As a society, we thrive on crime and violence. The most popular shows on television are nearly all true crime: NCIS, Criminal Minds, Law and Order, CSI, Bones, etc. It’s not a coincidence that we are fed stories of crime from the media, and that our movies, our books, our Facebook feeds are filled with violence.

The more horrifying, the more fascinating. It’s attention grabbing, it’s appealing because its taboo. It’s wrong, but we love to hear about the ones who live outside the confines of our societal norms. Stories about crime sell quicker, sell out, and sell the story.

And if the story goes unsolved?

Suddenly we’re all Sherlock Holmes.

JonBenét Ramsey. “Court papers: Grand jury in 1999 sought to indict JonBenet Ramsey’s parents,” by Michael Martinez and Faith Karimi. CNN, 25 Oct. 2013.

1996: December 26th, the morning after Christmas, the Ramsey house awoke to find their beautiful six-year old daughter JonBenét missing from her bed. JonBenét was a pageant star, who lived a life of luxury. She was an American icon, recognized by her curly blonde hair, her smile, and her supportive family cheering her on at events: her mother Patsy, a former beauty star herself, her father John, a successful multi-millionaire businessman, and her elder brother Burke, who was nine at the time of her disappearance. She loved camera time, and captured the hearts millions who watched her captivate her audiences with her southern charm and confidence. JonBenét was poised to be a star.

And she was gone.

In place of their loving daughter, Patsy and John found a ransom note demanding 118,000 dollars. Though the note explicitly warned against notifying the police, authorities were called and arrived at around 6:00 A.M. Once they began their investigation of the home, the first mistakes were made. None of the house was sectioned off other than JonBenét’s room, meaning the family was allowed to roam and tamper with evidence. John and Patsy were never interviewed separately. In fact, as they examined the house the officers instructed the family to help them search and investigate.

This presented to pose a problem when John Ramsey went into the basement and came back with the body of his daughter.

Jonbenét had suffered a skull fracture, had been strangled (with what would later be revealed to be made from parts of Patsy’s paintbrush), had been gagged and bound, sexually assaulted (there would be no DNA found), and the autopsy revealed that she died primarily from asphyxiation with complications from the skull fracture.

Followers of the case usually fit within two groups: those who believe the family did it, and those who believe an intruder did it. Though all three members of the immediate family were investigated, the media coverage and public has held them as the primary suspects.

Ransom Note. 1997. “Disguised Handwriting: Unmasking The Ramsey Ransom Note,” by Brenda Anderson. Expert Handwriting Analysis, 9 July 2013.

Handwriting analysis has been inconclusive in determining whether or not Patsy wrote the ransom note (which is an odd thing to leave in a home if you’re going to kill the child and dump her in the basement). Much of the language in the note raised flags as well, as it was verbose and oddly specific. Considering how contaminated the DNA at the crime scene was, fingerprint data has been inconclusive both on her body and in the home. Initially, Patsy and John were considered hostile witnesses and were difficult to work with, citing their fear of being accused. Years would go by before any development in the case.

1999: A grand jury decides to convict John and Patsy for their presumed involvement, however insufficient evidence prevents a formal conviction. Prior to Patsy’s death in 2005 due to cancer, she and John released a memoir titled, “The Death of Innocence” which detailed their struggles with being perceived as murderers of their own child. They believe an intruder broke into the home late at night, (and investigators have several names of people of interest in this theory) and framed the family in order to cover their tracks.

2016: JonBenét’s brother Burke speaks to the media for the first time during an interview with Dr. Phil in which he defends his family (though the interview has been torn apart by behavioral analysts and body language experts who have pointed out a few red flags of their own).

Yet, we’re no closer to knowing who for certain killed JonBenét.

This case has interested me in similar ways as the Zodiac did, both because it went unsolved, and because I’ve been developing my own theories as to what I think happened. BuzzFeed Unsolved has another amazing video detailing the crime and explaining theories much better and more in depth than me, so if interested please check it out.

Several people have taken responsibility for the murder, and new loopholes seem to pop up every couple of years. While hope may still remain for determining what happened, it’s clear that investigative incompetence and media played a powerful role in preventing the truth from being revealed.