more than 21,000 tips that it’s received since 1996.

"I want this resolved and solved," said Ramsey. "If you, Boulder Police, solve this crime, you’ll hear nothing but praise from me. But please, get on with it."

Matt Jablow contributed to the reporting of this story. 

> Do you have a news tip on this story or any other story? We want to hear from you! Tell us about it by emailing newstips@9news.com.

SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Latest from 9NEWS

RELATED: Watch 9NEWS for free on ROKU, Apple TV, Fire TV

MORE WAYS TO GET 9NEWS

Subscribe to our daily 9NEWSLETTER for top stories from 9NEWS curated daily just for you. Get content and information right now for can’t-miss stories, Next and Broncos content, weather and more delivered right to your inbox.  

DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP 

iTunes: http://on9news.tv/itunes
Google Play: http://on9news.tv/1lWnC5n 

RELATED: How to customize the stories and alerts you get from 9NEWS

HOW TO ADD THE 9NEWS APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE 

ROKU: add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for KUSA. 

For both Apple TV and Fire TV, search for "9NEWS" to find the free app to add to your account. Another option for Fire TV is to have the app delivered directly to your Fire TV through Amazon. 

You can watch videos on demand from our top stories, local politics, investigations, Colorado specific features and even classic 9NEWS videos from the 1980s. If you missed a special program, such as a documentary, you will find them in the "9NEWS Original" channel on the app.

> See a typo in one of our stories? Let us know so we can fix it! Email viewerfeedback@9news.com.

9NEWS is the NBC affiliate in Denver, Colorado and is owned by Tegna Inc.

Before You Leave, Check This Out