"I am more optimistic than I've been since the beginning," he told Westword following the recent completion of a year-long study by the Colorado Cold Case Review Team of JonBenét's murder. The six-year-old pageant queen was bludgeoned and strangled to death on Christmas night, 1996; her body was found in the Ramsey's basement the next day. The family has said they believe an intruder broke into the home and was responsible.
While Ramsey has feuded with the Boulder Police Department in the past over its handling of the investigation, he credited it directly — and BPD Chief Maris Herold, in particular — for spearheading the renewed efforts to solve the case. "The police department finally has competent leadership, has dealt with the problems in the detective division, and has included the FBI in discussions on how to proceed," Ramsey said.
But on January 10, it was announced that Herold, who is Boulder's first female police chief, would be leaving the BPD and joining the Department of Justice's Law Enforcement Knowledge Lab. Now Ramsey is worried that her departure will throw a wrench into all the progress that's been made.
"I guess it depends on her replacement, but it does seem like it could be a setback," he tells Westword. "After three police chiefs promoted from within during the last 25 years, I was grateful that both Chief Herold and her assistant chief were brought in from the outside to lead. You can’t fix a dysfunctional organization by continuing to promote from within, and apparently that was why Boulder sought outside leadership."
Herold's replacement, Interim Chief Stephen Redfearn, is the "assistant chief" Ramsey references. He was brought in to be Herold's deputy in 2021 after spending more than two decades with the Aurora Police Department and will serve as interim chief.
Ramsey and his eldest son, John Andrew, met with Redfearn and Herold several times last year as part of a "mutual communication" related to JonBenét's cold case review. BPD officials plan to keep following up with the Ramseys as things progress in 2024, and insist that this change in leadership will not affect what's going on with the JonBenét investigation.
"Interim Chief Redfearn remains committed to transparency, communication and the continuation of pursuing all leads into the murder of JonBenét," the department says. "He has been an integral part of the Cold Case Review Team process in addition to meeting with John Ramsey with Chief Herold last year. That transparency and communication will continue moving forward."
(From left) JonBenét, John, Patsy and Burke Ramsey in an early 1990s family photo.
Family photo/Access Hollywood via YouTube
"Before this call was closed out, based upon the information that was provided to me by the sergeants, it went from a suspicious person to an assault based on the information," Redfearn testified last September. "I changed it so it would accurately reflect the information I had been provided.”
Redfearn's involvement in the McClain case prompted Boulder NAACP leaders to call for his resignation last year. “In his position and with his extensive experience as an officer, it is incredulous that Night Duty Police Captain Redfearn would not, at a minimum, have engaged in a cursory assessment of the scene of the incident prior to adjusting the call log,” the NAACP said in a statement to Westword. "It reeks of a cover-up in which Redfearn apparently found it unnecessary and irrelevant to question or investigate the report by the officers, thereby creating a pathway for the supposed justification (‘assault on a police officer’) of the brutal murder of Elijah McClain."
Despite his past, Ramsey hopes Redfearn's involvement in the 2023 cold case review and the collaborative efforts he and Herold were involved in with other law enforcement agencies and investigators on JonBenét's case will have an impact on things moving forward.
"We do have multiple eyes on our investigation now (FBI, CBI, Cold Case Team)," Ramsey says. "So that will help insure the momentum."
Herold's exit announcement said that she would be working to "help improve policing practices across the country" with the DOJ. "Specifically, she will advise and support the Knowledge Lab’s efforts to provide evidence-based, innovative, fair, and accessible resources to U.S., state and local criminal justice practitioners, stakeholders, and communities," says the BPD. "She will transition to this role on Monday, January 22. It is a two-year commitment."
Asked if Redfearn was going to be Herold's permanent replacement, BPD spokesperson Dionne Waugh responds, "Right now, the city is focused on the transition, and more will come on other decisions."
While Herold was unable to comment on Ramsey's concerns moving forward, she did offer a statement on her move.
"It has been an honor and privilege to serve the Boulder community and the outstanding professionals who serve within the Boulder Police Department,” Herold said. “I will always carry with me the sacrifice and brave response to the King Soopers mass casualty event on March 20, 2021. I am humbled by the opportunity to serve my profession at a national level and continue to promote the importance of fair and effective policing."
