The Boulder Police Department continues to face mounting pressure to deploy cutting-edge DNA technology in the JonBenét Ramsey murder investigation following a guilty plea by a former Colorado crime lab analyst who worked alongside investigators during the original JonBenét Ramsey inquiry. John Ramsey, the 82-year-old father of the slain 6-year-old, is urging authorities to submit untested evidence for forensic genetic genealogy analysis — a specialized technique that has solved numerous cold cases nationwide by tracing biological relatives through genealogical databases.
JonBenét Ramsey, a 6-year-old from Boulder, Colorado, was found dead in the basement of her family’s home on December 26, 1996 — the day after Christmas. Her murder has never been solved, and unidentified male DNA recovered from the crime scene has never been matched to a suspect. John Ramsey believes that DNA represents the most promising lead remaining and has offered to help fund investigative genetic genealogy testing himself.
A Crime Lab Scandal Decades in the Making
Yvonne “Missy” Woods, a former Colorado Bureau of Investigation DNA analyst, pleaded guilty to four felony charges: cybercrime, perjury, forgery, and attempting to influence a public servant. District Attorney Alexis King said Woods accepted responsibility for criminal conduct that spanned decades.
Woods worked for the Colorado Bureau of Investigation for nearly three decades before resigning in 2023. Prosecutors say she manipulated DNA results and removed forensic records from criminal cases spanning from 2008 forward. Authorities believe she handled more than 10,000 cases over her career, with records allegedly deleted in roughly 10 percent of them. As part of her plea agreement, 100 additional charges were dismissed. She faces a mandatory eight to 16 years in prison when sentenced Sept. 8.
Woods was a CBI team member during the 1996 murder investigation, a detail that has drawn immediate attention from the public and from JonBenét’s family. Investigators have said there is currently no evidence she tampered with JonBenét’s specific case — her known misconduct dates from 2008 through 2023, years after the initial probe.
Ramsey Raises Questions About Untested Evidence
John Ramsey has said key DNA evidence in the case was analyzed by an outside laboratory rather than the state agency, which offers some insulation from the Woods scandal. Still, for John Ramsey, the guilty plea exposed deeper concerns that had long gone unaddressed.
In an interview, Ramsey said several pieces of physical evidence collected at the scene were submitted for laboratory analysis, while others remained untested. He indicated the family had questioned this selective approach, uncertain whether budget constraints or the discovery of unknown male DNA influenced which items were prioritized for examination. He has been explicit that he believes forensic genetic genealogy could finally deliver an answer and has repeatedly criticized investigators for what he views as a failure to fully utilize advances in DNA technology.
The Push for Forensic Genetic Genealogy
John Ramsey has advocated for Boulder investigators to engage a specialized private laboratory rather than rely on conventional state resources. He said Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn told him in fall 2025 that additional items from the crime scene would be sent for testing.
The Boulder Police Department convened the Colorado Cold Case Review Team in 2022–23 to reassess the case file and has worked with private DNA labs on possible testing, though that review concluded in December 2023 with no public update on results since. In its December 2025 annual update, Boulder police said detectives had conducted new interviews, re-interviewed people based on tips, and collected and retested evidence to generate new leads.
John Ramsey appeared publicly at a crime event in Royal Oak, Michigan, on June 19, 2026, just days before the Woods’ guilty plea. He has not wavered in his conviction that the case is solvable, and the Woods scandal, however tangentially connected, has given him fresh grounds to press investigators.