The most famous beauty pageant queen to die tragically, by far, was also the youngest. According to CNN, on December 26, 1996, the Ramsey family says they awoke to find the 6-year-old JonBenét missing, and a ransom note demanding $118,000. However, once the police were called, the girl’s body was found in the basement of the house.
The murder quickly became a sensation, with pictures of the victim dolled up for various pageants splashed across the front page of every paper and magazine. JonBenét had many crowns to her name already, including Little Miss Colorado, Little Miss Charlevoix, Colorado State All-Star Kids Cover Girl, America’s Royale Miss, and National Tiny Miss Beauty.
While true crime fans have been obsessed with her murder for decades now, it has never been solved. Suspicion fell on JonBenét’s mother and brother at various times, although Patsy died of cancer in 2006 and Burke has sued over claims he might be the killer. In 2006, a man named John Mark Karr confessed to the crime, but after he was brought back to the U.S. from Thailand, DNA evidence ruled him out. As of December 2021, the Boulder Police Department says they are still actively working on the case using new technology.
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